Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Blurb: It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives- three days on Henry Island at an exclusive house party. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their own reasons for wanting to be there, which involve their school's most eligible bachelor, T. J. Fletcher, and look forward to three glorious days of boys, bonding, and fun-filled luxury. But what they expect is definitely not what they get. Suddenly, people are dying, and with a storm raging outside, the teens are cut off from the rest of the world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn't scheduled to return for days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on one another, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she ever imagined?

What I thought: Wow. I don't read a lot of horror/ murder mystery books, but I really liked this. SO CREEPY. It was meant to be my Official Halloween Book, but I have the self-control of an invisible cabbage, and I couldn't wait. I opened it last night, and read all the way through in about two hours.
I think what I liked most about it was the scary side. It's a horror story, it's supposed to scare you, and it did that very well. The mystery aspect was pretty good too- you're kept guessing all the way through the book, and then the killer turns out to be the last person I was expecting (I mean, I didn't even suspect them), like pretty much all good murder mystery books.
This isn't exactly a bad point, but it's something I felt could have been improved; it all felt very stereotypically horror story-ish. The situation is exactly what you'd expect- three days on an isolated island, no contact with the outside world, a massive storm, and then people start dying. Nothing spectacular, but definitely creepy. I felt that if it had been a bit more subtle, then it could have been better. Like, all the horror in the book kind of smacks you around the face, it's very obvious- the descriptions of the deaths and bodies (a bit too vivid for me), the oh-no-I-hope-no-one-kills-me side.
The only other problem I had with this book- some of the character's weren't as developed as I hoped, especially Meg and T. J., which was disappointing because they were pretty much the main characters. I think Minnie was written better than Meg; she felt more real (not in a good way) and she made you pity her and hate her at the same time. With Meg, it felt a bit like Gretchen McNeil had taken a name, slapped a few random qualities on it, and then pushed her into this situation. The same with T. J.- although he seemed cool and everything, you never really understood why Meg was in love with him, and that annoyed me. Central male characters in books like this are supposed to be swoon-worthy, and he just wasn't.
However, it really was a very good Halloween Book. If you want something to get you in a Halloween-ish mood, read this. The mystery side is as good as the horror side, so fans of both genres should enjoy it. While not the best technically (there were a couple of wrong details) or in terms of character development and emotion, it really is creepy as hell.

Rate: 6/10

Review: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Blurb: Percy Jackson used to be just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until he accidentally vaporized his maths teacher. Now, he spends his time battling monsters and generally trying to stay alive. Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks Percy has stolen his lightning bolt- and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.

What I thought: Don't judge a book by its cover. Literally. The cover of this book makes it look like a badly-written, predictable sci-fi story for ten year old boys. It really put me off. I should be less judgmental. (But seriously. His skin is purple. PURPLE).
Although it did take me a while to really get into it, this book was really good. It wasn't like some books you get at the beginning of a series, where they spend the whole time just setting up the world in preparation for the second book. There was a really good pace, and not too many fight scenes, which I liked. The characters were good, but not particularly amazing, as was the writing. I'm using the word good a lot, because really it's the only word for it. Not spectacular, not terrible.
The "good" thing does not, however, apply to the book in general. Because, in general, it was amazing. Maybe not quite amazing. But enough to make me want to buy all the other books in this series. It was funny, clever, and exciting. The setting was awesome (I want to go to Half- Blood Camp!) and the characters were interesting, especially Mr D, Annabeth and Percy. I REALLY loved Annabeth. And although the whole Percy- Annabeth- Grover thing kind of mirrored the Harry- Ron- Hermione thing, it did work.
Although I didn't get as into this as I have into books like it (Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, etc.) I did love it. And yes, I will read the others. Just as soon as I get round to it.

Rate: 8/10

12 Books for Autumn

These are my top twelve books for autumn, the ones that should be read with the leaves turning orange, red, gold, brown outside and a mug of peppermint tea inside. I'm thinking this will be a seasonal thing, I'll do one for winter and spring and summer as well. I did mean to do only ten books, but I came up with a shortlist of twelve books, and I couldn't decide which to kick off (you are the weakest link... goodbye), so now it's twelve books. This list is mostly fantasy, a few classics, and some romance. They're in no particular order. I hope you like them!

