Showing posts with label 5-star review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5-star review. Show all posts

Saturday, 9 August 2014

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss, #2)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the negihborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.





Another great read from Stephanie Perkins!
Lola and the Boy Next Door, like Anna, was such a quick read and it fills you up with the excitement of love and friendship and of course, the fictional boy to die for.

I loved Lola, her individuality and her passion for creating quirky costumes.
CRICKET BELL OH MY LORD.
He is such a nice and genuine guy! What I love about this story is that it isn't a "girl loves boy, girl gets hurt" and it shows that guys can be hurt too.

The plot was amazing and I loved the pacing and the ending...so perfect.

Reasons to love Cricket Bell:
*He's tall
*He's nerdy
*His bar soap smell
*His hair
*His gentleness and politeness
*His name

I do prefer Anna&the French Kiss a tad bit more but this book is still epic.
READREADREAD NOW.

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Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas



My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."


From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.






OMGOMGOMGOGMOGMGKG
I have just finished it and I CANNOT THINK CLEARLY RIGHT NOW.

-A few hours after (once I've had time to learn how to function normally again) -

What can I say about this book? How do I even think about it without feeling the feels?



I loved Throne of Glass. I was captivated by the world, the concept, the kick ass female protagonist. It was a great read, though I expected it to be a lot more fast paced.

Crown of Midnight gave me that. And so much more.

First, let's talk plot (view spoiler)
During the first half of the book, Celaena learns a lot about the king, the rebellion and other affairs going on outside of the castle walls.
Then, we reach the halfway point and


It takes off like a rocket
When Chaol was captured I couldn't breathe. There was that feeling lurking inside me that he was going to die. But then Celaena came with her bad-assery and saved him.


AND THEN NEHEMIA DIES.

To top off that, Celaena tries to kill Chaol.
You know, just a little trouble in paradise. Thank the lord for Dorian's magic, WHICH I DID NOT EXPECT HIM TO HAVE AT ALL.

Can we please talk about what happened behind the secret door in Celaena's room. The whole thing with the portal and Nehemia and that creature! Then Chaol comes with Dorian. And then there is that possibility of a major death, again. Then Fleetfootwent into the portal and Chaol runs after him. So does Celaena. I THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL GOING TO FRICKING DIE
Wyrd save me.

I also loved the wyrdkeys aspect of this book, and Celaena's journey to figure out the riddle, find the poem and the first key. It added so much to the story!

THE CHARACTERS
CHAOL. GODDAMN CHAOL WESTFALL. MARRY ME.

His character devolopment in this book. Holy mackerels.
He opened so many doors into his past, his feelings, his personality.

Celaena was even more bad ass and amazing in this book. The way she killed and fought for herself and those she loved. However, even though she is pretty amazing, she does have flaws and vulnerabilities. It was great to see them a lot more in this book. I think it reminded people that Celaena is as fragile as the rest of them. That she is also in danger.

Dorian! Sweet Dorian. It killed me to see him trying so hard to let go of Celaena and to try and not be jealous of what she had with Chaol. He helped her when she needed him the most, despite the hurt he's been though. I may be shipping Chaolaena but it doesn't mean I don't love Dorian, too!:(

TALKING ABOUT CHAOLAENA. OH MY DEAR LORD.
THE BDAY DINNER. THE KISS. THE BED STUFF.









DAT ENDING. Crap.
I wasn't expecting it. Celaena Fae. Chaol sending her to Wendlyn. Their goodbyes.Chaol telling her he loves her. Celaena telling him it will always be him. Chaol figuring out who she really is: the Queen of Terrasen.













To summarise: this book is amazing and it will blow your eyebrows off. Heir of Fire, come to me
View all my reviews

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

A Walk to Remember


Every April, when the wind blows from the sea and mingles with the scent of lilacs, Landon Carter remembers his last year at Beaufort High. It was 1958, and Landon had already dated a girl or two. He even swore that he had once been in love. Certainly the last person in town he thought he'd fall for was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's Baptist minister. 


A quiet girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks, Jamie seemed content living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. No boy had ever asked her out. Landon would never have dreamed of it. 

Then a twist of fate made Jamie his partner for the homecoming dance, and Landon Carter's life would never be the same. Being with Jamie would show him the depths of the human heart and lead him to a decision so stunning it would send him irrevocably on the road to manhood...






A Walk to Remember is a story about how strong love is and how much influence a single person can have on you. It's also a journey of hope, faith, learning and miracles.

My friends started hyping about the movie and I had seen the cover many times on IMBD suggestions and such, but never really felt inclined to watch it.

But when I did. Oh my god. One of the best movies I've ever seen.
I watched the film twice in one sitting. That's how good it was.
Anyway, I found out that it was a novel my Nicholas. I'd tried to read Dear John before and I just couldnt get into it. HOWEVER, this book took, me a day and a half to read. I just couldn't stop thinking about the story and I couldn't stop reading it.
The movie adaptation had some really cute aspects added to it that I wished could have been in the book like Jamie's bucket list and the kiss in the play.
But the book had so many beautiful quotes that weren't in the film. Both were perfect.
I just, ahh. Jamdon feeeelss♥♡
The strenght of true love, faith and hope were overwhelming in this book and I cry every time I watch the film and I cried whilst reading the book.
I think I should get to bed, schol tomorrow oopsss.
Read it if you like sad stories and romance (no cheesy love triangles). Heck, read it if you hate reading. You need to.

