tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44914491653028009572017-03-28T10:29:27.751-07:00ElementareadElementareadnoreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-77219666557855773512016-03-11T10:01:00.003-08:002016-03-11T10:01:47.413-08:00I'm taking a break...Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />I've decided to take a break from my blog for a bit. I'm not going to go too much into why, but I'm not too well at the moment and I'm finding it difficult to write decent reviews that do the books I'm reading justice.<br /><br />I'm not too sure how long I'll be gone for, but I reckon it'll be a few months - a year as I want to concentrate on improving my health.<br /><br />If you wish to keep updated on what I'm reading in the meantime, please follow me on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/28760393-rachael" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>. I'll be posting much shorter reviews for some books that I'm reading on there.<br /><br />Thank you to everyone who has been reading my reviews and supporting my blog! Bye for now :)Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-59454753616153492562016-02-05T12:35:00.001-08:002016-02-05T12:35:38.191-08:00REVIEW 'The Catalyst' by Helena Coggan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLysqWhH48E/VrUAxDeXYlI/AAAAAAAAAjM/YQdr0XAfO-8/s1600/The%2BCatalyst%2Bby%2BHelena%2BCoggan%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLysqWhH48E/VrUAxDeXYlI/AAAAAAAAAjM/YQdr0XAfO-8/s400/The%2BCatalyst%2Bby%2BHelena%2BCoggan%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23627834-the-catalyst" target="_blank">'The Catalyst' by Helena Coggan</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Rose Elmsworth has a secret. For eighteen years, the world has been divided into the magically Gifted and the non-magical Ashkind, but Rose's identity is far more dangerous. At fifteen, she has earned herself a place alongside her father in the Department, a brutal law-enforcement organisation run by the Gifted to control the Ashkind. But now an old enemy is threatening to start a catastrophic war, and Rose faces a challenging test of her loyalties. How much does she really know about her father's past? How far is the Department willing to go to keep the peace? And, if the time comes, will Rose choose to protect her secret, or the people she loves?"</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">4****</span></b><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘The Catalyst’ by Helena Coggan is a young adult dystopian novel set in a future where Angels have fused their souls with humans and given some of them extraordinary powers.<br /><br />This book is set eighteen years after the Veilbreak when the Angels first crossed into our world. They split the population into two groups; Gifted and Ashkind. The Gifted have green eyes, in various shades based on their magical capabilities, whereas the Ashkind have grey eyes and possess no magic. There are also the Angels, those with the brightest green eyes and the most powerful who rule the government, and the Demons, those with pure black eyes who are feared by everyone. Then there are the Hybrids, who every six weeks would change into a terrifying monster and kill uncontrollably. During the first War of the Angels the Ashkind were shunted by society, but now the two races live in relative peace.<br /><br />Rose Elmsworth is a fifteen-year-old Gifted girl about to take the test that will determine whether she is allowed to keep her gifts or not. All young Gifted take this test and those who fail have their powers Leeched, and are seen as lower down than the Ashkind. Rose is the daughter of David Elmsworth, a high ranking official in the Department (London’s law enforcement) and is expected to pass with no problems. But Rose and David have a secret and they’re terrified that someone is going to find out.<br /><br />They also have bigger fish to contend with. Rose is being blackmailed by someone who knows their secret, The Gospel, and anti-Ashkind group, are making threats to the government and an underground Ashkind army known as Regency and led by a terrifying Hybrid are threatening war. Can Rose and her loved ones survive all this unscathed?<br /><br />I thought this was a fantastic debut novel by a very talented young author. I really liked that the main character of a fifteen-year-old girl was actually written by a fifteen-year-old girl. Most YA authors are at least a decade older than their main characters so I feel like Helena’s character had more authenticity. Despite her age, the writing is brilliant and it had the feel of being written by a more experienced author. Her vocabulary and way of wording things were fantastic and the story flowed really well. My only criticism is that I found the history of the Angels and some parts of the plot a bit confusing and difficult to follow, but I worked it all out later on.<br /><br />This was a very interesting concept and I’d love to find out more about this dystopian future so I’m hoping that Helena will write a sequel. I’ll definitely be looking out for more of her work to she how her writing progresses as she gets older!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 4 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Catalyst-Helena-Coggan/dp/1444794655/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1454704515&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Catalyst-Helena-Coggan-ebook/dp/B00MENIF80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1454704372&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+catalyst+helena+coggan" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Catalyst-Helen-Coggan/9781444794656" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br />Or check your local library to borrow a copy!<br /><br /><b>Find Helena Coggan on:</b><br /><a href="http://helenacoggan.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">helenacoggan.wordpress.com</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9884756.Helena_Coggan" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-22786843892863113042016-01-30T09:25:00.000-08:002016-01-30T09:25:44.942-08:00REVIEW 'Demon Bound' by David Parkland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MwCp89wVheQ/VqzqcS1xhPI/AAAAAAAAAi8/KC1Buj7uxtU/s1600/Demon%2BBound%2Bby%2BDavid%2BParkland%2B%2528Signed%2529%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MwCp89wVheQ/VqzqcS1xhPI/AAAAAAAAAi8/KC1Buj7uxtU/s400/Demon%2BBound%2Bby%2BDavid%2BParkland%2B%2528Signed%2529%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27393113-demon-bound" target="_blank">'Demon Bound' by David Parkland</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>""Ladies and Gentlemen, we are Marris and Wade, purveyors of the impossible! We have delights to bedazzle you, wonders to inspire you and terrors to haunt your bladders! For just a few coins, let us transport you away from your sleepy lives to the furthest edges of the world."&nbsp;</i><br /><i>“Roll up, Ladies and Gentlemen! Forget the daily drudgery, suspend your disbelief and let your imagination run riot!”&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>They came home from the war with only the clothes on their backs and the echoes of cannon in their ears. Marris, the quiet one, had lied about his age to join Wellington’s Army. Wade had cheated and gambled his way out from the gutters of London to secure his place as the Regiment’s lucky talisman, so blessed by good fortune that grown men would fall over themselves to touch his golden hair before stepping into battle.&nbsp;</i><br /><i>Wade never lost a bet. Everyone knew it, even General Wellington. The Lucky Drummer was touched by magic.&nbsp;</i><br /><i>But magic in the fog of the battlefield and magic in sleepy Yorkshire hamlets are very different things. Words have a terrible power, and people are fragile. It isn’t easy being a charlatan when every word you say comes true.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Demon Bound (Marris and Wade book 1) is a vibrant Gothic fantasy of demons in petticoats, big dance numbers, silver-tongued rascals in top hats, love, loyalty and lies."</i><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span></b><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Demon Bound’ by David Parkland is a fantasy novel set in the 1800’s and is jam packed full of demons, magic and time travel. I was lucky enough to receive a signed copy of this book to review via Goodreads Giveaways.<br /><br />Marris and Wade are two best friends who met as drummers during the war and now live a comfortable life as carters for a warehouse in Yorkshire. But at the beginning of the book the warehouse burns down and they are suddenly left jobless. Marris wants to find another job in the village but Wade is much more ambitious and creates a sign declaring them as “Marris and Wade, Est 1818, Purveyors of the Impossible”. His plan is to travel around exchanging fanciful stories for money to make their fortune.<br /><br />But things go terribly wrong when their stories start coming true and people get hurt. And who is this mysterious Orville Long who keeps turning up to investigate after they’ve moved on?<br /><br />I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book when I started reading it but right from page one I was completely hooked. The writing style is so fantastic and so easy to read that I kept wanting to carry on and ended up reading the whole book very quickly!<br /><br />I love Marris and Wade as characters. Wade is convinced that his words carry power but instead of being careful with them he uses them to try and help people, usually with disastrous consequences. After one tragedy too many he goes a bit off the rails, and Marris (the clear-headed, kinder one) is there to pull him back. Orville Long is also a brilliant character. He’s very mysterious and I’d have loved to have found out a bit more about where he came from and how he came into his trade.<br /><br />I think the book I read wasn’t quite the finished version, and what I read was so fantastic that I can only imagine the finished edition is even more so. I would definitely like to read more of David’s work in the future!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Demon-Bound-1-Marris-Wade/dp/1517667356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1454174577&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=demon+bound+david+parkland" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Demon-Bound-Marris-Wade-Book-ebook/dp/B017CBZWXY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1454174550&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=demon+bound+david+parkland" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><br /><b>Find David Parkland on:</b><br /><a href="http://davidparkland.com/" target="_blank">davidparkland.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/ParklandDavid" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarrisandWade/?ref=ts&amp;fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14584892.David_Parkland" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-42359252669178709772016-01-27T09:46:00.001-08:002016-01-27T09:46:40.444-08:00REVIEW 'Champion' (Legend #3) by Marie Lu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F23wKo_pU1Y/Vqj-vbM8Z5I/AAAAAAAAAis/meblhYYjJBQ/s1600/Champion%2Bby%2BMarie%2BLu%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F23wKo_pU1Y/Vqj-vbM8Z5I/AAAAAAAAAis/meblhYYjJBQ/s400/Champion%2Bby%2BMarie%2BLu%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17931425-champion" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">'Champion' <i>(Legend #3)</i>&nbsp;by Marie Lu</span></a><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic - and each other - and now their country is on the brink of a new peaceful existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government's elite circles while Day has been assigned a high level military position."</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5*****</b></span><br /><br />THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THIS SERIES. Click on the links to read my reviews of ‘<a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/review-legend-by-marie-lu.html" target="_blank">LEGEND</a>’ and ‘<a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/review-prodigy-legend-2-by-marie-lu.html" target="_blank">PRODIGY</a>’<br /><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Champion’ is the third and final book in the ‘Legend’ trilogy by Marie Lu. This is a young adult dystopian series about a group of youngsters trying to change their government for the better. This review contains spoilers for the first two books in this series.<br /><br />At the end of ‘Prodigy’ Day finds out that he has an abnormality on his brain from the experiments that the Republic performed on him when he was ten, and that he is dying. To protect June, he doesn’t tell her about this but breaks up with her and he and his brother Eden move to San Francisco. ‘Champion’ picks up eight months later.<br /><br />June is still in Denver training to be one of the Electors Princeps-Elects and Day is in San Francisco receiving treatments that will hopefully shrink the problem area in his brain enough to be removed. The two have not spoken for eight months, when June calls Day out of the blue asking him to return to Denver for an urgent meeting. It turns out that the plague that Eden was carrying got let out into the Colonies and now the Colonies are threatening war unless the Republic delivers a cure… fast.<br /><br />But the problem is, they don’t have a cure. The only way of creating one would be to experiment on the original carrier of the plague, Eden. Day is still very angry about the way the old Republic treated him and his family so flat out refuses to let them experiment on his only remaining brother, especially as they can not guarantee Eden’s safety. Will June be able to change his mind before a full blown war breaks out?<br /><br />This book was a fantastic conclusion to a brilliant trilogy! Although ‘Champion’ focuses more on the political side of things it was still full of action and very fast paced. The two main characters are a little older now, and I enjoyed seeing them maturing and developing.<br /><br />The end few chapters had me on an emotional rollercoaster. I think my brain went something like “Oh no!!” to “Yay!” to “NO FREAKING WAY” then “Ah, ok then”. Although feeling emotionally exhausted by the end it was really bittersweet and I think it wrapped up the trilogy nicely.<br /><br />These are a fantastic set of books and I’m looking forward to reading more of Marie Lu’s work in the future.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Champion-Legend-Marie-Lu/dp/0141339624/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453916776&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=champion+marie+lu" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Legend-Novel-Marie-Lu/dp/014751228X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453916739&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=champion+marie+lu" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Champion-Marie-Lu/9780147512284" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><br /><b>Find Marie Lu on:</b><br /><a href="http://marielu.org/" target="_blank">marielu.org</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/Marie_Lu" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/marielubooks/?ref=ts&amp;fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/marieluthewriter/" target="_blank">Instagram</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4342215.Marie_Lu" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br /><a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/mreefish/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-76878529150964447342016-01-23T11:51:00.001-08:002016-01-23T11:51:37.501-08:00REVIEW 'Prodigy' (Legend #2) by Marie Lu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BkQ9rBhVc-o/VqPXAppkFQI/AAAAAAAAAic/vTO7Ffg_2UE/s1600/Prodigy%2Bby%2BMarie%2BLu%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BkQ9rBhVc-o/VqPXAppkFQI/AAAAAAAAAic/vTO7Ffg_2UE/s400/Prodigy%2Bby%2BMarie%2BLu%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16003119-prodigy" target="_blank">'Prodigy' <i>(Legend #2)&nbsp;</i>by Marie Lu</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?"