Review: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Gathering
Series: Darkness Rising Trilogy
Author:Kelley Armstrong
Pages: 359 
Special Features: 1st Chapter of The Summoning
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.04

Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.
It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

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This book was a great and gripping read, though filled with a number of flaws.

Book Review: Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan

Title: Birth of a Killer
Series: The Saga of Larten Crepsley #1
Author: Darren Shan
Pages: 256 
Special Features: N/A 
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.26   

Before Cirque Du Freak...
Before the war with the vampaneze...
Before he was a vampire.
Larten Crepsley was a boy.
As a child laborer many centuries ago, Larten Crepsley did his job well and without complaint, until the day the foreman killed his cousin/bestfriend  as an example to the other children. In that moment, young Larten flies into a rage that the foreman wouldn't survive. Forced on the run, he sleeps in crypts and eats cobwebs to get by. And when a vampire named Seba offers him protection and training as a vampire's assistant, Larten takes it.
This is his story.

This book follows the story of Larten Crepsley, as a young boy, working in a silk factory with his cousin and best friend, Vur. After a number of unfortunate events, Larten is forced to flee from his home and ends up in the arms, and protective care of, Seba, a well respected and very old vampire, where Larten than takes the opportunity of becoming his assistant, and be potentially blooded.
We see as Larten grows from boy to man, from human to vampire, and we follow the story of the much loved man who was originally featured in Darren Shan's: Darren Shan Saga.

Why I do not participate in banned book week

Banned Book Week 24th September-1st October, and a book blogging week I refuse to participate in by saying I've read a Banned books.

There is a number of YA which people have attempted to ban, see the main word there ATTEMPTED. Yes a number of books get literally banned from certain schools and libraries, which I do not condone, and think it is 100% unfair, but these books are still available to me, therefore they are not banned.
I was looking through a Banned Book Week reading challenge and came across books like: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and Harry Potter by JK Rowling, three of probably most popular series, not just in YA but for all ages. Come on people Harry Potter has sold half a billion copies, the majority which would of been read. Does that sound banned to you?
Then there is The Giver by Lois Lowry, which is a book I plan to read, and could probably walk into any English speaking book-shop and find them sitting there right in front of me, no glass window or laser beams stopping me from reaching it, NOTHING!!!! Except a known ban in one school or something.

I'm not criticizing any blogger or reader who is participating in Banned Books Week, I'm just merely posting my opinion, and reason's why I don't participate.
But if you want to join in then feel free, and have a great time.

Happy Reading!!

Book Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Series: The Forest of Hand and Teeth #1 
Author: Carrie Ryan 
Publisher: Gollancz
Publication Date: 10th March 2009
Pages: 310
Special Features: Preview of The Dead Tossed Waves 
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.61

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

I don't know what to say about this book really. It is one full of different things and can be described and reviewed in many ways.
It was a great and enjoyable read, though a book which before I started reading it never caught my fancy. I did expect a lot from it, I saw many good reviews on the book, and I will be one of the first to admit it was good, and well worth a read, though the book did not provide me with what other books do.

The story line was one which is rare, and very unique within it's self, not like any dystopian I have read before, but part of the book I just hated.
I felt like the whole trilogy was forced into one quite short book, and that too much happened, which despite what you may say is not always a good thing. This book alone could of made a trilogy, and I partly wish that the first half was a bit more stretched out.

Why I Won't Be Blogging As Much??

I've recently started college, where I will be taking Psychology, Sociology and Maths, but unfortunately these are very demanding subjects and I'm expected to do the same amount of work outside of college, as I do inside, and around exam time, I've been told my free time will be for sleep and probably nothing else.

Fortunately I will only actually be in college for 3 days a week, though more of 2 and a half. On Wednesday I'll be there from 9-12, Thursday: 9-5 and Friday 9-4.30, not including the hour and half it takes me to get home, and already within the 3 days I've actually been at college, I've witnessed my sleep dramtically decrease, so I will probably spend alot of time asleep.

I am going to try and read when I can, and keep up blogging as often as possible, but sometimes when I just get home from college I want to relax laid in bed, trying to rid of my headache.

I am so sorry to have to take a slight break from blogging, but getting into a routine for college is far more important.
Anyway I will go now, as I have 9 pieces of homework to do by Thursday, so I better get busy!

Review: Soul Beach by Kate Harrison

Title: Soul Beach
Series: Soul Beach #1
Author: Kate Harrison
Publisher: Orjon Children's
Publication Date: 1st September 2011
Pages: 256
Special Features:
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.8

When Alice Forster receives an email from her dead sister she assumes it must be a sick practical joke. Then an invitation arrives to the virtual world of Soul Beach, an idyllic online paradise of sun, sea and sand where Alice can finally talk to her sister again - and discover a new world of friendships, secrets and maybe even love . . . . But why is Soul Beach only inhabited by the young, the beautiful and the dead? Who really murdered Megan Forster? And could Alice be next? The first book in an intriguing and compelling trilogy centred around the mystery of Megan Forster's death.