 1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

2. Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

3. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

4. Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

 5. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

6. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

8. Black Heart Blue by Louise Reid

9. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 

10. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

11. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

12. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

 

 

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Blurb: Life can change in an instant. A cold February morning... a snowy road... and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone. Except one. As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.

What I thought: I have to admit, it took me a while to get into this book. The beginning disappointed me slightly. If I Stay was recommended to me by a friend, whose favorite author is Gayle Forman. This girl has read all of John Green's books, so I figured If I Stay must be really amazing, if she thinks it's better than TFIOS etc. It wasn't, at least near the beginning. I mean, it was good, but I didn't love it like I was expecting to. As the story went on, I got more drawn in though, and by the end, I did really like. I think it could have started off better though.
The central event in the book (you probably know what this is already, but I'm trying not to put any spoilers in for those who don't) happens pretty early on, so you don't really get to know the characters beforehand. It seemed to happen too soon for me, like, you pick up the book and then BAM! Also, Mia didn't seem to be too upset. Now, I'm not saying this because I'm a psycho and I want everyone to be miserable, but I figured these were pretty appropriate circumstances, and I didn't really feel her emotion.
Certain people (arghh, so hard to do no spoilers) who you don't really get to know before The Central Event, as it shall be called from now, you got to know afterwards through Mia's flashbacks, which I thought was good. Like, just because they're not there anymore shouldn't mean they don't get to be a part of the story, and through the flashbacks, I came to really LOVE them, which kinda sucked in the end.
Mia's family, and pretty much all the characters actually, are awesome. Really not what I was expecting. I have to say that Kim, Mia's best friend, was my favorite though. I was kinda worried that she'd just be the typical, always-there-but-not-really-relevant girl in the corner, but she was just so cool, and strong, and someone I could really relate to. Not because of the circumstances, fortunately, but just cause she was really down-to-earth, and she had her own problems and attitude, she wasn't just the wingman (wingwoman!).
I think the reason I was so disappointed at the beginning was my friend's raving about Gayle Forman. I was expecting mind-blowing, life-changing writing. I was expecting quotes to rival labyrinth/rain/stars/etc., words so beautiful I couldn't help but plaster them all over my words, and I just didn't get that. The writing was good, sure, but it wasn't amazing. Once I got over that, though, and got into it, this book was just really good. And yes, I did cry at the end. I cry at everything. I get it from my mum, she actually cried at the TRAILER for War Horse. Thank God I'm not that bad (well. I only almost cried at the trailer. Whatever).
All in all, definitely a recommended book. I'm reading the next one right now, Where She Went. I won't do a review for that one, because I don't like doing reviews for all the books in a series, no particular reason why. But I will just say that this one is absolutely worth reading, too. You get to know Adam a lot more, and also New York! More books should be set there.

Rate: 7.5/10

Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Blurb: As children, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were. Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special- and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together.

What I thought: Let me just say- Kazuo Ishiguro is a genius. Although not necessarily one that I'd like to meet. Never Let Me Go was darkly twisted in a Jekyll and Hyde sort of way- the light and innocence of childhood, with the horrible truth creeping out from underneath. It was just SO GOOD. So completely different from anything else I've read- and I know I say this a lot, but it's true- in both the central idea and the narrative.
Something about this book stopped it from being completely horrible though, despite the fact that by all rights, it should have been. The naivety of the characters, and their acceptance of their lives and what they were created to do, somehow makes you accept it as well.
The story is told from the point of view of Kathy, 31, who is looking back on her past, trying to understand what was really happening, and why they did the things they did. As well as the compulsory life planned out for them, and what they must do, all the Hailsham students have their own problems, dreams and faults, that make the story so fascinating.
All of the characters seemed very real to me. Sometimes you can get characters whose every move you can predict, who only do things for love or friendship or themselves or whatever, but everyone in this book was just so complex.
I liked how Ishiguro never really came out and told you what was going on until the end. I mean, yeah, you can pretty much guess, but there's still that element of suspense and is-it-true that I loved.
So to sum it up, this is a really great book. Not a favorite (I have very high standards) but close. The characters were complex and felt very real, the backdrop of their planned-out lives went perfectly with their problems, and I could really understand why they did the things they did. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes books with slightly creepy situations that could technically be real.