</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span></b><br /><br />THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS SERIES. To read my review of ‘Legend’ click <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/review-legend-by-marie-lu.html" target="_blank">HERE</a><br /><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Prodigy’ my Marie Lu is the second book in the young adult dystopian ‘Legend’ trilogy. This review contains spoilers for the first book in this series.<br /><br />At the end of the previous book the Patriots helped June, a Republic soldier who found out some rather unpleasant things about her government, and Day, a boy from the slums who fights the Republic on his own, escape from Day’s execution. We next see these two characters on board a train, hitching a ride to Las Vegas where they hope to meet up with the leader of the Patriots to ask for help.<br /><br />Day is seriously injured with an infected gun wound in his leg and won’t last much longer without surgery. When they arrive in the city they find out that the Elector Primo has died and his twenty-year-old son, Anden, has taken his place. Finding the Patriots in the militarised city isn’t too difficult, but in return for fixing Day’s leg and helping Day’s brother, Eden, escape they ask a rather large favour. June and Day must pledge their allegiance to the Patriots and help assassinate the new Elector.<br /><br />But while June is undercover, trying to win his trust, she discovers that Anden has very different views on how to run the Republic than his father, and maybe keeping him in power might be for the best.<br /><br />This was a fantastic follow up to the first book. I fell in love with this dystopian world in ‘Legend’ and I thought that ‘Prodigy’ brought the story forward really well. The writing was brilliant and the story very fast-paced.<br /><br />I really enjoyed June and Day’s character development. June’s struggle with giving up her entire world for a boy she has only just met felt very realistic and Day’s passion for protecting what’s left of his family felt way more intense in this book.<br /><br />I’m looking forward to seeing how the story concludes and can’t wait to begin book three!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prodigy-Legend-Marie-Lu/dp/0141339578/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453578680&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=prodigy+marie+lu" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prodigy-Legend-Marie-Lu/dp/0142427551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453578647&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=prodigy+marie+lu" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Prodigy-Marie-Lu/9780141339573" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><br /><b>Find Marie Lu on:</b><br /><a href="http://marielu.org/" target="_blank">marielu.org</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/Marie_Lu" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/marielubooks/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4342215.Marie_Lu" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br /><a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/mreefish/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-14106182114992445522016-01-21T07:39:00.000-08:002016-01-21T07:39:34.170-08:00REVIEW 'Legend' by Marie Lu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vKAw_lm2xhU/VqD3kfvYGqI/AAAAAAAAAiM/vgpbXR2lPUE/s1600/Legend%2Bby%2BMarie%2BLu%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vKAw_lm2xhU/VqD3kfvYGqI/AAAAAAAAAiM/vgpbXR2lPUE/s400/Legend%2Bby%2BMarie%2BLu%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13042002-legend" target="_blank">'Legend' <i>(Legend #1)</i>&nbsp;by Marie Lu</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect.&nbsp;</i><br /><i>Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets."</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5*****</b></span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Legend’ is the first book in a young adult dystopian trilogy by Marie Lu.<br /><br />In a futuristic America the military Republic rules over the people. At the age of ten all citizens take a trial and their score decides where they get to finish school and what job they can have. In the poor sectors most people score between 1000 and 1249 and they end up with the rubbish jobs that no-one really wants to do. The rich tend to score higher, between 1250 and 1499 and they get jobs in the military or the government. Score below 1000 and you fail and are sent off to a labour camp. Very few get the perfect score of 1500.<br /><br />June is one of those few. At fifteen years old she is at a top university and is likely to graduate ahead of all her peers. Her older brother, Metias, has high hopes for her in the military. Day is the opposite of June. He failed his trial but escaped from the labour camp and has been living in the slums since. But he has kept busy, independently fighting against the Republic by destroying vehicles and generally causing trouble. Although he always makes sure that no-one gets hurt in his escapades, he is one of the Republic’s most wanted criminals.<br /><br />Day’s younger brother, Eden, falls sick with the plague and Day breaks into a hospital to steal a cure (which they have run out of), but during his escape he injures Metias who is on patrol. But when the news reaches June, Metias has been killed and she is suddenly graduated early from university and put on a team to capture Day. She goes undercover in the slums to draw him out, but when she meets him he’s not quite as she expected. After strongly denying that he killed her brother, June begins to question whether the Republic is quite as perfect as she has been led to believe.<br /><br />I’d been wanting to read these books for a while so I was thrilled when I got the trilogy for Christmas, and the first book certainly didn’t disappoint! I loved the story and the characters, and the writing just flowed so well.<br /><br />The book is written in first person from Day and June’s perspectives in alternating chapters. Both these characters have been brought up very differently, believing very different things so it was great to see this dystopian world from both points of view. I really liked how Day, a boy who June had been led to believe was the worst kind of criminal, managed to make June see her perfect Republic from another perspective.<br /><br />I really enjoyed the first book and I’m looking forward to carrying on with the trilogy.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Legend-Marie-Lu-x/dp/0141339608/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453390753&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=legend+marie+lu" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Marie-Lu/dp/014242207X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453390717&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=legend+marie+lu" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Legend-Marie-Lu/9780141339603" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><a href="http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Young-Adults/Legend-Legend-1-Audiobook/B01A78AXMY/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1453390611&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Audible.com</a><br /><br /><b>Find Marie Lu on:</b><br /><a href="http://marielu.org/" target="_blank">marielu.org</a><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/Marie_Lu" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/marielubooks/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4342215.Marie_Lu" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br /><a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/mreefish/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-35957773224199897212016-01-18T07:16:00.002-08:002016-01-18T07:16:57.805-08:00REVIEW 'All I Know Now' by Carrie Hope Fletcher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5h14Ny0HvEY/Vpwm_K5EvxI/AAAAAAAAAh8/r_MQ3CzRn7k/s1600/All%2BI%2BKnow%2BNow%2Bby%2BCarrie%2BHope%2BFletcher%2B%2528Waterstones%2BEdition%2529%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5h14Ny0HvEY/Vpwm_K5EvxI/AAAAAAAAAh8/r_MQ3CzRn7k/s400/All%2BI%2BKnow%2BNow%2Bby%2BCarrie%2BHope%2BFletcher%2B%2528Waterstones%2BEdition%2529%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28091744-all-i-know-now" target="_blank">'All I Know Now' by Carrie Hope Fletcher</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"I pushed and persevered through the crap all teenagers go through - the bullying, the boys, the peer pressure, the friends, the enemies, the frenemies... Now I'm here, watching you guys go through almost identical experiences; trapped on the wrong side of a computer screen. Helpless... Until now."</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5*****</b></span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘All I Know Now’ by Carrie Hope Fletcher is a part memoir and part guide to getting through life for teens and young adults. Carrie is a singer, actress and successful vlogger with over 600,000 subscribers on YouTube.<br /><br />Carrie first came to my attention around this time last year when I saw one of her covers on YouTube. I think it was ‘Defying Gravity’ or ‘On My Own’ (two fantastic songs from amazing musicals!) I fell in love with her personality then clicked on her channel and found out she vlogged too and immediately hit the subscribe button.<br /><br />The majority of Carrie’s subscribers are teenage girls so to them I suppose she’s a bit like a big sister, to give advice about growing up. I'm a couple of years older than Carrie, but I kind of feel like she’s ‘lived’ more than me (if that makes sense!) and I think that anyone in their twenties could learn from her.<br /><br />Carrie’s book is mainly a guide for growing up, learning from your mistakes and journeying into adulthood. She has also added some of her experiences into the book as examples, which I think is a really great way to get a point across and be really relatable as a human being. Some of my favourite chapters were ‘Happy and Healthy’, ‘Dating Myself’ and the whole ‘Internet’ section. But all the chapters were fantastic and packed full of useful real-world advice that anyone can put into practice.<br /><br />I really liked the layout of the book. The contents page is set out like a theatre programme which I thought was a really nice touch. The chapters are short and concise; every paragraph has tons of information and there’s no useless waffle or repetition at all. The little illustrations by Carrie herself that were dotted throughout were very cute, and I liked that the chapter titles were in Carrie’s handwriting. I loved the addition of the resources at the back, telling youngsters exactly where and how they can get help if they need it. I feel like this is a book that I may go back to again and again, so the addition of the contents page will be really useful for that. I got the Waterstones exclusive edition which also has a couple of bonus chapters at the back, and an extract from Carrie’s novel, ‘On the Other Side’ which is out later this year.<br /><br />I love how much Carrie’s bubbly and cheerful personality came through in the writing, even when addressing more serious topics. It wasn’t difficult to read the book in her voice, and as a result it flowed really well and I found myself reading large chunks at a time.<br /><br />Although this book is aimed at teenagers and young adults I think that any fan of Carrie’s would enjoy it. I’m really looking forward to Carrie’s novel and I hope she continues to write in the future!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Know-Now-Reflections/dp/075155751X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453130202&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=all+i+know+now" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Know-Now-Wonderings-Adventures/dp/1615192948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453130168&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=all+i+know+now" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/All-I-Know-Now-Carrie-Hope-Fletcher/9780751557510" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><a href="http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Biographies-Memoirs/All-I-Know-Now-Audiobook/B0118J80JE/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1453130107&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Audible.com</a><br /><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/all-i-know-waterstones-exclusive/carrie-hope-fletcher/9780751564389" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> (Exclusive Edition)<br /><br /><b>Find Carrie Hope Fletcher on:</b><br /><a href="http://alliknownow.com/" target="_blank">alliknownow.com</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/carrie" target="_blank">YouTube</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/carriehfletcher" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ItsWayPastMyBedTime/" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/carriehopefletcher/" target="_blank">Instagram</a><br /><a href="http://carriehopefletcher.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7920918.Carrie_Hope_Fletcher" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-12055502650657077302016-01-15T13:55:00.000-08:002016-01-15T13:55:23.453-08:00REVIEW 'The Lost Kodas' by Myra King<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2C6mE4KW4l4/VplnzikVyQI/AAAAAAAAAhs/cmpV1WFVaUY/s1600/Apley%2BTowers%252C%2BThe%2BLost%2BKodas%2Bby%2BMyra%2BKing%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2C6mE4KW4l4/VplnzikVyQI/AAAAAAAAAhs/cmpV1WFVaUY/s400/Apley%2BTowers%252C%2BThe%2BLost%2BKodas%2Bby%2BMyra%2BKing%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27781146-the-lost-kodas" target="_blank">'The Lost Kodas' (Apley Towers #1) by Myra King</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"In the shade of the Giant's Throne Mountain, and on the coast of the Indian Ocean, Port St. Christopher is home to Apley Towers; a riding school for girls and boys, young or old, who learn what it means to be a true horse rider.Kaela and Trixie call Apley Towers their Neverland. It's the best place in the world - a place for friendship, laughter and learning. But when both girls take on more responsibilities than they can handle, they have to make some tough choices that take a toll on their friendship.Will they have to sacrifice Apley in the end? It takes a girl on the other side of the world to remind them of what's important and that challenges are there to be overcome."</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>4****</b></span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Apley Towers, The Lost Kodas’ by Myra King is the first in a series of middle-grade novels about a riding school in South Africa. I received a free copy of this book to read and review via Goodreads Giveaways.<br /><br />Apley Towers is a riding school deep in the heart of South Africa. It is run by Wendy, who moved from England to Africa to set up her own school. Kaela Willoughby and her best friend Trixie King are a pair of teenage girls who learnt to ride at the school and are still having lessons in the intermediate classes. When Wendy has to go to Cape Town for a while she asks Kaela and Trixie to take over teaching the beginner’s class for a bit. Kaela accepts on behalf of both of them, but as Trixie has a longer journey to the stables Kaela has to do most of the teaching on her own. To add to the workload, a mother of one of the beginner riders asks Kaela to help put on a show jumping competition at the riding school. Kaela says they will do it, but the extra work puts a strain on her friendship with Trixie. Kaela has also recently befriended a girl names Phoenix who lives in Canada, and Trixie is battling her jealousy with having to share her best friend.<br /><br />The two friends also have a lot of pressure from school to contend with. Kaela is hoping to be accepted on to a writing course but is told that she needs to do more extracurricular activities and worries that she will have to cut down on her riding to do something else. Meanwhile, Trixie is trying to persuade her parents and teachers that she will be able to take seven subjects next year instead of the required six as she wants to take all the sciences to keep her options open. The extra work though, may mean giving up riding.<br /><br />The girls have all this to worry about, their friendship is on the rocks and they have a show jumping contest to organise in only a few weeks. Can they make it a success?<br /><br />I thought this was a charming little book. I enjoyed the story and the writing style. The text is nice an simple and easy for young teens to read but is also very well structured and gets the story across really well.