 This was a book I had hear near to nothing about, yet it beat expectations and went beyond.

For me it is a proper British book, which follows simple yet effective storyline, has well done characters and a book due to it's English background I could feel as though I related to it much more.

Soul Beach, is about Alice who six months after the death of a reality TV star sister, Megan received an email from Megan. At first Alice ignores it and see's it as someone's version of a sick practical joke, until another email arrives, but this time from Soul Beach, an interactive website, leading straight to a waiting room for the young, beautiful and dead.

The book was original, fantastic and relate-able for today’s teenage generation, Kate Harrison doesn't just create the 'world' of Soul Beach, but instead creates it to be an interactive website, exclusive only to those invited. In a way it is more of the social-networking site for the dead and there loved one's. Also another thing which makes the book appeals to teenager's in the use of trends used, for example Facebook, which made me as a reader be able to go 'Hey I use that' or 'Oh yeah, I've heard of that', making it a perfect read for someone not overly obsessed with reading.

I managed to read the book in one afternoon, and was completely tangled within the enticing storyline, and was flipping through the pages until there was no pages left to turn. Yet the book itself lacked something, something which bought it from the outstanding five star rating, to the respectable and good 4 star. Despite my addiction to the book, and inability to put it down, there was nothing to keep me going, excluding the all round storyline, I didn't expect much to be on the next page, though maybe the page after that.

Someone which I really enjoyed was: every now and then there would be chapter's, not proper chapter's but more of thoughts of Megan's killer, I believe that this was the perfect choice which the author made to keep the reader interested and hopefully these small 'chapter's will follow through till the end of the series, leaving the reader's to make there own decisions on who is the murderer.

This book hosts one of the best collection of character's I have ever came across, and it's very rare to have all character's are so well developed, also there is a mixture of character's coming from all different backgrounds and stereotypes, something for everyone.
Take Alice for example, despite being the main character of the story you see her obvious thoughts of always being over-shadowed by her sister, before her death, yet any rivalry that went on she soon forgot about. Also we see a rather dramatic, yet expected development within her character. Towards the beginning of the story she is a very timid and shy person, though as the book goes on she becomes much stronger and inspirational, not just as a person but a character too.
Another character I liked was Danny, Danny is a friend of Megan's from the island, and one of my favourite character's due to his story of why he is the way he is. Danny during the book is quite friendly, sympathetic and wise, though as we find out in the book he was once quite a spoilt and self-centred brat, his death which is believed to be his fault was what changed him, realising he needed to be a better person.

This book can't be compared to know another books, because it's nothing like anything else I've read or came across. It really is in a league of it's own.

I give this book....

In My Mailbox

In my mailbox is hosted my Kristi at The Story Siren.

For Review:

Soul Beach by Kate Harrison (1st Sept 2011)

Galley:

LIE by Caroline Bock (30th August 2011)

The Sweetest Things by Christina Mandelski

Shattered Dreams by Ellie James (6th December 2011)

You are my Only by Beth Kephart (25th October 2011)

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (27th December 2011)

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison (4th Feburary 2012)

Bought:

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Matched by Ally Condie

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

One Day by David Nicholls

The Goddess Test by Aimme Carter (E-book)

Bite Me by Parker Blue (E-book)

Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar (Audio-book)

Amy and Rodger's Epic De-tour by Morgan Matson (E-book)

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire (E-book)

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (E-book)

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (E-book)

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson (E-book)

Falling for Romeo by Jennifer Laurens (E-book)

Magic Hands by Jennifer Laurens (E-book)

Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens (E-book)

Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (E-book)

Won:

Both from Portrait of a Woman:

Boys for Beginner's by Lil Chase

The Kissing Game by Aiden Chambers

So What Happened This Week??

Monday: Review: A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Wednesday: Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Friday: Review: LIE by Caroline Bock

Weekend Question

Weekend Question is hosted by Liz at Cleverly Inked

Q. 

Do you read the books before your child does? Or do you think parents have the right to say yes or no to a book?

 

A.

Honestly, I believe that this Question is one which could be accompanied by hours of discussion.

Yes I do believe that up to a certain age a parent should perhaps supervise what their child reads, but I believe that once I have a child I probably will allow my child to read what they want.

My mum, didn't care what I read as a child, firstly because as a child I had gone through alot, things which were unlikely to be featured in children's books, and by the time I was reading Adult and YA books she believed it was right for me to read what I want to read, even if that book involved sex when I was twelve.

 

Also I think it believes it depends on how the child in question will respond to what was in the book. I have always been mature and the book would be very unlikely to leave an ever-lasting impression on me.