Rate: 7/10

Review: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith

Blurb: It's June- seventeen-year-old Ellie O'Neill's least favorite time of year. Her tiny hometown is annually invaded by tourists, and this year there's the added inconvenience of a film crew. Even the arrival of Hollywood heart-throb Graham Larkin can't lift her mood. But there is something making Ellie very happy. Ever since an email was accidentally sent to her a few months ago, she's been corresponding with a mysterious stranger, the two of them sharing their hopes and fears. Their developing relationship is not without its secrets though- there's the truth about Ellie's past... and her pen pal's real identity. When they finally meet in person, things are destined to get much more complicated. Can two people, worlds apart but brought together by chance, make it against all the odds?

My thoughts: I read The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight a while ago, and I loved it. Not as much as The Sky is Everywhere or Anna and the French Kiss, but it was good. So when I saw this I bought it. The front cover is so awesome, and I love the title, so that was a plus.
The actual book- you know, the written words and stuff- I liked too. The prologue of emails showing how they first "met" was funny and drew you in before the story even started. I also approved of the setting- there should be more books set in small, seaside towns. The little quirky details like the framed poems and heart-shaped pancakes added a sort of rounded completeness to Ellie's life in Henley; everyone needs things like odd shaped breakfasts and their favorite poems in their world.
I thought there should have been more focus on Ellie and what she wanted, like the poetry course, or that she doesn't even like lobster (shock horror!).
The story was okay, but it was the characters and the setting that made this book good. The plot didn't really seem to go anywhere; they wasted a ton of time, then it gets all dramatic, then it just kind of trails off into uncertainty. I didn't really like the ending- for me, endings should be dramatic kisses and to-the-death duels and riding off into the sunset. This was just a whole lot of waiting around and unresolved everything. It's very uncertain, and though there's hints about whats going to happen, Smith doesn't actually say, and I find that almost as annoying as the cliff-hangers in every single Cat Clarke book I've read. It's almost like the author just got to a point where they couldn't be bothered to finish the story, so just cut it off a few pages before it was supposed to end.
So, after saying all that bad stuff about this book, I'm going to say that actually, you should read it. Despite not being as good as it could have been, I didn't feel disappointed or let down by Jennifer E Smith, and it was one of those books that kept me engrossed all the way through, because of some random book-y magic. And if that isn't enough, it does look very pretty on my shelf.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

This book makes me want to notice things more. It makes me want to follow old movie stars home from the cinema, hide beneath the branches of a weeping willow, go to crazy shops at seven in the morning, drink obscene amounts of coffee. Reading this book, I want to see things the same way Min does, sitting on her roof at night, lit matches falling to the ground below.
Daniel Handler takes something so cliched, so commonplace- the teenage romance, the bad boyfriend, and he makes it new and exciting, in a different light like one of Min's movies. I don't think I've ever covered a book in so much highlighter as I did to Why We Broke Up. I want to remember every bit of prose, every reminisce and thought and feeling like stars, and yes, Augustus Waters, these stars form constellations, and they are beautiful.
When I reread this book, the pattern of Min's mind gets stuck in my head, and for a few days I think a bit like her, see things how maybe she would. Always, I want it to stick, but every time I forget, and go back to thinking my way, and the world is just a little less interesting.
And I love books like that, that make you want to climb inside them, or stuff them into your head so you never forget a single line, ever. But I do forget, and then I come back and read it again, just so I can remember those certain stars, so I can draw Min's constellations until next time I forget.
This book makes me want to write like Min when I review it, so what if its not a proper review, I get to write what maybe Min would write, and then I can remember, next time I see this. Like in The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, that quote I forgot, Milan Kundera understanding, making me understand that we must never, ever forget, because to forget is to lose the past, and that is inexcusable.
So read it. Read this book because it deserves to be read, and remembered. Treasured. It deserves to be loved by people other than me, already self-conscious, should I have written it differently, should I have said something else? And next time, when I'm back to how I normally think, normally write, I can look at this and wish it would stick in my head. But there are other books to be read and other things to do, and I can't spend my whole life in those pages, waiting to become like Min. So instead, I want others to read it, and bring Min to life while I'm bringing some other book to life in my head.