<br /><br />I don’t know much about horse riding myself. The closest I’ve come to it is a pony ride/walk at a farm when I was about 7. I remember being so terrified that I almost passed out as I was a very small child and the pony seemed massive. But I do have a few friends who ride and I think horses are really beautiful creatures, as long as I don’t have to get too close to them!<br /><br />I loved the fact that this was set in South Africa. I’ve never been there but from what I’ve read and seen about it, it seems like such a magical place. I enjoyed the characters in this book, especially Kaela and Phoenix. I was great seeing these two characters from such different parts of the world interacting and listening to each other’s stories with such awe. I also loved the interview with the author at the back.<br /><br />I would definitely recommend this book to 10-15 year olds who love horses, but I think that older readers can enjoy it too.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 4 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apley-Towers-Lost-Kodas-Book/dp/1782262776/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452894884&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+lost+kodas" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Apley-Towers-Lost-Kodas-Book/dp/1782262776/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452894864&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+lost+kodas+myra+king" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Apley-Towers-The-Lost-Kodas-Book-1-Laurie-Parsons-Subrat-Mahajan-Andrew-Davis-Myr-King/9781782262770" target="_blank">The Book Depository (free shipping worldwide!)</a><br /><br /><b>Find Myra King on:</b><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MyraLeaKing" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14739907.Myra_King" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-12944154082993401142016-01-14T15:37:00.000-08:002016-01-14T15:37:07.531-08:00REVIEW 'The Maker of Swans' by Paraic O'Donnell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jnk_iXbPG7g/VpgupMM-ZXI/AAAAAAAAAhc/y5OYxhZdc4k/s1600/The%2BMaker%2Bof%2BSwans%2Bby%2BParaic%2BO%2527Donnell%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jnk_iXbPG7g/VpgupMM-ZXI/AAAAAAAAAhc/y5OYxhZdc4k/s400/The%2BMaker%2Bof%2BSwans%2Bby%2BParaic%2BO%2527Donnell%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23525644-the-maker-of-swans" target="_blank">'The Maker of Swans' by Paraic O'Donnell</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Mr Crowe was once the toast of the finest salons. A man of learning and means, he travelled the world, enthralling all who met him.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Now, Mr Crowe devotes himself to earthly pleasures. He has retreated to his sprawling country estate, where he lives with Clara, his mysterious young ward, and Eustace, his faithful manservant. His great library gathers dust and his once magnificent gardens grow wild.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>But Mr Crowe and his extraordinary gifts have not been entirely forgotten. When he acts impetuously over a woman, he attracts the attention of Dr Chastern, the figurehead of a secret society to which Crowe still belongs. Chastern comes to Crowe’s estate to call him to account, and what follows will threaten everyone he cares for. But Clara possesses gifts of her own, gifts whose power she has not yet fully grasped. She must learn to use them quickly, if she is to save them all."</i><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>4****</b></span><br /><br />Hello Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘The Maker of Swans’ by Paraic O’Donnell is a historical novel with a slightly paranormal twist. I was sent a free proof copy of this book to read and review through Goodreads Giveaways.<br /><br />Mr Crowe lives in a large, grand house with his young ward Clara and his manservant, Eustace. The story begins with a murder, and although gunshots were fired the man seems to have died of something else. It appears that Mr Crowe has used some sort of power, and his misuse of it means that there will be terrible consequences.<br /><br />Clara is mute. As an avid reader and writer, she communicates only through the written word. She has full run of the house and grounds where she has many adventures and she writes about anything and everything. Mr Crowe is always nice to her, but she has a much deeper bond with Eustace, who would do anything to protect her. She is a very observant youngster and notices that something is going on when the house is suddenly overrun with extra staff who all seems to be preparing for a guest.<br /><br />Eustace has hired extra staff to help get the house ready, including the Crouch brothers who pose as gardeners, but are in fact extra muscle in case things go wrong. The unwanted guest they are expecting is dangerous and Eustace will stop at nothing to make sure that he doesn’t hurt Clara.<br /><br />For the first half of the book the chapters alternate between Eustace and Clara’s point of view. They both see the same events from a different perspective and it was great to read through the eyes of both the old and the young. &nbsp;The format changes slightly after the first half when something major happens (I won’t say what it is as I don’t want to spoil it!), and in the second half we also have flashbacks to one of the character’s past.<br /><br />This book is definitely not easy-going. The language is tricky and there are some very complex conversations and passages of text that you need to really concentrate on whilst reading. But if you put in the effort it is so beautifully written and I found the text stunning. Although difficult, the story flowed really well. While not much really goes on for large parts of the book, I still found it a joy to read.<br /><br />As the text is so whimsical and fanciful I did struggle sometimes to work out exactly what was happening. I believe that the ‘power’ has something to do with the written word but even after finishing the book I was left not really understanding what it was. Saying that though, I still really enjoyed the book.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 4 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maker-Swans-Paraic-ODonnell/dp/1474600360/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452814597&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+maker+of+swans" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maker-Swans-Paraic-ODonnell-ebook/dp/B0119Y561I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452814570&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+maker+of+swans" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Maker-of-Swans-Paraic-ODonnell/9781474600361" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><a href="http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Fiction/The-Maker-of-Swans-Audiobook/B0186FGMI4/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1452814509&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Audible.com</a><br /><br /><b>Find Paraic O'Donnell on:</b><br /><a href="http://paraicodonnell.com/" target="_blank">paraicodonnell.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/paraicodonnell" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9841919.Paraic_O_Donnell" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-23623698121699977742016-01-12T09:14:00.000-08:002016-01-12T09:14:12.021-08:00REVIEW 'Everything, Everything' by Nicola Yoon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pbW6A0r8ufE/VpUxeeBgq7I/AAAAAAAAAhM/kxNOA3H1kuM/s1600/Everything%252C%2BEverything%2Bby%2BNicola%2BYoon%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pbW6A0r8ufE/VpUxeeBgq7I/AAAAAAAAAhM/kxNOA3H1kuM/s400/Everything%252C%2BEverything%2Bby%2BNicola%2BYoon%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23664731-everything-everything" target="_blank">'Everything, Everything' by Nicola Yoon</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Madeline Whittier is allergic to the outside world. So allergic, in fact, that she has never left the house in all of her seventeen years. But when Olly moves in next door, and wants to talk to Maddie, tiny holes start to appear in the protective bubble her mother has built around her. Olly writes his IM address on a piece of paper, shows it at her window, and suddenly, a door opens. But does Maddie dare to step outside her comfort zone?</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Everything, Everything is about the thrill and heartbreak that happens when we break out of our shell to do crazy, sometimes death-defying things for love."</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5*****</b></span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Everything Everything’ is a young adult contemporary novel about a teenage girl who is allergic to the world. It is the debut novel from Nicola Yoon. I received a free copy of this book to review via Goodreads Giveaways.<br /><br />Madeline Whittler, an eighteen-year-old girl from California, suffers from a very rare condition known as SCID. Basically, she is allergic to the world. Anything can trigger a reaction which can make here severely sick. Because of this she is locked away from the world, living in a protective bubble. He house has an air lock, the inside air is filtered and nothing (and no-one) gets through without rigorous inspection. Madeline has never left the house in her eighteen years, her only contact being with her mum and her nurse, Carla.<br /><br />But then she sees him. Olly and his dysfunctional family move into the house opposite and Madeline is captivated by him. “Tall, lean and wearing all black” Madeline can’t get her mind off him and he’s noticed her too. A week after moving in Olly scribbles his email address on his bedroom window and the two begin communicating, first through email then instant messaging. Maddy quickly beings to fall for him and decides that she needs more; she needs to meet him. Carla arranges for Olly to come over while Maddy’s mum is at work, but there are strict rules. Olly has to go through a decontamination process, stay on the other side of the room to Maddy and above all, no physical contact.<br /><br />This isn’t enough for them, however, and Maddy soon finds herself wanting more. Like in her favourite book, ‘The Little Prince’, Maddy chooses to take her life into her own hands and go out and explore the world with Olly, even if it’s only for a short time.<br /><br />Wow. Okay, when I first started reading this book I didn’t realise quite how emotionally attached I would become to these characters. Especially Maddy. She’s such an interesting character; a very strong-willed and stubborn girl who can’t even leave the safety of her home without getting ill. I absolutely fell in love with her. Olly is such a fantastic character too. I found myself wanting them to be together more than anything.<br /><br />The book is so well written and fast-paced. I read the whole thing in a day, and probably wouldn’t have put it down if I didn’t have important things to do. Like, you know, eat. It’s hard to believe that this is Nicola’s first novel as it’s so fantastic. The style reminded me a little of John Green, but it also has something that makes it so unique. I liked that the chapters were short and I loved the little additions like Maddy’s dictionary, the emails &amp; IMs, the post-it notes etc…<br /><br />And nothing could have prepared me for the shocking twist at the end. I’m not going to spoil it but WOW! It blew my socks off! I also liked how some mental health issues were covered as well as physical ones.<br /><br />Although I’m pretty sure this book is meant as a stand-alone, I’d love to read more about Maddy and Olly’s future relationship and how Maddy dealt with the shock she was given. I’m pretty sure that this book would delight both teens and adults alike, so I’d recommend that EVERYONE reads it (that means you too!) I’m super excited to read more of Nicola’s books in the future as with this book she’s made it onto my top-authors list.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Nicola-Yoon/dp/0552574236/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452618820&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=everything+everything" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Nicola-Yoon/dp/0553496646/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452618797&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=everything+everything" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Everything-Everything-Nicol-Yoon/9780552574235" target="_blank">The Book Depository </a>(free shipping worldwide!)<br /><a href="http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Young-Adults/Everything-Everything-Audiobook/B013PR0K54/ref=a_search_c4_1_10_srTtl?qid=1452618735&amp;sr=1-10" target="_blank">Audible.com</a><br /><br /><b>Find Nicola Yoon on:</b><br /><a href="http://nicolayoon.com/" target="_blank">nicolayoon.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/NicolaYoon" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NicolaYoonWriter/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="http://nicolayoon.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nicolayoon/" target="_blank">Instagram</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7353006.Nicola_Yoon" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-36378769556590274972016-01-09T14:56:00.001-08:002016-01-09T14:56:04.546-08:00REVIEW 'The Gospel of Loki' by Joanne M. Harris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8X6Ih8Wa9oo/VpGM0GCGmKI/AAAAAAAAAg8/WoQCn8H4LGo/s1600/The%2BGospel%2Bof%2BLoki%2Bby%2BJoanne%2BM.%2BHarris%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8X6Ih8Wa9oo/VpGM0GCGmKI/AAAAAAAAAg8/WoQCn8H4LGo/s400/The%2BGospel%2Bof%2BLoki%2Bby%2BJoanne%2BM.%2BHarris%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18665033-the-gospel-of-loki" target="_blank">'The Gospel of Loki' by Joanne M. Harris</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"The novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods - retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself. Using her life-long passion for the Norse myths, Joanne Harris has created a vibrant and powerful fantasy novel."</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span><br /><br />Hey Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘The Gospel of Loki’ by Joanne M. Harris is the story of the Norse Gods from the point of view of Loki, the Trickster. I’ve always found Norse Mythology very interesting and Loki is by far my favourite of the Gods. I first heard about this book about a year ago and I finally managed to grab a copy from my local library earlier this week, then proceeded to read the whole book in two days. It was just that good!<br /><br />Odin rules the nine worlds from his fortress of Asgard. When this book starts his people, the Aesir, have finally made peace with the Vanir and members of both groups make up the Gods of Asgard. The world is split into Order and Chaos, with Odin and the Gods trying to maintain Order over the nine realms. Loki was born from Chaos and is essentially a demon with no physical form (or Aspect) living in the realm of Pandaemoniem under the evil Lord Surt. But Loki was curious about the worlds where Order and Chaos co-existed so he left Chaos and traveled to the worlds above where he gained a physical Aspect, met Odin and was invited back to Asgard where he became the 25th God.<br /><br />He did not receive a warm welcome from the other Gods, however, and soon lived up to his names of Wildfire and the Trickster. This book, which I would imagine takes place over a number of years, tells the story of many of Loki’s exploits in the nine realms including when he tricked a builder into fortifying Asgard’s walls without paying him, cut off Sif’s golden hair (to Thor’s outrage), got Thor to dress up as a bride to infiltrate the Ice Folk and kill their enemies, met the giants of Utgard and their own Trickster Utgard-Loki, all the way up to Ragnarok and the final battle between Order and Chaos.<br /><br />Okay, I’ve just tried to describe the plot fairly simply above and I don’t know how much sense it will have made if you’re not familiar with the Norse Gods, but hopefully it wasn’t too bad!