Review: Lie by Caroline Bock

Title: LIE
Series: N/A
Author: Caroline Bock
Publisher: St.Martins Griffin
Publication Date: 30th August 2011
Pages: 224
Special Features: N/A
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.86

Seventeen-year-old Skylar Thompson is being questioned by the police. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, stands accused of brutally assaulting two young El Salvadoran immigrants from a neighboring town, and she’s the prime witness. Skylar is keeping quiet about what she’s seen, but how long can she keep it up?

But Jimmy was her savior. . . .
When her mother died, he was the only person who made her feel safe, protected from the world. But when she begins to appreciate the enormity of what has happened, especially when Carlos Cortez, one of the victims, steps up to demand justice, she starts to have second thoughts about protecting Jimmy. Jimmy’s accomplice, Sean, is facing his own moral quandary. He’s out on bail and has been offered a plea in exchange for testifying against Jimmy.

The truth must be told. . . .
Sean must decide whether or not to turn on his friend in order to save himself. But most important, both he and Skylar need to figure out why they would follow someone like Jimmy in the first place

I was really looking forward to reading this book, and was highly disappointed. The synopsis sounded great and I really believed I was going to enjoy the book.

The book focuses on four friends, who to protect one another from being arrested they are forced to LIE (hence the name of the book) but after an attack on two Hispanic brother's goes from bad to worse, the truth begins to eat them up.

Within the first few pages I was bored and overly confused. But I carried it on, slowly it was becoming interesting, but took a dramatic U-turn and was back to where it started. The only thing motivating me to finish the book was it was a review Galley and I really wanted to prove myself as a reviewer.

The book focuses mainly on loyatly, friendship and racism, but I expected friendship and loyalty to take the bigger role, which apparently it does not. I have only ever read one series about racism before, and found this book quite hard to read due to the racial element's in it. I'm not saying they are handled wrong, because they have not. I am just someone who has never been around such racial attacks, and I possibly believe that it could be toned down a bit more.

Within the book we witness numerous amount's of POV's from many different character's (I counted 10 in total). For me this was good and bad. Firstly it caused a large amount of confusion for me and throughout the book the amount of focus of such a large amount of character's slowly began to prove hard to keep track of when I came across them later on.
But as the book progressed I realised that for the storyline of the book, a large amount of POV's was just right, but maybe not this many. It allowed you to see such a horrible event, through not just one or two eyes, but everyone who seemed to be involved and effected. Also it allowed much more background information on the character's to be shown.

Caroline's writing style was not so good. I felt almost like I was being told instead of shown, which is slightly understandable seeing as a large proportion of the book was based on the past events which had taken place, but even the present parts it seemed to lack allot.

The book was quite hard to read, and on some occasions highly un-believable.
Jimmy, and a number of other character's are very much Racist's, they have strong views that no one from other countries should be allowed in America full stop, and Jimmy's view managed to influence, his small group of main friends: Skylar, Sean and Lisa-Marie, to the point that they begin to think what he says is true. Jimmy is also the school's sport star and it is slightly portrayed in the book that despite everyone in the school knew what really happened, they refused to grass him up because of his position. This for me seemed unbelievable and I just couldn't get to grips with it.

I will only talk about one character, which is Skylar.
I felt almost like Skylar was the only character I properly saw enough to talk about and I would say the main character of the book.
Skylar is the girlfriend of Jimmy, who has been charged of attacking two Hispanic brother's and is still in prison.
Skylar seems very reliatent on her boyfriend and is constantly saying how Jimmy would always have a plan, and Jimmy said this. Also she yearns  to much for him, and seems to care much more about the fact that he is in prison then anything else, at that moment of time (which I guess is believable).
She on the other hand is quite a third-dimensional character, depending on the way you think and see things you may say that her personality and reliance of Jimmy is due to her past, which is discovered in the book.

I give this book...



   

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee &  Alison Can Read. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends!

Q. In books like the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series the paranormal creature in question "comes out of the closet" and makes itself known to the world. Which mythical creature do you wish would come out of the closet, for real?

A.
Hmmm, Honestly I'd slightly prefer none, True Blood alone has proven that mythical creatures becoming known in a bad thing and I'd much rather prefer not to be killed by being drained. But I would have to pick Vampires, mainly because they are AWESOME!!

Book Trailer #3: Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens

Doesn't it just look so Good!!!

Check out the Book Trailer for: Overprotected

I'm excited to read ALL of Jennifer Lauren's book, they look very unique and amazing!!

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Series: Matched #1
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Puffin (UK)
Publication Date:  December 2010
Pages: 366
Special Features: Interview with Ally Condie
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.79

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

A whole different type of dystopian.

A dystopian love story, which follows the same kind of plot line of every other dystopian I have read. Yet for me Matched stand out much more, it isn't based just on taking down a society which is wrong, but instead focuses on the love triangle, featured in this story.