<br /><br />I’ve always found Norse Mythology very interesting, mainly, I think, because of the diverse characters and fanciful stories. We get to meet all those characters in this book; Odin, Thor, Frey, Freyja, Balder, Frigg, Sigyn, Skadi, Gullvieg-Heid &amp; many more. And as this book is written in first person from Loki, we see them all from his point of view. I also loved Loki’s illegitimate children, particularly Hel, the ruler of the Underworld and Fenris the werewolf.<br /><br />I know a fair bit about Loki from things I’ve read online and books about mythology so I was a bit wary going in about how historically accurate Joanne had written her character, but I have to say that I found her version of Loki spot on! She voiced him perfectly and I also found the other characters to be very close to what I’ve read about them.<br /><br />I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and the story flowed so well that I found it really difficult to put down. Loki’s storytelling was both informative and engaging and each of his stories flowed into each other very well.<br /><br />This book is very heavy on the Norse Mythology (obviously) and I think it’s probably best to go into it with a little bit of knowledge beforehand. I think that if I knew nothing of the subject before, I might have found it a bit overwhelming mainly due to the amount of characters and worlds. But saying that, it is so well written and well explained that I think anyone could read it, I just think you’d get more enjoyment out of it if you knew a bit about some of the characters first. There is a very useful character list at the beginning that you can go back to.<br /><br />I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves Norse Mythology, especially Loki and Odin but I think anyone who likes a good fantasy novel would enjoy it.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gospel-Loki-Joanne-M-Harris/dp/147320237X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452380146&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+gospel+of+loki" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Loki-Joanne-M-Harris/dp/148144946X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452380121&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+gospel+of+loki" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Gospel-of-Loki-Joanne-M-Harris/9781473202375" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><a href="http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Fiction/The-Gospel-of-Loki-Audiobook/B00ICNSBO4/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1452380061&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Audible.com</a><br /><br /><b>Find Joanne M. Harris on:</b><br /><a href="http://joanne-harris.co.uk/" target="_blank">joanne-harris.co.uk</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/Joannechocolat" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9432" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-18460005215262462042016-01-07T08:50:00.000-08:002016-01-07T08:50:10.475-08:00REVIEW 'An Android Awakes' by Mike French & Karl Brown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G6mhRTVz7xA/Vo6TGAp0L6I/AAAAAAAAAgs/iE7nIPrVlNM/s1600/An%2BAndroid%2BAwakes%2Bby%2BMike%2BFrench%2B%2526%2BKarl%2BBrown%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G6mhRTVz7xA/Vo6TGAp0L6I/AAAAAAAAAgs/iE7nIPrVlNM/s400/An%2BAndroid%2BAwakes%2Bby%2BMike%2BFrench%2B%2526%2BKarl%2BBrown%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26871059-an-android-awakes" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">'An Android Awakes' by Mike French &amp; Karl Brown</span></a><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"In the future your culture will be shaped by machines.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Your world is manipulated by computer coding, search engines and social networks. It's just a matter of time before everything you watch, read and listen to will be created by autonomous machines...</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Android Writer PN121928 is part of the Android Publishing Program. To replicate a writer's life, his wife has been forcibly removed and he lives in solitude with an allowance for drugs and state prostitutes. Having just had his novel The Eating of Citizen Kane rejected, he now has 14 more attempts to get a story accepted for the programme or he will be deactivated."</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">4****</span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘An Android Awakes’ is an illustrated science fiction novel set in a futuristic world of androids, which follows PD121928, an author android, struggling to get his work published. I received a free copy of this book to review through Goodreads Giveaways.<br /><br />PD121928 is an author android with a vivid imagination and a wide range of characters and stories in his head. In this world, androids make up the majority of the population and take on all the creative jobs that humans previously did. Author androids need to have one of the 42 works of fiction (under 1000 words) that they submit to publishers to be accepted or they will be deactivated. PD121928 has only 14 submissions left.<br /><br />This book comprises his final 14 attempts and the subsequent rejections he gets between. In a way, this book is almost like a collection of sci-fi short stories. All of PD121928’s stories and kind of related, however. They all seem to have similar themes running through them and some elements, like the mockingbird and an angel fish appear in more than one story.<br /><br />I particularly enjoyed the stories; ‘The Amazing Arctic Sinking Man’, ‘2306’, ‘Bookmark’, ‘Angel Etiquette’ and ‘The Great Sea in the Sky’. All the characters in this book's short stories were very fleshed out and the stories themselves seem like they could have gone on longer. I most wanted ‘Bookmark’ to continue as I am an avid reader myself and enjoyed the idea of having a bookmark as a pet, and you have to read to feed it.<br /><br />I enjoyed the writing style and I liked how it kept switching from 1st person to 3rd. I made it easy to distinguish android PD121928’s life from his story submissions. I also really liked the artwork throughout and thought that it really added to the story. I like that it was just black and white line art rather than full colour pieces. The style of the art made the book feel very futuristic and fitted in so well with the stories. I would like to thank the authors, Mike French and Karl Brown, for also sending me 2 postcard art prints of illustrations from the book.<br /><br />I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to someone who likes the sci-fi genre, but is open to bizarre stories set in a world very unlike our own. I would also recommend going for a paperback copy rather than kindle to fully appreciate the artwork!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 4 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Android-Awakes-Mike-French-ebook/dp/B017O89BYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452185315&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=an+android+awakes" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Android-Awakes-Mike-French-ebook/dp/B017O89BYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452185291&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=an+android+awakes" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/An-Android-Awakes-Mike-French-Karl-Brown/9781908168634" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><br /><b>Find Mike French on:</b><br /><a href="http://mikefrench.net/" target="_blank">mikefrench.net</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MikeFrench1" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMikeFrench" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mikefrench1/" target="_blank">Instagram</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898651" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br /><br /><b>Find Karl Brown on:</b><br /><a href="http://karlillustrated.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">karlillustrated.tumblr.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/KARLATTACK89" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/KarlIllustrated/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/karlbrownillustrated/" target="_blank">Instagram</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/474772.Karl_Brown" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-88904844755233401222015-11-21T13:37:00.000-08:002015-11-21T13:37:17.823-08:00REVIEW 'Love, Tanya' by Tanya Burr<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LEzbMoAy60I/Vk3a8KTz9kI/AAAAAAAAAgM/fDUHyMmL5gQ/s1600/Love%252C%2BTanya%2Bby%2BTanya%2BBurr%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LEzbMoAy60I/Vk3a8KTz9kI/AAAAAAAAAgM/fDUHyMmL5gQ/s400/Love%252C%2BTanya%2Bby%2BTanya%2BBurr%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23643570-love-tanya?ac=1&amp;from_search=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">'Love, Tanya' by Tanya Burr</span></a><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><br /><i>"Hi everyone and welcome to my book! It's really close to my heart because it's inspired by my journey to becoming confident and feeling happy about who I am. I wanted to write the book to share the things I've learnt with you - to reveal my top tips on fashion, beauty, love, friendship and YouTube... and loads more! Plus there is room for you to list your own hopes and dreams alongside mine - so get creative and get involved! I'd love it if this book became a keepsake you can treasure for years to come and learn to love yourself along the way - like I have. I hope you enjoy it!"</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">4****</span><br /><br />Hey Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Love, Tanya’ is a book by British YouTuber and internet personality Tanya Burr. The book is part memoir, and part tips and guide to make-up, hair, fashion, healthy living, baking and happiness and confidence.<br /><br />Tanya’s writing style, like her videos, is very conversational and down to earth. Reading this book was like talking to a friend. Despite her YouTube fame, Tanya is a very modest and normal twenty-something. I’ve been watching Tanya, and her husband Jim’s, videos for a while now and one thing that I really love about them is their bubbly personalities.<br /><br />‘Love, Tanya’ begins as a memoir. In the first couple of chapters Tanya talks about growing up in Norfolk. She had a very normal childhood, but her teen years were ridden with anxiety and panic attacks, something which I can very much relate to. Tanya talks more about this in a later chapter.<br /><br />The next few chapters, Skincare Essentials, Make-Up Essentials, Hair and Nail Essentials, Fashion, Love, Life, Baking and Recipes and Confidence &amp; Happiness and a gold mine of Tanya’s real-life experiences along with her tips and tricks. At the end of each chapter Tanya make a list of her top ten things in a certain category (for example; My Top 10 Fashion Tips, My Top 10 Skincare products). These lists are not only useful in finding out more about Tanya, but are also full of great tips to research and try. One thing that I think would have improved these sections though would be the addition of pictures of some of the products and items that she talks about. After these lists is a little section for the reader to write their own notes, which I thought was a really good idea.<br /><br />The book has many glossy colour photographs scattered throughout. Mostly childhood pictures, photoshoots and selfies. I did find that some of the pictures didn’t always relate to what the chapter was about, but Tanya is a beautiful human being so I enjoyed the photos all the same.<br /><br />This is a book that I can see myself coming back to again and again in the future. The style and content reminded me a little of ‘Brunette Ambition’ by Lea Michele (which was the very first book I reviewed on my blog!) but Tanya’s personality really shone through in the text, so although similar I thought they were both fantastic books in their own right.<br /><br />I would definitely recommend this book to any teen or young adult who enjoys Tanya’s videos and wants to learn a little more about her.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 4 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Tanya-Burr/dp/1405921404/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1448141807&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=love%2C+tanya" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Tanya-Burr/dp/1405921404/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1448141775&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=love%2C+tanya" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Love--Tanya/9781405921404" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><a href="http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Non-fiction/Love-Tanya-Audiobook/B00TGCMZ10/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1448141606&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Audible.com</a><br /><br /><b>Find Tanya Burr on:</b><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/pixi2woo" target="_blank">YouTube</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/TanyaBurr" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTanyaBurr/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10074395.Tanya_Burr" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-36897456593602776842015-11-01T09:57:00.000-08:002015-11-01T09:57:42.981-08:00Happy Halloween!Happy Halloween Elementareaders!<br /><br />This is going to be a bit more of a chatty post than one of my usual book reviews. I'm wanting to do few more posts like this to let you guys know a bit more about me (as I feel book reviews can be quite impersonal) and to hopefully get to know a bit more about my readers too!<br /><br />I hope you're all having a fantastic year so far! Halloween is by far one of my favourite times of the year as I love all the spooky decorations and I love being able to put fake cobwebs up all over the place. Halloween is also when it really starts feeling autumny, as the clocks have just gone back and it's getting darker earlier.<br /><br />I didn't go out for Halloween this year as I have a non-existent social life (boo-hoo) and I'm also not too well at the moment (but I'm not going to go into that now). In fact, I don't think I've been out for Halloween since I left school in 2007! I just stayed in, watched 'The Cabin in the Woods' and ate a ton of snacks,<br /><br />I'm quite happy with my little Halloween set-up in my room this year so I thought I'd share some pictures.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_GmsPA0f0nI/VjZP8-UjieI/AAAAAAAAAfw/wOnoD75GntU/s1600/2015-11-01%2B16.51.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_GmsPA0f0nI/VjZP8-UjieI/AAAAAAAAAfw/wOnoD75GntU/s640/2015-11-01%2B16.51.33.jpg" width="518" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Most of the decorations were from Asda either this year or last year with the exception of the fake cobwebs &amp; plastic spiders (QD), skull &amp; pumpkin fairy lights (also QD) and colour-changing LED lights (can't remember where I got those!) Unfortunately my crappy camera wouldn't take a decent picture without the flash on so you don't really get the full spooky effect here. It's looks so much better with all the lights off!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C-o-jNTeHU0/VjZRKMOmGBI/AAAAAAAAAf4/bO_7VNLVseI/s1600/2015-11-01%2B17.00.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C-o-jNTeHU0/VjZRKMOmGBI/AAAAAAAAAf4/bO_7VNLVseI/s200/2015-11-01%2B17.00.19.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />I think one of my favourite things is this creepy skeleton bunting which was also super cheap (only £2 from Asda!) plus the really awesome cobweb table cloth.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I'd love to hear what you did for Halloween, what you dressed up as and if you has any awesome displays of decorations. Let me know in the comments below and tweet me some pics&nbsp;@elementaread<br /><br />And until next year... stay spooky!! :)Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-23752820854797176062015-10-10T06:16:00.000-07:002015-10-10T06:16:32.099-07:00REVIEW 'Contest' by Matthew Reilly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dB6O3yyqmDI/VhkLItBY7xI/AAAAAAAAAfg/yiaxECbeji0/s1600/Contest%2Bby%2BMatthew%2BReilly%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dB6O3yyqmDI/VhkLItBY7xI/AAAAAAAAAfg/yiaxECbeji0/s400/Contest%2Bby%2BMatthew%2BReilly%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/970409.Contest" target="_blank">'Contest' by Matthew Reilly</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"The New York Public Library. A silent sanctuary of knowledge: a hundred-year-old labyrinth of towering bookcases, narrow aisles and spiral staircases.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>But for Doctor Stephen Swain and his eight-year-old daughter, Holly, it is a place of nightmare. Because, for just one night, this historic building is to become the venue of a horrifying contest. A contest in which Swain must compete — whether he likes it or not.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>The rules of the challenge are simple: seven contestants will enter, but only one will leave.&nbsp;</i><br /><i>With his daughter in his arms, Stephen Swain is plunged into a terrifying fight for survival. The stakes are high, the odds are brutal. He can choose to run, to hide or to fight - but if he wants to live, he has to win.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>For in this contest, unless you leave as the victor, you do not leave at all."</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Contest’ by Matthew Reilly is a science-fiction thriller set in New York City, where some unwilling human contestants are pitted against savage aliens in a fight to the death.<br /><br />I first read ‘Contest’ around ten years ago when I was about thirteen/fourteen-years-old when a family friend loaned me a copy because he thought I would like it. He was right, I LOVED it! I think I read the whole book in two or three sittings (which was impressive at that age) and it is one of the books that really got me into reading. I thought I’d pick it up again ten years later to see if it was as fantastic as I remembered and I fell in love with it all over again.<br /><br />The Presidian is an intergalactic contest held every one thousand Earth years in which seven contestants fight to the death. This book is the story of the seventh Presidian. Humans have only taken part in the last two contests, as human development was only considered to be advanced enough two thousand years ago. Both times the human contestants were the first to be eliminated. As humans are the only species that do not know about the existence of other worlds or the Presidian, the Earth contestant is selected by outsiders after a long period of surveillance.<br /><br />The seventh Presidian is to be held on Earth, in the New York State Library. There is an electrical grid all around the library to stop any contestants from escaping or outsiders from getting in. Each contestant also has a wristband, which will detonate in fifteen minutes of being outside the electrical grid, if the contestants were to somehow find their way out. Each contestant also has a guide, a little man dressed in white who can give them information about the other contestants, and who submit information about the kills to the outside.<br /><br />Stephen Swain is a doctor from Connecticut. One evening he is surrounded by a bright light a teleported into the library to be the Earth contestant. But Swain’s young daughter, Holly, who he is carrying at the time, is teleported with him. There are also two police officers inside the library who have no clue what is happening, but end up caught in the middle of it. One by one the other contestants are teleported in, and when Swain’s wristband reaches seven the contest will begin. Swain, Holly and their guide, Selexin, are suddenly thrown into a fight for survival against some of the most brutal killers in the galaxy!<br /><br />I cannot express enough how much I love this book. The plot, the characters, the writing style… all are just perfect. The book was just as thrilling and captivating this time as it was when I read it ten years ago and I fell in love with it all over again.<br /><br />Swain is your typical ‘unlikely hero’. A man who has all the odds stacked against him, but will not go down without a fight. I loved his determination and his intelligence really set him apart from the other contestants. Also, the fact that he was on Earth worked to his advantage. But I think the main thing that kept him alive and fighting was Holly. Swain has his young daughter to protect, and I loved how strongly their relationship came across in the writing.<br /><br />This book is so incredibly fast-paced, and although it is pretty long at 488 pages, I flew through it and found myself stuck in a reading vortex where I would not be able to put it down for hours. I love Matthew Reilly’s writing style as it’s so easy to read. He describes the action so well that it’s like having a movie playing out in your head.<br /><br />Looking back now, I wouldn’t recommend giving this book to your 13/14 year old to read as it is pretty gory in places and there is a fair amount of horror/death. But this book would be prefect for older teens and adults who love thrillers with a sci-fi/alien element. I actually think this book is one of the reasons that I really got into sci-fi, and now I’ll jump at anything that involves aliens and other worlds.<br /><br />This is such a fantastic book! Maybe I’ll come back to it in another ten years and see if I still love it as much at age thirty-four :)<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br />I’d love to hear your thoughts on ‘Contest’. And let me know in the comments which book(s) got you into reading, and which books you like to come back to time and time again!<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Contest-Matthew-Reilly/dp/0330513427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1444482960&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=contest+matthew+reilly" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Contest-Matthew-Reilly-ebook/dp/B003GK225M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1444482923&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=contest+matthew+reilly" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Contest-Matthew-Reilly/9780312990046" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/Contest-Audiobook/B002V8H1UQ/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1444482811&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Audible.com</a><br /><br /><b>Follow Matthew Reilly on:</b><br /><a href="http://matthewreilly.com/" target="_blank">matthewreilly.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/Matthew_Reilly" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMatthewReilly?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/83714.Matthew_Reilly" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-50541085445586310232015-10-06T06:02:00.000-07:002015-10-06T06:02:36.167-07:00REVIEW 'Jessie Hearts NYC' by Keris Stainton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_kuAzv6e-l8/VhPD_vjZ__I/AAAAAAAAAfM/pEiGY48k3Tg/s1600/Jessie%2BHearts%2BNYC%2Bby%2BKeris%2BStainton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_kuAzv6e-l8/VhPD_vjZ__I/AAAAAAAAAfM/pEiGY48k3Tg/s400/Jessie%2BHearts%2BNYC%2Bby%2BKeris%2BStainton.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10358724-jessie-hearts-nyc" target="_blank">'Jessie Hearts NYC' by Keris Stainton</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Jessie's just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend's girlfriend.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they ever find each other?"</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Jessie Hearts NYC’ by Keris Stainton is a fun young adult contemporary novel about a teenage girl looking for love in New York City.<br /><br />English teenager Jessie is visiting her mum in New York for the summer with her best friend Emma. She has just broken up with her boyfriend, Taylor, and is now looking for romance in the Big Apple. Jessie’s mum, Natalie, is a playwright, and her play Small Change was such a success that it (and she) moved to Broadway, leaving Jessie in Manchester with her dad. Jessie and her mum have never been close so at first their relationship is a bit awkward, but all that is soon forgotten when she starts exploring the amazing city. Jessie has a crush on Ben, the lead actor in Natalie’s play, and is hoping that he likes her too.<br /><br />Meanwhile, New Yorker Finn is spending his summer working as an intern with his dad’s insurance company and being the third wheel to his best friend, Scott, and his girlfriend, Sam. But Finn has a problem. He really likes Sam and is annoyed at the fact that Scott got her first. Plus his overbearing father is making him major in business and follow his footsteps into insurance, when Finn really wants to be an architect.<br /><br />Jessie and Finn keep bumping into each other all over the city. Both have boy/girl trouble and these two teens finally bond. But can Jessie get over her mum’s secret relationship, and can Finn get over Sam?<br /><br />This was such a great, fun read! The characters are so loveable and the story is really uplifting. The writing style is so easy to read and the dialogue sounds really authentic. The book just flows so well and I ending up reading the majority of it in one go.<br /><br />I’ll definitely be looking for some more of Keris’s books. This would be a prefect summer read for anyone looking for something light, quick and fun that will leave you with a nice warm glowy feeling.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jessie-Hearts-NYC-Keris-Stainton/dp/1408304287/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1444136484&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=jessie+hearts+nyc" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jessie-Hearts-NYC-Keris-Stainton-ebook/dp/B00590YLXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1444136454&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=jessie+hearts+nyc" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Jessie-Hearts-NYC/9781408304280" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><br /><b>Follow Keris Stainton on:</b><br /><a href="http://keris-stainton.com/" target="_blank">keris-stainton.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/Keris" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/keriswritesbooks?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3028584.Keris_Stainton" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-60190932792790296712015-09-23T11:09:00.001-07:002015-09-23T11:09:34.737-07:00REVIEW 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lv-niMKUIo/VgLoDK0CnII/AAAAAAAAAe8/_1kdhYlyhIo/s1600/Fangirl%2Bby%2BRainbow%2BRowell%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lv-niMKUIo/VgLoDK0CnII/AAAAAAAAAe8/_1kdhYlyhIo/s400/Fangirl%2Bby%2BRainbow%2BRowell%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19174917-fangirl" target="_blank">'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible ...</i><br /><i><br /></i><i><b>A tale of fanfiction, family, and first love.</b>"</i><br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><br /><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Fangirl’ by Rainbow Rowell is a young adult contemporary novel following a girl named Cath on her first year at college. I’m a bit late on the bandwagon with this book (I’ve seen people talking about it online for years!) but I finally grabbed a copy to read, and I freaking loved it!<br /><br />Cather and Wren are twin sisters from Nebraska. Their whole lives they have done everything together, including going to the same college, but Wren wants to branch out an make new friends meaning that she doesn’t want to share a room with Cath. ‘Fangirl’ follows Cath as she makes her way through her first year of college without being beside her sister. Cath is shy and socially awkward, and would rather spend her evenings in her room writing fanfiction than out partying. Cath is a huge fan of ‘Simon Snow’, a series of books about a young magician, and she writes a very popular fanfiction that has thousands of readers. She aspires to be a writer and is studying English Lit and Fiction Writing.<br /><br />Cath’s roommate Reagan is her opposite. She doesn’t spend much time in their room and is always out with her boyfriend, which suits Cath just fine, but she also gets the feeling that Reagan doesn’t like her. Reagan’s boyfriend Levi, on the other hand, won’t leave Cath alone and keeps finding excuses to hang out with her. He particularly enjoys when she reads her Simon Snow fanfiction to him.<br /><br />Cath faces countless teen troubles throughout her year; being apart from her sister, being accused a plagiarism in her Fiction Writing class only to get a story that she has worked on stolen, and her ever increasing feelings for Levi.<br /><br />This was such a fantastic book! I loved the plot and the writing style was so easy to read that I read the whole book in a couple of days. The characters are fantastic, especially Cath and Levi.<br /><br />I see a lot of myself in Cath and find her very relatable. She has social anxiety (like me) and she is quite shy and withdrawn. In fact, she spent the first month of college living off protein bars because she didn’t know where the dining hall was and was too anxious to ask anyone. One of my favourite quotes from the book is “I'm the kind of girl who fantasizes about being trapped in a library overnight.” That just pretty much sums up the life of every book nerd. In fact, there are so many FANTASTIC quotes from this book that it’d take an entire blog post for me to list them all.<br /><br />Rainbow really gets what it’s like to be part of a fandom and that comes across so strongly in the writing. She understand that fanfiction isn’t just a silly hobby undertaken by crazy fans, but is in fact a form of literature and a great creative outlet for fans. I don’t write fanfiction myself but I have read some, and some of the things you can find online are amazing works of literature.<br /><br />I had a major book hangover after finishing ‘Fangirl’. It was so incredible that I just want to read more. I want to hear about Cath’s second year in college. Her third. And what she does after. In fact, if Rainbow were to write about the rest of her life in epic detail I would lap up the whole thing. I would also LOVE to read more about Simon Snow. The excerpts at the end of each chapter really made me want to read more about the World of Mages.<br /><br />This really was a fantastic book and I’ll definitely be reading more by this author in the future! I would recommend to any book nerd (teen or adult) who loves a good story with fantastic characters.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><b>Places to buy:</b><br />Amazon UK<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fangirl-Rainbow-Rowell/dp/1447263227/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1443031686&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Fangirl-Rainbow-Rowell/9781447263227" target="_blank">The Book Depository </a>(free shipping worldwide!)<br /><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/Fangirl-Audiobook/B00E9Z7K46/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1443031630&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Audible.com</a><br /><br /><b>Follow Rainbow Rowell on:</b><br /><a href="http://rainbowrowell.com/" target="_blank">rainbowrowell.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/rainbowrowell" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rainbow.rowell.author?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4208569.Rainbow_Rowell" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-46689080004861140262015-09-13T12:08:00.004-07:002015-09-13T12:16:59.415-07:00REVIEW 'Username: Evie' by Joe Sugg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kkcWskCmXK8/VfXDvXHqX5I/AAAAAAAAAeE/XOHeXWJsa18/s1600/Username%2BEvie%2Bby%2BJoe%2BSugg%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kkcWskCmXK8/VfXDvXHqX5I/AAAAAAAAAeE/XOHeXWJsa18/s400/Username%2BEvie%2Bby%2BJoe%2BSugg%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26400739-username" target="_blank">'Username: Evie' by Joe Sugg</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Like anyone who feels as though they just don't fit in, Evie dreams of a place of safety. When times are tough, all she wants is a chance to escape from reality and be herself.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Despite his failing health, Evie's father comes close to creating such a virtual idyll. Passing away before it's finished, he leaves her the key in the form of an app, and Evie finds herself transported to a world where the population is influenced by her personality. Everyone shines in her presence, until her devious cousin, Mallory, discovers the app... and the power to cause trouble in paradise. "</i><br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span><br /><br />Hey Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Username: Evie’ is a fantasy graphic novel by the YouTuber Joe Sugg (ThatcherJoe). Joe was one of the first people I ever watched on YouTube and I absolutely adore his videos. I was so excited when I heard he was creating a graphic novel, and it certainly didn’t disappoint!