I can tell that the sequel: Crossed is going to be the same high standard as Matched, and perhaps better, even at the early stage in the series, I can tell straight away that Ally Condie has some big plans for the books ahead.
The book is more for female reader's, yet would be appealing to all ages and gender's.
Despite, the love dominating storyline, there is something for everyone and a very exciting read.

It was not at all predictable and constantly left you feeling like you were literally hanging on the cliff, with all the cliffhanger's, featured within the book, some solved in Matched and other's will be solved later in the series.

This dystopian, in different to other's I have read and seems to be slightly more civilised than other's, and Ally Condie has made such an amazing effort of making the society relatable to what we live in today, yet still of changed to the point of making it a 'dysopian'. In this book we still hear about the old 'society' as it was not that long ago, and you still see aspects of everything being changed by the Officals.
The character's for me were the best yet.

Cassia, manages to hold the same strength as a character as other female protagonists in Dystopians do, yet she is different. We witness a much larger change within her, and it was great seeing the change from Cassia at the beginning of the book, to tactical and strong Cassia it closed on. She is very relatable and holds the same emotions females hold today. She get's excited for her Match banquet, where she will find out who her partner will be for rest of her life, and even gets excited after finding it out.
Ky, one of two male protagonist's, and the guy she realises she has feeling's for, has became my new fictional crush. He is quite a broken and different boy, to other's we come across in the book, and has this type of bad boy edge, which makes him very appealing. Though at times he seems quite adorable, and what is better than a cute bad boy. Like Cassia, we also see him change throughout the book, though less as the person he is from the begging of the book, but instead stand out much more, and gain what could be seen as 'book confidence'.
Xander, the other male protagonist in the book, is quite a love hate character. I really liked him at the beginning of the book and thought he was going to be my new fictional crush, but slowly he became one of these characters who I couldn't stand.

This is a must-read Dystopian, which you are bound to love, the same I do.

Book Review: A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Title:  A Stolen Life: A Memoir
Series: N/A
Author: Jaycee Dugard
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: July 2011
Pages: 286
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.00

In the summer of 1991 I was a normal kid. I did normal things. I had friends and a mother who loved me. I was just like you. Until the day my life was stolen.
For eighteen years I was a prisoner. I was an object for someone to use and abuse.

For eighteen years I was not allowed to speak my own name. I became a mother and was forced to be a sister. For eighteen years I survived an impossible situation.

On August 26, 2009, I took my name back. My name is Jaycee Lee Dugard. I don’t think of myself as a victim. I survived.

A Stolen Life is my story—in my own words, in my own way, exactly as I remember it.

Hardest review I have ever written.
A Stolen Life: The true story of Jaycee Dugard, a girl kidnapped in 1991 age 11, found 18 years later.

The book written by herself, tells her story full of manipulation, emotional abuse, rape, loneliness and hope.
A girl who had been through people's worst nightmare's and came out stronger than ever, with two young girl's (her daughter's) by her side.

It is hard to believe that this story is about a girl kidnapped 4years before I was born, and found when I was thirteen.
Since her rescue I have followed her story via, online articles and TV shows and I knew I just had to read her book, her story.

It is a book, which tells of the events which happened, from being taken on that early morning in 1991, to the moment to she was rescued and even beyond. It tells what happened, and the emotions she felt, with even a Reflection piece every so often, as she reflects on what she has written. It's amazing how much she has remembered and horrible to think that this really happened, to such a young and happy girl.
I will admit the book is not amazingly written, like other best seller's, but for someone who was basically taken from the world she once knew, and couldn't even go to school, it was spectacular.

It is a must read for anyone who is interested in the Jaycee story or many other genre's, it really gives a first perspective view of this horrible event which happened in her life. The book has given her a chance to tell her story the way she wanted to tell it. This book is one, which will forever linger my mind and I hope I, nor no one else forgets this story of hope and survival.

Jaycee Dugard, herself is someone who I officially look up to. Not many people who have been through even a percentage of what she did, come out stable and ok in the end. She may never of put up a fight against even Nancy or Phillip, but she did what she had to do to survive and stay safe.
I love how in the book she says she one day dreams to be a bestseller, and now her dream has came true and I only wish more happiness on such a wonderful and amazing person.

Warning: This book is not for the faint-hearted. It is upsetting, and I had to put it down numerous amount of times, so I was able to calm down.

I would feel horrible if I didn't give this book a 5star rating, but it does deserve it aswell...

Book Discussion: Illegal Distribution of E-books

After buying an Amazon Kindle I started reading about Illegal Distribution of E-books, and decided to make a post about it on here.
Illegal Distribution is affected in all forms of media, this includes films, music, tv shows etc... and is NOT the same as borrowing a book from a friend. It is a form of stealing and is against the law, but this does not change anything.
Why is sending a friend an E-book, not the same as a friend borrowing a print copy?
This is because when a friend is borrowing a print copy, there is any one copy, and that one copy has been paid for. But when you are sending a friend a copy of an E-book, one copy becomes two, and only one of them is paid for.
___________
There are pro's and con's of illegal distribution of E-books, but I would just like to start off by saying I PAY FOR ALL MY E-BOOKS, though I will admit to sending a few to my sister, which some people class as illegal distribution.

Pro's of illegal distribution:
Now I am sure many of you think this issue has no pro's, well it does, there may not be allot but they are pretty important ones.

• Free promotion for the author and the book

Many people who read books, especially those with friends, will then recommend books and may even write reviews on site's such as Goodreads.

• Many people if they like the book, will then by the print copy.

This does infact happen, even though some of you may be in doubt, I know a number of people who do this, I am one of them.

• Helps people with less money read books, when they don't have access to the book at their local library.

For example not many people, especially teenager's have money of their own to pay for books. I myself do not get money off of my parents, instead I earn money via a paper round, this is not an option for some people, though without that money I would then only have the option of the books in my local library, and living in the small town, which has near to no government funding, there is not a wide selection of books (infact I've read all the YA books they have to offer). So can all of us avid reader's really deny someone else the choice of enjoying the books we love.

Con's of illegal distribution:
I can honestly only think of one.

• The author and publishing company, etc...are loosing out on money, which does not help the current economy.

But this is a reason which will then cause serious effects. Many author's depend of the money their books make to live, and fend for their families, as well as the publishing companies. They need this money to survive, pay rent and food.
________
I in the past two years have spent about £1,000, which for someone who earns £15 a week and still has to put towards other things is a lot, and I do occasionally think I don't get my money's worth.
Once I start college I will have next to no money, and will be finding it very hard to buy books, all will be depending on the cheap books or begging my mum to buy me one occasionally.
I can guarantee that at least 1 author out there who moans about someone sharing a copy of their e-book, has once before watched a movie illegally online, or downloaded music illegally.
Once an author agrees to having an e-book edition, they have to expect people to illegally download it, it's inevitable and will only continue to increase. So feel free to moan about it, but don't try and prevent it. It won't work.

Feel free to share your opinions.

Update 22nd August:I would just like to add that I do not, nor will I ever condone this illegal and criminal act, though I know a number of people who will illegally download. I am just posting this discussion from different perspective of the author's and others, and then the reader's who illegally download.

In response to Kelly's comment, which you can see below, I will almost 100% completely agree with what she has to say.

Book Trailer #2: Matched by Ally Condie

The second weekly book trailer I am posting.
Every Friday I will be adding a new book trailer.
This weeks trailer is Matched by Ally Condie, in honor of me finally reading it.

Name: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: 22nd Oct 1999
Pages: 198
Avg. Goodreads Rating: 3.98

When Melinda Sordino's friends discover she called the police to quiet a party, they ostracize her, turning her into an outcast -- even among kids she barely knows. But even worse than the harsh conformity of high-school cliques is a secret that you have to hide.

This book is not just literature, but inspirational art.

This book is about a girl, Melinda who becomes a social outcast and an enemy to all around her because of ringing the police at a party. She slowly begin to feel that she can not share the horrible and disgusting secret inside her, that she must instead let it stay imprisoned inside her, slowly eating up the person she once was, and making her into someone completely different.

Laurie Halse Anderson does it again, making such a controversial issue, stand out against the crowd and leave an ever-lasting impression on all reader's.

I was a massive fan of one of her newer books :[book:Wintergirls|5152478], that I just had to read Speak, and well I have never made such a good decision in my life.
For me Speak is and should be seen as modern YA literature classic, and when I have kids I want them to be studying this book in school talking in-depth on the symbolism, (if you have read the book you will see the reference)

Issues which are featured in this book are mainly things which we as a community and a world tend to over-look because of what it involves, yet it should be an issue spoke out upon. This book alone holds a strong friendship and companion for anyone looking for support in the issues featured in this book. I felt that it was almost a diary of many people going through the same thing, it is a book to confine in and a book full of support.

Laurie Halse Anderson, as a writer doesn't just write, she creates. She creatures all these wonderful and realistic character's, all these un-believable images and all this amazing affects which get handed over to the reader.

Throughout this story I continuously witnessed Laurie Halse Anderson use such meaningful and effected phrases and words, that I myself felt the pure and heart-wrenching emotion which protagonist: Melinda feels. When she feels like she can't speak out or ever talk, the feeling is passed on to me, when her lips are described as being blistered, I can feel mine feeling the same to, and every moment Melinda feels a single emotions, I share that moment with her. For me, it was almost like poetry.
The book is split into a number of short chapters, each bit on it's own holding no reason to be in the story, but when together makes Speak what it is. Though I will admit the short chapter's made the book seem much longer, and was the main reasoning behind why it took so long for me to complete.