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AI5t_9QDYU/VfXIoHXwGcI/AAAAAAAAAeU/ZGpBDYzAxVY/s1600/2015-09-13%2B19.53.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AI5t_9QDYU/VfXIoHXwGcI/AAAAAAAAAeU/ZGpBDYzAxVY/s200/2015-09-13%2B19.53.52.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><br />Evie is an outsider. She doesn’t have many friends in school and is bullied by her cousin Mallory. Her mother died when she was very young and her dad is ill too. Poor Evie wants to just escape her life, and sometime shuts herself in the fridge after school to get away (not the best idea, so don’t try that at home!) She is always reassured when she gets home to hear her father, a software pioneer, typing on his computer, but one day she gets home and everything is quiet. She finds that her father has passed away, and Evie is shunted off to her cousin’s house with no time to grieve before Mallory starts making her life hell.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wHi2gtTXmmk/VfXIxrVZ85I/AAAAAAAAAec/qHTup0ccVVU/s1600/2015-09-13%2B19.54.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wHi2gtTXmmk/VfXIxrVZ85I/AAAAAAAAAec/qHTup0ccVVU/s400/2015-09-13%2B19.54.18.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br /><br />But Evie finds a way out. On her laptop she notices an app called E.scape. She doesn’t know where it has come from, but when she clicks on it a video message from her dad plays saying that he has created this app to help Evie escape her normal life. Suddenly, Evie is transported into a virtual world, a world created entirely for her where her decisions and actions influence everything. Unbeknown to Evie, whilst she is exploring, Mallory finds the app and is whizzed away into the virtual world too. But Mallory brings with her a bad attitude and her influence soon throws the world into chaos; the people becoming monsters and fire and destruction everywhere.<br /><br /><br />Only Evie can stop the destruction. The race is on to find a way to stop it, and get out of the world before she is trapped there forever!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />I’d been anticipating this book for so long. Ever since Joe announced it was happening, before even a vague description of the story was mentioned, I’d been waiting for it and eagerly lapping up any snippets and clues about the story along the way. Joe is one of my favourite YouTubers and he has such a vivid imagination that I knew anything coming out of his head would be pure gold. When the cover and blurb were finally released my excitement grew even more. I absolutely love this genre, and the graphic novel format. The image of Evie on the cover is just spectacular and just by looking at it I knew she would be a fantastic character.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6UnfRm2pmYM/VfXJipUbGLI/AAAAAAAAAew/u8QXDL07M7I/s1600/2015-09-13%2B19.54.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6UnfRm2pmYM/VfXJipUbGLI/AAAAAAAAAew/u8QXDL07M7I/s320/2015-09-13%2B19.54.31.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>And I was certainly not disappointed! This book was so brilliant. The storyline, characters, artwork; everything was just great. Evie is such a fantastic character and I think she is very relatable for a lot of young girls. I think most people at some point in their lives have felt like her, like an outsider with no means of escape. This novel really grabs onto to that idea of wanting to escape by creating a whole new virtual world, but it also really sends the message that eventually you have to go back to your real life. Evie’s virtual world was designed to help her to become a better version of herself for when she did come out of the simulation.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“Be proud of who you are, and never lose sight of the fact that you are loved”</i> <b>‘Username: Evie’ pg 30.</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fq5cB9pE8jQ/VfXJETOZHEI/AAAAAAAAAeo/Fx0b4t_omJE/s1600/2015-09-13%2B19.55.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fq5cB9pE8jQ/VfXJETOZHEI/AAAAAAAAAeo/Fx0b4t_omJE/s400/2015-09-13%2B19.55.14.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>The above quote is my favourite from the whole book. I love the message that it sends, that you should be yourself, be proud, and know that someone out there loves you. I think this is such an important message especially for the age group this book is aimed at. I wish someone had said that to me when I was in school some 8 years ago, and I know a lot of Joe’s fans are teenagers.<br /><br />This book was so visually stunning that sometimes I found myself staring at one page for ages. The artwork and colouring (by Amrit Birdi and Joaquin Pereyra) was so fantastic. I particularly liked the double-page landscapes on the “Part 1”, “Part 2” and “Part 3” pages showing how the beautiful world Evie’s father created gradually went from idyllic to disastrous.<br /><br />&nbsp;I particularly enjoyed the fact that Evie lived in a house with a thatched roof, a nice little reference to Joe’s former job as a roof thatcher. I also had a little giggle at the fact that one of the characters was called Jaspar (if you watch Joe’s videos you’ll know why :p)<br /><br /><br />All in all I thought this was a fantastic debut book by Joe for both young people and adults alike. I would really recommend it to anyone who likes the idea of online worlds and virtual realities. I hope Joe produces more work like this in the future, as I’m sure he has plenty more fun ideas roaming around in his head!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Username-Evie-Joe-Sugg/dp/1473619130/ref=sr_1_1_twi_har_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1442171539&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=username+evie" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Username-Evie-Joe-Sugg/dp/0762460105/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1442171575&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=username+evie" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Username-Evie-Joe-Sugg/9781473619135" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><br /><b>Find Joe Sugg on:</b><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ThatcherJoe" target="_blank">YouTube</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sugg" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThatcherJoe?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13435870.Joe_Sugg" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-53331522222871300642015-09-11T05:41:00.000-07:002015-09-11T05:41:37.782-07:00REVIEW 'A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp' by Marie C. Collins<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-el5JC9y9jjc/VfLHsreSOZI/AAAAAAAAAdw/C1isaM1YYp8/s1600/A%2BBrief%2BStay%2Bat%2BHuman%2BEarth%2BCamp%2Bby%2BMarie%2BC.%2BCollins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-el5JC9y9jjc/VfLHsreSOZI/AAAAAAAAAdw/C1isaM1YYp8/s400/A%2BBrief%2BStay%2Bat%2BHuman%2BEarth%2BCamp%2Bby%2BMarie%2BC.%2BCollins.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from Goodreads.com</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25339784-a-brief-stay-at-earth-human-camp" target="_blank">'A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp' by Marie C. Collins</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"<b>Once you find out your mother is an alien, what ISN’T possible?&nbsp;</b></i><br /><i><br /></i><i>That’s what 12-year-old Anne and 10-year-old Atticus Reade want to know. Minutes after learning that their mother is from the planet Farbookonia and that their parents’ secret project has put them all in danger, the children are wrenched from their sheltered existence in the Midwest and whisked off to sleep-away camp in New Jersey — each with a tiny, protective “Globot” on one shoulder.</i><br /><i>Painfully aware they’re not like the others at camp, Anne and Atticus do their best to fit in while concealing their alien background and the “special talents” that go with it. But everything is so new to them, they have a hard time sorting reality from fiction. Quirky campers, campfire ghost stories, a bizarre camp director, Anne’s mysterious dreams, and Atticus’s unusual animal encounters are all equally disturbing.</i><br /><i>Just as they start getting the hang of life among young Earth humans, a broadcast on the Rec Hall TV shakes things up, and things that are truly strange emerge from normal newness. It turns out Anne and Atticus — and their new friends — may not be safe at camp after all. A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp thrusts them into a reality they wish was fiction."</i><br /><i><br /></i><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span><br /><br />(This review may contain some small spoilers as I got excited and went into a fair bit of detail about the plot. Oops! Nothing that will really ruin it though :))<br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘A Brief Stay at Earth Human Camp’ by Marie C. Collins is a middle-grade sci-fi adventure about a pair of half-human, half-alien siblings trying to fit in at an American summer camp. Marie kindly sent me an e-copy to read and review.<br /><br />Anne and Atticus Reade believe they are perfectly normal human children until they are suddenly told by their parents that their mother, Cameo, is actually an extra-terrestrial being from the planet Farbookonia. True, their upbringing has been very unconventional; living way out in the countryside, home-schooled, and never having had contact with anyone other than each other, their parents and Friday, their housekeeper, but they had no reason to believe that wasn’t normal. Plus they have special gifts, Anne can performs tasks with super speed and Atticus can communicate with animals. But these children’s lives are turned upside-down when their parents confess the truth, and proclaim that their scientific research is under threat, meaning that they will have to jet off to a secret lab, leaving Anne and Atticus at a summer camp for three weeks. The children are thrust out of their secluded lives and will have to fit in with other kids their age, which means learning how to behave and not using their special gifts. To help them out, their father has made them a small holographic being each (Globots) that only they can see and hear. Bella (for Anne) and Huck (for Atticus) sit on their shoulders and give advice about how to behave and what to say.<br /><br />Anne and Atticus’s first impressions of Earth humans are not great. Upon arriving at camp they are split up. Anne, at 12 years old is put in the Bobcats cabin, and Atticus, at 10 is put in the Timber Rattlesnakes cabin. And the kids assigned to take them to their bunks, Arianna and Max, are not very friendly. They soon make friends, however, with their bunk mates Maylin and Nicola, and before long are welcomed into the group.<br /><br />They find Bella and Huck’s information very handy, but a few days in both the Globots have malfunctioned, leaving Anne and Atticus entirely on their own. But their instincts click in, and with the help of their new friends they both have a fantastic time.<br /><br />But there’s trouble in paradise. A few days in the Camp Director, Aunt Maddie, mysteriously vanishes leaving a new director in her place. The new Madam Director acts very strangely, not joining in with activities and yelling ‘YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE’ at anyone who goes near the old ruins near camp. Another camper, Benedek, is also acting weird and clinging on to the bully, Max. Things go from bad to worse when Max is poisoned and the nurse ends up in a weird coma state that she won’t wake from. Anne and Atticus believe their parents may be involved, and this is to do with their research… involving robots! Now the kids have to save Aunt Maddie and everyone else in camp before Parents Day!<br /><br />This was such a fantastic, FANTASTIC book! I enjoyed every sentence from start to finish, and even though it’s pretty long for a middle-grade book I was so disappointed when it ended. I loved the writing style. It was very conversational and easy to read that I found it almost impossible to look away from my screen and read the whole book in only a few sittings.<br /><br />Anne and Atticus are both brilliant characters and I loved seeing the world from their point of view. We don’t have camps like this in the UK so I was just as in the dark about what goes on as these children were. I think the maps and camp schedule at the beginning of the book were a really nice touch, and it was great to go back to them throughout to get a really good idea of where everything was.<br /><br />I love how this book mixed the adventure and sci-fi. The alien aspect was great, but the real sci-fi element came from the robots. I really didn’t see it coming!<br /><br />This truly was a brilliant read and I’d recommend it to kids aged 10+ and adults who love a great story with fantastic characters. I’m looking forward to reading more of Marie’s work in the future. The way this book ended makes me think there’s opportunity for a sequel, so I really hope that happens as I would love to read more about these characters and the Farbookonians!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-Stay-Earth-Human-Camp/dp/1507754140/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441975160&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=a+brief+stay+a+earth+human+camp" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brief-Stay-Earth-Human-Camp-ebook/dp/B00QW6JIKY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441975122&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=a+brief+stay+at+earth+human+camp" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Brief-Stay-at-Earth-Human-Camp-Marie-C-Collins/9781507754146" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><br /><b>Follow Marie C. Collins on:</b><br /><a href="http://secretsoffarbookonia.com/" target="_blank">secretsoffarbookonia.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MarieCCollins" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SecretsofFarbookonia?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13021665.Marie_C_Collins" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-53967896493763899162015-09-06T12:25:00.000-07:002015-09-06T12:25:27.548-07:00REVIEW 'How I Live Now' by Meg Rosoff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6nLfn2m6PxU/VeyPlzrQ4OI/AAAAAAAAAdg/jGMhCjsJPZw/s1600/How%2BI%2BLive%2BNow%2Bby%2BMeg%2BRosoff%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6nLfn2m6PxU/VeyPlzrQ4OI/AAAAAAAAAdg/jGMhCjsJPZw/s400/How%2BI%2BLive%2BNow%2Bby%2BMeg%2BRosoff%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1145519.How_I_Live_Now" target="_blank">'How I Live Now' by Meg Rosoff</a></span><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way."</i><br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘How I Live Now’ by Meg Rosoff is a dystopian novel set in the near future that follows the journey of a group of children through a world war three scenario.<br /><br />Daisy is a fifteen-year-old American girl from a broken home. Her mother died when she was young and she doesn’t get on very well with her father and step-mother. With a new baby on the way, Daisy’s father sends her off to live with her aunt and cousins in England, where he believes she will be safer from the impending war.<br /><br />Upon arriving in England, Daisy is surprised to find that her cousin Edmond, who is only fourteen, will be driving her back to their farm and that he smokes cigarettes. It turns out that her Aunt Penn is constantly engrossed in her work and barely leaves her study. Arriving back at what will be her new home, Daisy is introduced to the rest of her cousins; Isaac, Edmond’s twin brother, Osbert, the eldest at sixteen-years-old, and Piper, the youngest and only girl who is nine. Daisy finds it difficult to fit in at first, especially with her eating disorder. Life on the farm is so different from New York, quieter, slower-paced, and as Aunt Penn isn’t around much she has to grow up fast.