Melinda is a character who is hard to talk about and hard to sum up. She is two people in one. One personality overpowering the other. The other being herself before her secret happened.
Her overpowering personality is the only one we really witness (though her other personality, shone through at moments), though it is a character we don't properly come to grips with.
She is a character, who despite what she shows is strong, and one of the strongest I've witnessed, she's a character I didn't love, nor hate but a character I liked. She is an inspiration, which for me is the most important thing.

If you have not read this book, please do, it will teach you allot and it will provide you a source of entertainment.

I give this book:

Blog Update

Recently I have been working very hard on idea's for my blog.
I am planning on making my own weekly segments, which will take place on this blog, aswell as replacing all my old reviews, with updated versions (though this will take alot of time).

So I will be falling a bit behind on my blog, but feel free to voice what you would like to see on this blog, and also do you like the design??

Thank you

Book Trailer #1: Overprotected by Jennifer Lauren

Each week I will be posting a book trailer, which I have found during the week and share with my lovely follower's.

Heres Overprotected by Jennifer Lauren

Synopsis:
Ashlyn: A lonely society princess living in New York City.
Daddy hired you to be my bodyguard.
Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.
Daddy thought I’d be safe. He thought I’d never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.
Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.
Daddy was wrong.

Amazon UK|Goodreads|Amazon US

Series Review: House of Night by PC and Kristin Cast

House of Night by PC and Kristin Cast Series Review:

Overall Rating:

Speak and Stolen Giveaway!!! International Ends 30th Sept

Recently I have taken a liking to contemporary fiction and decided why not do a giveaway promoting two of my favourite books.

Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...



Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

This Giveaway is International, as long as The Book Depository delivers to you.

This giveaway does require following my blog

This giveaway ends on the 30th September 2011

I forgot to add in the form... please Tweet or re-tweet giveaway information on Twitter, and you will got 1 extra entry. (State your Twitter name in the Comment Section, and add the entry to your extra entry)

In My Mailbox 11 and What Happened This Week

In my mailbox is hosted my Kristi at The Story Siren.

This week was a bit of a slow week for me I only got 3books, but got 4 more on the way.

Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater (Book of Faerie #1)

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls #1)

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

What Happened this week:

Wednesday: Read and Reviewed Click: An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker

Started reading Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman

Friday: Three most Influentual Author's in the YA Book Market

Follow Friday

Saturday: Read and Reviewed Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman

Me and My Social Networks

Check Out My Social Networks

Youtube

I've only just started my Youtube account, and really hope that it gets quite popular, and I keep up with it.

Goodreads

I love Goodreads :D It is so awesome, a great way to keep up with everyone, as well as get some book recommendations and make some great friends.

Twitter

Twitter I love as well, great way to keep up to date with competitions, book news and well day to day life of other bloggers.

Book Review: Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman

Title: Babe in Boyland
Series: N/A
Author: Jody Gehrman
Publisher: Dial
Publication Date: 17th February 2011 
Pages: 292
Special Features: N/A
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.85  

 When high school junior Natalie - or Dr. Aphrodite, as she calls herself when writing the relationship column for her school paper - is accused of knowing nothing about guys and giving girls bad relationship advice, she decides to investigate what guys really think and want. But the guys in her class won't give her straight or serious answers. The only solution? Disguising herself as a guy and spending a week at Underwood Academy, the private all-boy boarding school in town. There she learns a lot about guys and girls in ways she never expected - especially when she falls for her dreamy roommate, Emilio. How can she show him she likes him without blowing her cover?

This like all my other reviews will be rated and reviewed based not just on the enjoyable factor but also the originality and the author's writing and planning on the book.
It seemed like a nice, fun and humorous book,not to long and well the perfect quick read.... this was true, yet throughout the whole book there was something about it which seemed so familiar.

Then I remembered the storyline is basically one which appears in the film 'She's the Man'. I'm not one for complaining about the book because of a single similarity, but the single similarity in this book, was basically the whole thing, yet twisted slightly to fit in with the main character Natalie's needs. I really enjoyed the book, even with this reason, seeing as I am a big fan of stories like this.

The book as I said was very humours and had me in tears crying, and running into my sister's room sharing the new hilarious bit which I found near lines after the previous.
It really is an enjoyable read, but I also found myself not too keen on the characters, they also appeared to have no originality, but I attempted to ignore this factor so I was able to enjoy the book.

I will admit I am quite disappointed in my response to this book, I was really hoping I would like it.

I actually give this book...

Follow Friday

 

 

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends!

Q. Talk about the book that most changed or influenced your life (was it a book that turned you from an average to avid reader, did it help you deal with a particularly difficult situation, does it bring you comfort every time you read it?).

Ok so for this weeks Follow Friday I picked two books, both for kind of the same reason.

Firstly the Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling, I chose this series not just for the books but the fanfic's which have been written about the books. For some reason as a child I never really read the books, but enjoyed the film and around the age of 11 started reading Harry Potter fanfics (the beginning of my reading obsession), after I made my way through the majority of Fanfics I moved onto reading stories online about vampires.... this then leads to the second book I'm going to talk about...
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, when I heard that there was going to be a vampire film I was hugely excited and started reading the books, this then slowly got me reading much more, and often until I read whenever I could. I really enjoy re-reading Twilight and Eclipse because they both take me back to the time when reading an actual book was strange and magically to me.

The Three Most Influential Author's of Our Time

All three of these author's I guess would be considered as predictable, but have left a massive impression on today's literature.

3. Suzanne Collins (Author of The Hunger Games Trilogy)

Suzanne Collins is many YA reader's current favourite author's, the Hunger Games Trilogy managing to reach the majority of favourite book list's.
Her amazing story lines, strong characters, and unique world have made her books an addictive read for many.

It is known to be Suzanne Collin's: Hunger Games series, which made Dystopian one of the most successful book trends.







2. Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga)

Stephenie Meyer, is probably one of the most criticized author's to ever grace the steps of the book industry, yet is a favourite for many.
Despite the many people who would disagree with my decision of adding her to this list, but without Twilight being as popular as it became reading for Teenager's wouldn't be as big as it is today.
Her series also started a two year long trend in Vampire and other Supernatural books.





1. JK Rowling (Harry Potter Series)

The most successful author in history, with both her book series, and the film adaptions breaking  numerous records, she is the obvious choice for the most influential author in the YA industry.
Her magical world, full of complex story lines, relateable character's and well everything else which makes a good book, changed not just Children's books, but Adults too. She bought people of all ages together reading and taking an interest. And just when reading was loosing it's WOW factor, she introduced her wizarding world and amazing pieces of literature.

She is the author who got a number of generations and will for years to come.





So Do you agree with my choices?
Do you think different?
Feel free to post your opinion in the comment box below.

Book Review: Click, An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker

Title: Click: An Online Love Story
Series: N/A
Author: Lisa Becker 
Publisher: I am assuming self-published, am unable to find out publisher information. 
Publication Date: 29th March 2011
Pages: 347
Special Features: N/A
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.11

Buy:

Print version of Click: An Online Love Story (USA)
Print version of Click: An Online Love Story (UK)

Kindle version of Click: An Online Love Story

Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, Renee Greene, the heroine of Click: An Online Love Story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical "B" celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.

Firstly I would like to say this is being rated in comparison to other Adult Fiction books I have read.

This book is the first review book I received.
The storyline really drew me in, and I was so excited to read it.

I started it almost instantly and was pleasantly surprised. This book is not set out in the way many other's are, but instead in the form of emails. The story lacks description and information that was not really necessary for the book, therefore was not even considered to be a bad thing to me. When I first came across the email writing style I hated it, though I will say it was quite easy to get used to, just a bit of a change from what all reader's are used too.
The email format does also improve the effect of the story. It allows quite chatty language to be used between the group of friends. The author clearly thought this book through.

The storyline is not the best, but was good enough to draw me in. As the book slowed in odd places I began to think that what was happening was beginning to get slightly repetitive.
The character's are the usual type which I come across in Adult book, and was a great change to the one's I am used to. Each of the main character's represent different people within society and make up a quite believable friendship group. We learn much more about them, than we usually would because of the use of personal emails, which also allows us to witness there friendship with each other, and really see what each of them see within one another.

Do not let the fact that this book was self-published put you off purchasing it, the writing style and her ability to create a book was better than many published author's I have came across. I even spent a while trying to find out who the publisher was.

I give this book....

Book Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

Title: Entangled
Series: N/A
Author: Cat Clarke
Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc
Publication Date: 6th January 2011
Pages: 372
Special Features: N/A
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.92

 The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?
17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.
As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?
Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

Despite my rating, I did really enjoy this book, but it managed to let it's self down in certain places.

What caught my attention was the very interesting plot line, and I was so excited when I started reading it.
The book started out very interesting and I was already captured by the first page, but after a while it just began to loose it's effect on me, yes I was still interested but for me there was too much flashback then there was present time.

The book left me in streams of tears, it really caught my heart and ripped it into pieces. It talks the truth, it shows that the life of a teenager isn't just fine and dandy like many adults seem to believe, but instead we are forced to put up with a lot of drama.
For a stand alone book this was left with a cliffhanger and many knots needed to be tied, this affected my rating alot. Also the present time writing confused me a bit especially near the end, I kept constantly having to re-read pages and lines etc... but still couldn't figure it out.