<br /><br />Shortly after Daisy arrives, Aunt Penn has to go to Oslo, Norway for a few days for work. But while she is gone the dreaded war finally breaks out and all air travel into the UK is stopped, meaning that she can’t get home and the children will have to manage on their own. They start off by moving to the old lambing barn, and spend their days fishing, swimming and growing food. During this time Daisy becomes much closer to her cousins, particularly Edmond. But before long they are found living alone, and are split up; the boys sent to one place, and Piper and Daisy to another. ‘How I Live Now’ is the heart-wrenching tale of how Daisy and Piper survive the war-ridden country, trying to make it back to the farm and the boys.<br /><br />I saw the film adaptation of this book a few years back and I really enjoyed it. I loved the storyline, characters and whole aspect of the world it was set in. I recently found a copy of the book and fell in love with the story all over again. There are some major differences between the book and the film, but the general story is the same and both are fantastic!<br /><br />I adore Daisy as a character. She is quite withdrawn and finds it difficult to trust, which makes it all the more heart-breaking when she falls so in love with her cousins, then has them torn away from her. Piper is also an amazing character. She’s just so unbelievably cute!<br /><br />I love the story and the journey that these characters went on. The world war three scenario is so scarily realistic that it’s not difficult to imagine yourself in Daisy’s shoes. I think the thing that makes it so real is that this could happen at any time. But I found it wonderful that the story centered so tightly around this group of children and that we saw it entirely through Daisy’s eyes. The only information the reader gets comes from her, which is most apparent when they refer to the Enemy. They don’t know who it is or what the war is even really about and the reader is just as in the dark as the characters, but this works so well with the idea and writing style, and is just perfect.<br /><br />Meg Rosoff’s style of writing is so unique. I really like how it is written almost like Daisy’s diary, and how it is prose all the way through. In fact, until part two near the end I don’t think there is a single speech mark, which is unusual but it works incredibly well. The language is so conversational and very easy to read.<br /><br />I’ll definitely be reading more of Meg’s books in the future!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Live-Now-Meg-Rosoff/dp/0141318015/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441567416&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=how+i+live+now" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Now-Meg-Rosoff/dp/0553376055/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441567387&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=how+i+live+now" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/How-I-Live-Now-Meg-Rosoff/9780553376050" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/How-I-Live-Now-Audiobook/B002V8N290/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1441567256&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Audible.com</a><br /><br /><b>Follow Meg Rosoff on:</b><br /><a href="http://megrosoff.co.uk/" target="_blank">megrosoff.co.uk</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/megrosoff" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/93575.Meg_Rosoff" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-8023938540210094252015-09-02T05:09:00.002-07:002015-09-02T05:09:54.927-07:00REVIEW 'Penetrated on Ponetown' & 'Boned on Bluecreek' by Moxie Darling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JXVFcfS242g/Vebjk0-6FyI/AAAAAAAAAdE/BFhC2KdtW3E/s1600/25433954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JXVFcfS242g/Vebjk0-6FyI/AAAAAAAAAdE/BFhC2KdtW3E/s320/25433954.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25433954-penetrated-on-ponetown?ac=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">'Penetrated on Ponetown' by Moxie Darling</span></a><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"On a mission to bring the love of literacy to impoverished rural children, Clover Willoughby finds herself stranded on a dry, dusty West Virginia back road. Out of gas, out of service, and out of patience, she starts walking. When she stumbles across a quaint cabin in the woods, she's relieved at her good fortune. Her relief turns to trepidation—and anticipation—when the rough, crude mountain man living there offers to assist her . . . for a price. And he's not interested in money.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>(Disclaimer: this novella is for adults only. It contains explicit sex scenes, rough sex, ménage situations, sex with strangers, and taboo elements that some might find offensive.)"</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oB5iu5ZwVlk/VebkHMneSjI/AAAAAAAAAdM/-R0QfkG6sqY/s1600/26034773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oB5iu5ZwVlk/VebkHMneSjI/AAAAAAAAAdM/-R0QfkG6sqY/s320/26034773.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26034773-boned-on-bluecreek" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">'Boned on Bluecreek' by Moxie Darling</span></a><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"When Willow Spencer receives an intriguing letter from her best friend, she heads to West Virginia with only a suitcase and a lust for adventure. Agreeing to live with a man you’ve never met and be nanny to his three children is a little dangerous and a lot of crazy. In other words? Just what she needs. A wild child at heart, Willow leaves life as she knows it behind without a backwards glance. But when she arrives at the rundown trailer deep in backwoods territory and meets the rough, practically mute mountain man who seems immune to her flirtatious charm, she begins to doubt her decision and her sanity.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>(Disclaimer: this novella is for adults only. It contains explicit sex scenes, rough sex, sex with strangers, and sexual situations some might find offensive.)"</i><br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i>THIS REVIEW IS FOR BOTH NOVELLAS<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">4****</span><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Penetrated on Ponetown’ and ‘Boned on Bluecreek’ are two erotic novellas by Moxie Darling. I don’t usually read anything in this genre, but Moxie was kind enough to send me e-copies of her novellas to read and review.<br /><br />‘Penetrated on Ponetown’ begins with Clover Willoughby, a girl in her twenties, travelling on the back roads of West Virginia trying to find the Barlow’s house to teach Mr Barlow’s three young children to read as part of her library’s Rural Literacy Outreach program. But Clover soon finds herself out of gas in the middle of nowhere. She sets out on foot to try and find some signs of civilisation, and after a mile and a half she comes across a long, winding driveway which leads to a small cabin. Unfortunately the men who live there, Jim and his son Eustace, don’t have any electricity, so no phone for her to call for help, but do have gas for her car. They aren’t interested in conventional payment, however. They want Clover. Jim especially wants her for his son, who has never been with a woman. Clover, being from a hippie commune, in unabashed by sex and agrees to stay with them for a week, pleasuring both men. But she begins to develop feelings for the young, awkward Eustace and isn’t sure she’ll want to leave once the week is up…<br /><br />‘Boned on Bluecreek’ takes place a little while after. Clover’s friend, Willow Spencer, is driving to her new workplace where she is to be nanny to the widowed Teddy Barlow’s three children. Upon arriving she sees that the Barlow’s house is little more than an old trailer in a state of disrepair. Teddy, a mechanic, isn’t Willow’s usual type but when she meets him she is very taken with his rough exterior and intimidating personality. Willow decides to make it her mission to help Teddy get over his late wife by offering her body to him. Teddy is rather reluctant however, but the more time she spends with him, Willow whittles him down and gets to know the man underneath the cold exterior.<br /><br />As I mentioned before, I don’t normally read this genre so I didn’t really know that to expect (other than the obvious!) I have to say though that I really enjoyed both stories!<br /><br />These novellas very well written and I found myself well and truly wrapped up in the stories of these two young girls. Clover and Willow were very interesting characters, both coming from a hippie commune they were very free with their bodies, but what I found most interesting was how they came to really care for the men and even fall in love.<br /><br />Both books were very good, quick reads for adults and I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun summer read. Thank you Moxie!<br /><br /><br />I would give both books 4 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penetrated-Ponetown-Back-Roads-Book-ebook/dp/B00WL0BJFM/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Amazon UK (PoP)</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Boned-Bluecreek-Back-Roads-Book-ebook/dp/B0132D4CZA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441195632&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=moxie+darling" target="_blank">Amazon UK (BoB)</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Penetrated-Ponetown-Back-Roads-Book-ebook/dp/B00WL0BJFM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441195574&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=moxie+darling" target="_blank">Amazon US (PoP)</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boned-Bluecreek-Back-Roads-Book-ebook/dp/B0132D4CZA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441195574&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=moxie+darling&amp;pebp=1441195575809&amp;perid=188R8HF4J771FP5TZ8H2" target="_blank">Amazon US (BoB)</a><br /><br /><b>Follow Moxie Darling on:</b><br /><a href="http://moxiedarling.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">moxiedarling.blogspot.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MoxieErotica" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moxie-Darling/359793394225991?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13810475.Moxie_Darling" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-22336762816861640302015-08-29T10:45:00.000-07:002015-08-29T10:45:20.347-07:00REVIEW 'Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams' by Sue Watson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-buoNnBnnH98/VeHstp3jl_I/AAAAAAAAAc0/nf6SGrUy5vc/s1600/Summer%2BFlings%2Band%2BDancing%2BDreams%2Bby%2BSue%2BWatson%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-buoNnBnnH98/VeHstp3jl_I/AAAAAAAAAc0/nf6SGrUy5vc/s400/Summer%2BFlings%2Band%2BDancing%2BDreams%2Bby%2BSue%2BWatson%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25796397-summer-flings-and-dancing-dreams" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">'Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams' by Sue Watson</span></a><br /><br /><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Dance like nobody’s watching. Love like you’ll never get hurt…</i><br /><i>Laura Watkin's heart isn’t broken, she’s just forgotten how to use it. After years on her own, the highlight of single mum Laura's week is watching Strictly Come Dancing with a glass of Pinot Grigio and a large helping of imagination.</i><br /><i>With her daughter Sophie going travelling, Laura knows the time is right to do something for herself for a change. One disastrous Zumba class later and Laura ends up at the feet (literally) of gorgeous dance instructor Tony Hernandez.</i><br /><i>A natural dancer and inspiring teacher, Tony rekindles in Laura a passion she inherited from her ballroom dancer father – and with it comes a dream… to make him proud.</i><br /><i>But when Tony enters them to perform at the National Dance Festival, can Laura’s new-found confidence survive the test? And with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn Flamenco in Spain, could Laura truly learn to dance like nobody's watching… and love like she’ll never get hurt?"</i><br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><span style="font-size: large;">4****</span><br /><br />Hey Elementareaders!<br /><br />‘Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams’ by Sue Watson is a fun and light-hearted romantic comedy. I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program, very kindly signed by Sue herself!<br /><br />Laura is a forty-something single mum from Manchester who lives her life working in a supermarket and watching TV. She’s content with her life until her daughter, Sophie, bluntly tells Laura that she doesn’t want to end up like her, single and stuck in a dead end job with her only pleasure coming from watching <i>Strictly Come Dancing</i> and imagining herself on the dance floor.<br /><br />Six months later Sophie is travelling abroad and Laura is still in her same routine. But the chat with her daughter has been a wake-up call and when Laura’s friend Carole invites her to a Zumba class, she says yes. It turns out Zumba isn’t really her thing, but after one disastrous class she meets a handsome stranger inviting her to his dance class – Latin and Ballroom. &nbsp;Laura’s parents were Ballroom champions in their day and it seems that Laura has picked up on some of their rhythm and flair. She’s a natural, and when she gets the chance to learn the flamenco in Spain (her late dad’s dream) she jumps at the chance. Suddenly Laura’s life is filled with dancing and she’s never been happier!<br /><br />This was such a lovely book! I did find it a little slow at the beginning, but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. Laura is just your typical forty-something singleton in a dead end job and she is so passionate about dance. She proves that anyone, any age can achieve their dreams, which I think is a lovely sentiment.<br /><br />The book’s motto ‘Dance like Nobody’s Watching’ has always been one of my favourite quotes. I love the idea that you should do whatever makes you feel good regardless of whoever’s watching and judging. Suffering from social anxiety, this is a motto that I find difficult to put into practice, but I still think it's such a wonderful idea.<br /><br />This is such a feel-good book and it made me laugh, smile (and occasionally cry) all the way through. Laura is so passionate that it made me want to get up and dance myself. I LOVE Tony. He’s the best friend that everyone wants, and Laura was lucky enough to find.<br /><br />This was a really great book and I’ll be looking out for more of Sue’s novels in the future!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 4 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Flings-Dancing-Dreams-Watson/dp/1910751189/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1440870149&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=summer+flings+and+dancing+dreams" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Flings-Dancing-Dreams-hilariously/dp/1910751189/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1440870124&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=summer+flings+and+dancing+dreams" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Summer-Flings-Dancing-Dreams-Sue-Watson/9781910751183" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><br /><b>Follow Sue Watson on:</b><br /><a href="http://suewatsonbooks.com/" target="_blank">suewatsonbooks.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/suewatsonwriter" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/567988.Sue_Watson" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-16965962843615987642015-08-25T11:04:00.001-07:002015-08-25T11:04:10.329-07:00REVIEW 'You Have to Stop This' by Pseudonymous Bosch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5VtJ6ORKgk/Vdyqxm-jfGI/AAAAAAAAAcc/Nh6WJglj04k/s1600/You%2BHave%2Bto%2BStop%2BThis%2Bby%2BPseudonymous%2BBosch%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5VtJ6ORKgk/Vdyqxm-jfGI/AAAAAAAAAcc/Nh6WJglj04k/s400/You%2BHave%2Bto%2BStop%2BThis%2Bby%2BPseudonymous%2BBosch%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13179951-you-have-to-stop-this-pseudonymous-bosch" target="_blank">'You Have to Stop This' by Pseudonymous Bosch <i>(Secrets Series #5)</i></a></span><br /><i><br /></i><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"The finale to the New York Times bestselling Secret Series!