The author touches on some very important topics, aimed at teenager's in the book, which I personally believe were tackled with class and maturity.

I liked Grace the main character, and she is anything but forgettable, but on occasional she was too much in your face, too talk-a-tive, pushy and well a number of other things. There was times I just couldn't stand her one bit.
The other characters well represent who they are portrayed to be, but also who they come after overcoming a number of obstacle's, they are faced with.
This book is....

Book Review: Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Love You Hate You Miss You
Series: N/A
Author:  Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: 1st June 2009
Pages: 276
Special Features: N/A
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.76

Get this, I'm supposed to be starting a journal about "my journey." Please. I can see it now: Dear Diary, As I'm set adrift on this crazy sea called "life" . . . I don't think so. It's been seventy-five days. Amy's sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her.
And she's really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia's gone now, and she doesn't want to talk about it. They wouldn't get it, anyway. They wouldn't understand what it feels like to have your best friend ripped away from you.
They wouldn't understand what it feels like to know it's your fault.
Amy's shrink thinks it would help to start a diary. Instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia.
But as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past wasn't as perfect as she thought it was—and the present deserves a chance too.

Elizabeth Scott has produced yet another emotional read.
This is the second book of her's I have read in two days, and both have been fantastic.

Love You Hate You Miss You, focuses on grieving for the loss of a friend, something which is so rarely touched upon in book's, but also how the girl blame's herself for the death.
It's a book that basically everyone is able to relate to because of the use of friendship, throughout the book I couldn't help but picture myself in the place of protagonist Amy, which I believe would be almost un-avoidable for any reader.

Elizabeth's writing style in this book is unique... the story is told in the form of 2nd person and also uses Journal entries and letter's to tell the friend. This helps increase that the reader has on the book. Also the book is written is quite an informal and chatty way, engaging more with the reader and allow more of a connection to be made with the main character.

Amy is a likable character, though not the best I have come across. There is not much to her, and in a way she seemed a bit more of a follower to her bestfriend.
Her bestfriend who died, Julia is also featured in the book and a character I did not like very much. She was annoying, and despite being a great friend to Amy she seemed a bit selfish in some ways.

All round this book was an enjoyable and light read, though there is better.

I give this book....

Teaser Tuesday (5)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

“Then the car—we went around a corner and spun out,” I said. “It happened so fast. There was so much noise, this weird ripping screech, and then it was like we were flying for real. I could feel it.
                         ------Page 140 

Book Review: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Living Dead Girl
Series: N/A
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: 2nd September 2008
Pages: 188
Special Features: N/A
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.84

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.
Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.
This is Alice’s story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.
I would just like to start off my saying, this book isn't for everyone, it may be marked as a Young Adult, but some reader's will disagree with that.

Many people will use the word 'distrubing' to describe this book.... I would also use that word, but I would also use 'truth', I've seen many reviews where people have just hated it for it's content and what is said in the book, but many reader's have ignored the fact that this book may be fictional but is also 'real'.

It's a book full of raw emotion. Straight from the beginning we are told the horrible and sorrow-filled story of a girl. A girl, who was taken from a happy life full of freedom, and forced into the arms of a 'sick' and mentally dysfunctional man. It is a hard issue to tackle and I believe Elizabeth Scott did this to near enough perfection.

It is the first Elizabeth Scott book I've read, and I can't wait to read more. I became attached to her wonderful writing style and story idea's. The book in a whole is something which will always lingering in the back of my mind, never to be forgotten

The book is short, something which I'm not a big fan of when it's a book I really enjoy, but it's perfect for the story it tells.
It's far from a book full of useless information, it only tells what is needed to be said and this it's self gives such an effect to the reader. I guess you can almost say it's not a book to entertain, but instead a book to tell. It says that despite our happiness, there will always be someone suffering, someone who could even be close to us, a neighbor, or friend.... anyone!

The book in some places repeated it's self, for example the use of Once Upon A Time, this helped build the story line, but also the emotion. Each time we see Once Upon A Time, we are supplied with new information about 'Alice', this was probably my favourite bit about the whole book.

I do not know what to say about the character's in this book.
'Alice', is a character I believe I have no right to judge. Not only is she a fictional character in the book, but a fictional character to herself. She is not who she is by choice, but instead forced to be someone she is not. But still is an incredibly strong character.
Ray, is 'Alice's' kidnapper, the antagonist in the story. The reader is made to hate such a sick man, but I will admit there were times I found myself feeling quite sympathetic towards him. We witness fragments of his childhood, he like 'Alice' is not who he is by choice, but is also forced to be someone who he isn't, by the past he has experienced.

I could not find myself able to rate this any lower than five, because it deserves nothing less, it entertains (I guess could be said), it tells and most importantly it teaches.