&nbsp;</i><br /><i>I always feared this day would come. A secret is meant to stay secret, after all. And now we've come to this: the fifth and final (I swear!) book in my saga of secrets.&nbsp;</i><br /><i>A class trip to the local natural history museum turns dangerous when Cass accidentally breaks a finger off a priceless mummy. This "crime" of vandalism leads her and her friends Max-Earnest and Yo-Yoji on an expedition into a land of majestic pyramids, dusty tombs, and the walking dead. Is it Egypt? Or somewhere much stranger..."</i><br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i>5*****<br /><br />THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST FOUR BOOKS IN THIS SERIES. Click on the links to read my reviews of <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/review-name-of-this-book-is-secret-by.html" target="_blank">‘The Name of This Book is Secret’</a>, <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/review-if-youre-reading-this-its-too.html" target="_blank">‘If You’re Reading This, it’s Too Late’</a>, <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/review-this-book-is-not-good-for-you-by.html" target="_blank">‘This Book is Not Good for You’</a> and <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/review-this-isnt-what-it-looks-like-by.html" target="_blank">‘This Isn’t What it Looks Like’</a>.<br /><br /><br />Hello Elementareaders!<br /><br />'You Have to Stop This' is the fifth and final book in the middle-grade 'Secrets' series by Pseudonymous Bosch. This series follows the adventures of Cass, Max-Ernest and Yo-Yogi, three young members of the Terces Society, as they try to keep the dangerous Secret safe from the evil Midnight Sun.<br /><br />At the end of the previous book Cass comes back from her trip into the past still none the wiser about what the Secret is. But she does know that Lord Pharaoh had got his hands of some of Senor Hugo's time-travel-chocolate and has followed her back into the present. Cass has to discover the Secret before Lord Pharaoh does, and the answer may just be at a new exhibit in the museum.<br /><br />Cass unexpectedly receives a large trunk in the mail from none other than her ancestor, the Jester, himself. In the trunk, amongst the gold and jewels from the bandits thieving days, she finds a piece of papyrus with the Secret written on in hieroglyphics. But before Cass has a chance to decipher it, the papyrus disintegrates from old age. This leads Cass on a journey to try and translate the hieroglyphs from memory, with the help of Max-Ernest who cannot know the true reason. Cass also finds an ibis ring in the trunk, which will become very useful in her discovery of the Secret.<br /><br />A new museum exhibit, a mummy from ancient Egypt, turns out to be the remains of Dr Amun, the man who discovered the Secret in the first place. To find it out herself, Cass must place the ibis ring on the mummy, but before she gets a chance the mummy is stolen. This leads Cass, Max-Ernest and Yo-Yogi on and epic trip to Las Vegas, where they must defeat Lord Pharaoh himself…<br /><br />The next instalment in this series certainly didn't disappoint! The plot of this book was so fast-paced and the action is non-stop so it was so easy and fun to read. I really like this authors writing style. It's very conversational and the little footnotes are very fun (and informative!)<br /><br />I love the characters, especially Cass. It's been great to see her grow up throughout this series. Max-Ernest's character development has also been a joy to read, and I particularly enjoyed his (final) graduation speech.<br /><br />This is a really great series that I think both children and adults will enjoy, and I'll definitely be looking out for more of Pseudonymous Bosch's books in the future (assuming he is still writing under that name! :p)<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Have-Stop-This-Secret/dp/1409583864/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1440525810&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=You+Have+to+Stop+This" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-Have-Stop-This-Secret/dp/0316076279/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1440525798&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=You+Have+to+Stop+This" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/You-Have-Stop-This-Pseudonymous-Bosch/9780316076272" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> (free shipping worldwide!)<br /><br /><b>Follow Pseudonymous Bosch on:</b><br /><a href="http://thenameofthiswebsiteissecret.com/" target="_blank">thenameofthiswebsiteissecret.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/isthisPBosch" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/543080.Pseudonymous_Bosch" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-72716830531480222692015-08-24T09:57:00.002-07:002015-08-24T09:57:54.853-07:00REVIEW 'This Isn't What it Looks Like' by Pseudonymous Bosch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Smg9VZx8XIo/VdsNGtkE07I/AAAAAAAAAcE/GMpWZhWR6ZI/s1600/This%2BIsn%2527t%2BWhat%2Bit%2BLooks%2BLike%2Bby%2BPseudonymous%2BBosch%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Smg9VZx8XIo/VdsNGtkE07I/AAAAAAAAAcE/GMpWZhWR6ZI/s400/This%2BIsn%2527t%2BWhat%2Bit%2BLooks%2BLike%2Bby%2BPseudonymous%2BBosch%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10790443-this-isn-t-what-it-looks-like" target="_blank">'This Isn't What it Looks Like' by Pseudonymous Bosch <i>(Secrets Series #4)</i></a></span><br /><i><br /></i><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Cass may be in grave danger. She's eaten the dreaded Time Travel Chocolate--and you know what that means. I won't even begin to tell you what trouble this delicacy has caused in the past. If only Cass could leave the past behind! But it appears she is literally stuck in it.&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Meanwhile, Max-Ernest is worried for his best friend. Can our expert hypochondriac diagnose Cass's condition before it's too late? And will he have what it takes to save the survivalist?&nbsp;</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>For Max-Ernest, it's a race against time; for Cass, a race through it. For the rest of you, well, it's a race to find out what happens next, of course. But proceed with caution, and be sure to read carefully because...this isn't what it looks like."</i><br /><i><br /></i><br />5*****<br /><br />THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST THREE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES. Click on the links to read my reviews for <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/review-name-of-this-book-is-secret-by.html" target="_blank">‘The Name of This Book is Secret’</a>, <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/review-if-youre-reading-this-its-too.html" target="_blank">‘If You’re Reading This, it’s Too Late’</a> and <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/review-this-book-is-not-good-for-you-by.html" target="_blank">‘This Book is Not Good for You’</a><br /><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />'This Isn’t What it Looks Like' is the fourth book in the middle-grade ‘Secret Series’ by Pseudonymous Bosch. These books follow the adventures of three young members of the Terces Society, a secret organisation whose job it is to keep the Secret (to immortality) from getting into the wrong hands. On three previous occasions these children, Cassandra, Max-Ernest and Yo-Yogi, have thwarted the evil Midnight Sun's plans and kept the Secret safe.<br /><br />At the end of the previous book Cass has discovered that she is a decedent from the Jester, the original founder of the Terces Society, and that she is the Secret-Keeper. The only problem is, she doesn’t actually know the Secret. With the remains of Senor Hugo's extra strong time-travel-chocolate, Cass has gone back to medieval times to meet the Jester and find out what the Secret is.<br />Unfortunately for Cass, while her mind is in the past her body is still very much in the present and the adults believe she has fallen into a coma. She is in the hospital's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and her distraught mother is unwilling to let Max-Ernest visit. The couple of times Max-Ernest has been close enough to Cass to try and give her the antidote and bring her back, it hasn’t worked.<br /><br />Meanwhile Cass meets a seer also named Cassandra who gives her some advice, and a useful double monocle which allows her to see far away and through solid objects. But the evil alchemist, and founder of the Midnight Sun, Lord Pharaoh finds Cass while she is searching for the Jester and ends up locking her in a cell with her ancestor. In the process he steals the double monocle and the last remaining piece of the time-travel-chocolate. Cass has now found what she was looking for, but will the Jester be able to help her uncover the Secret? And can Max-Ernest wake Cass up before it is too late?<br /><br />This really is such a great adventure series for both kids and adults alike! These books are a fantastic mix of mystery, action and adventure with a little time-travel and alchemy thrown in. The characters are fantastic and I especially like Cass, the survivalist, and Owen, the master of disguise.<br /><br />There were some great new characters introduced in this book too. I LOVED the Jester and Anastasia is a brilliant bad-ass bandit. Mr Cabbage Face, the homunculus for book two also makes a brief, but memorable appearance as his past-self. Ms Mauvais and Dr L don’t play such a big part in the book, but in their place we meet the horribly evil Lord Pharaoh.<br /><br />The story was so fast-paced and well written. I really enjoy this authors writing style, and I love the little footnotes and appendices. This book also has a fantastic little author interview at the back which was a fun read.<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><br /><br /><b>Places to buy:</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-isnt-What-Looks-Like/dp/1409583856/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1440435410&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=This+Isn%27t+What+It+Looks+Like" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/This-Isnt-What-Looks-Secret/dp/0316076244/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1440435392&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=This+Isn%27t+What+It+Looks+Like" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/This-Isnt-What-It-Looks-Like-Pseudonymous-Bosch/9780316076241" target="_blank">The Book Depository </a>(free shipping worldwide!)<br /><br /><b>Follow Pseudonymous Bosch on:</b><br /><a href="http://thenameofthiswebsiteissecret.com/" target="_blank">thenameofthiswebsiteissecret.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/isthisPBosch" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/543080.Pseudonymous_Bosch" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4491449165302800957.post-10906936841169992712015-08-23T05:28:00.000-07:002015-08-23T05:28:40.257-07:00REVIEW 'This Book is Not Good for You' by Pseudonymous Bosch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-akuHfhxM5z0/Vdm5ijEruTI/AAAAAAAAAb0/2KP9l1KBdXI/s1600/This%2BBook%2Bis%2BNot%2BGood%2Bfor%2BYou%2Bby%2BPseudonymous%2BBosch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-akuHfhxM5z0/Vdm5ijEruTI/AAAAAAAAAb0/2KP9l1KBdXI/s400/This%2BBook%2Bis%2BNot%2BGood%2Bfor%2BYou%2Bby%2BPseudonymous%2BBosch.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6854879-this-book-is-not-good-for-you" target="_blank">'This Book is Not Good for You' by Pseudonymous Bosch <i>(Secrets Series #3)</i></a></span><br /><i><br /></i><b>Goodreads Synopsis:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i>"Cass, Max-Ernest and Yo-Yoji, the youngest members of the top-secret Terces Society, have been given a crucial mission: to track down a cursed Aztec tuning fork that has the power to recreate any flavour the user has ever tasted."</i><br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><span style="font-size: large;">5*****</span><br /><br />THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THIS SERIES. CLICK THE LINKS TO FIND MY REVIEWS OF <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/review-name-of-this-book-is-secret-by.html" target="_blank">‘The Name of This Book is Secret’</a> and <a href="http://elementaread.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/review-if-youre-reading-this-its-too.html" target="_blank">‘If You’re Reading This, It’s too Late’</a><br /><br /><br />Hi Elementareaders!<br /><br />'This Book is Not Good for You' is the third book in the young adult 'Secrets Series' by Pseudonymous Bosch. This review will probably contain spoilers for the first two books in this series, so check out the links above if you want to read my reviews for those first.<br /><br />The previous book ended with Cass, Max-Ernest and their new friend &nbsp;Yo-Yogi, once again thwarting the plans of the Midnight Sun and keeping the Secret safe. This book picks up a little while later. Cass is working in her grandfather's old-firehouse-turned-junk-shop with the sole purpose of trying to find the box in which she was left on their doorstep as a baby, to try and find out more about where she came from. Instead they find a magazine inside a box of recent donations, and are shocked to see the teen pop star twins Romi and Montana Skelton, members of the evil Midnight Sun, on the front cover. The article inside says that they are visiting the 'Loving Heart Orphanage' (and chocolate plantation) in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. The friends are even more shocked to see that the 'nun' running the orphanage is none other than Ms Mauvais, leader of the Midnight Sun.<br /><br />Cass and Max-Ernest are eager to tell Pietro, head of the Terces Society, about their find, and Pietro immediately dispatches a team out to Côte d'Ivoire to track them down. The Terces Society believe that the Midnight Sun are after the legendary 'Turning Fork', a piece of cutlery that <b>“has the power to stir into being any taste in the world – as long as the eater has tasted it before.”</b> <i>(Chapter 4, Pg 61).</i><br /><i><br /></i>Seemingly unrelated, Cass and her mother are taking part in a cookery course taught by the famous blind chef, Senor Hugo. Cass accidentally lets slip that she knows about the Turning Fork and suddenly finds herself, he mother, Max-Ernest and Yo-Yogi invited to Senor Hugo's restaurant. The restaurant is unusual, however, as it is completely in the dark so the diners can use their other senses more when tasting the food. But during the meal Cass's mother is kidnapped, and Cass is given 48 hours to find the Turning Fork and bring it to Senor Hugo.<br /><br />This leads to an epic search, and an adventure that will take them right into the heart of the Midnight Sun's chocolate plantation. But what does chocolate have to do with the Secret? And can Cass save her mother and defeat the Midnight Sun again?<br /><br />This series just keeps getting better! There was so much more character development for Cass in this book and I’m as excited as she is to find out more about her mysterious past, and her ancestors. Like the previous two, this book was very fast-paced and difficult to put down.<br /><br />This is such a great series of both kids and adults who love adventure stories. I have the final two books on order from my local library and I'm looking forward to reading them!<br /><br /><br />I would give this book 5 stars :)<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Places to buy:</b></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Book-Not-Good-You/dp/1409583848/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1440332873&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=This+Book+Is+Not+Good+For+You" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/This-Book-Not-Good-Secret/dp/0316040851/ref=bseries_primary_1_0316040851" target="_blank">Amazon US</a></div><div><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/This-Book-is-Not-Good-for-You-Pseudonymous-Bosch/9781409506317" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Follow Pseudonymous Bosch on:</b></div><div><a href="http://thenameofthiswebsiteissecret.com/" target="_blank">thenameofthiswebsiteissecret.com</a></div><div><a href="https://twitter.com/isthisPBosch" target="_blank">Twitter</a></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/543080.Pseudonymous_Bosch" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></div>Elementareadhttps://plus.google.com/116828260444633285388noreply@blogger.com0
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