View all my reviews

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins



My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1)Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 


But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?









This book is like waffles covered with melted chocolate and strawberries and a scoop of ice cream on the side.

I ADORED this book and it is the perfect contemporary romance.

Steph's writing is beautiful and I couldn't stop reading.
The story itself was cute, really well paced and so fun to read!

CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT ETIENNE ST CLAIR?!


Reasons to love St. Clair:

*funny
*cute
*hot
*American with a British accent and a French name
*those hands
*that smile
*those huge brown eyes
&infinite more reasons

I really liked Anna as the narrator and protagonist of the story and I also loved the other characters: Josh, Mer and Rash.


It is also set in Paris, where I went last week, and being able to relate to the references just made the experience even more magical.


This story captures love at its finest


View all my reviews

Friday, 27 September 2013

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare / Book Review

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare

☞ SPOILERS ☜ 




Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, ParanormalSource: Own - hardcover








Summary: "Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.


Tessa Gray should be happy – aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shaodwhunters of the London Institute. 



A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. "





✰ REVIEW ✰



“We live and breathe words. .... It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them."
-Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess



When I started out on booktube, Cassandra Clare's books were always recommended to me so I bought The Mortal Instruments series, which I loved so much. Then I found out about The Infernal Devices and though I was very excited to read this prequel series, I initially thought that it cannot be better than TMI. 
Boy was I wrong.



▪PLOT, SETTING AND TMI CONNECTIONS▪


Whilst TMI books were very fast paced and action packed, TID is a much slower series, with action scenes scattered sparingly throughout the three books. However, I did not find this a disadvantage as it leaves more space for character-reader connections, character relationships, and background information.

I love, love, love the setting of this book! I, myself, live in England and to read about it from an earlier time period is so interesting and fun. Hearing names of places  that I've personally visited - such as Tenby in Wales - is really exciting. Also, the way the Shadow world is executed in this series was a lot clearer than the way it was done in TMI. Having said this, there is very little explanation about Idris and other aspects of the Shadowhunter history. 

There are many plot twists and surprises in this book including Jem becoming part of the Brotherhood and Tessa changing into angel Ithuriel (which if you have forgotten, is the angel that Valentine locked up in TMI) and these had such huge impacts on me and kept me reading all through to the early hours. 

Having mentioned angel Ithuriel, I have to credit Cassie for her connection of the two series: TMI and TID. From little to connections such as the white, star shaped mark Tessa's clockwork angel left on Will (later on appearing on Jace in TMI as he is a descendant of Will and Tessa) to big connections such as the portal being made by Henry and Magnus (which was annoyingly altered in the movie).  
There is no way magic was not involved whilst writing this series.


FAVORITE PARTS:

  • Battle with Mortmain
  • Magnus walking into Will and Tessa 







  • Consul dying.
  • Jessamine's fairwells
  • The creation of the Portal
  • "Oh him," he said. "This is Cecily's friend, Mr. Gabriel Lightworm."





▪CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS▪


My heart ached for the characters and I understood why they decided to do what they did - even the villains. Except Mortmain, of course.
Charlotte and Henry are so perfect for each other and I love the fact that men are not always the stronger ones in a relationship. In CP2, you could really tell that Charlotte and Henry loved each other and I just love their relationship.
Cecily reminded me a lot of Isabelle - the way she fought and how proud she was to be a shadowhunter. I loved her kick ass decisions and I was so happy that her and Gabriel's relationship worked out. 
Sophie and Bridget were very loyal and also bad ass characters and when Sophie ascended it brought tears to my eyes because that was what she had always wanted but felt that she could not ask for more than she was already getting. Charlotte and Sophie were very close and they felt almost like sisters; another great minor relationship Cassie decided to incorporate. 
Magnus. Magnus fricking Bane. Was he awesome or was he awesome. Loved how sophisticated he was and also how close he was to the shadowhunters. As glamorous as ever, Mr Bane;)
Jessamine! Her death was such a tear jerker. I missed her character throughout the rest of the book and kept imagining what she would have thought of Cecily and the Lightwood brothers.
Mortmain, Mrs Black and the automatons were so creepy. That's all there is to say.

So now let's move on to our amazing trio. These three characters are just amazing and I cannot imagine the book being written with any other character in their place.
Tessa. Will. Jem.
Will. Jem. Tessa.
Jem. Tessa Will.

Unlike the Twilight Saga or THG, I could not side with any of the love interests. The love triangle in this books is so unique. Those of you who hate love triangles will definitely not hate this one!
I loved Will as much as I loved Jem and vice versa. I wanted the best for both of them and I thought it was impossible and only one could be with Tessa. 
Jem was a darling. He was sweet and caring and reminded me a lot of Peeta (minus silver hair). I now have a slight obsession with learning Mandarin now! 
Will was snarky and cheeky but also very loving an vulnerable inside! After reading this series, Will has suddenly become the most sexy name on the planet. 
Their relationship with Tessa were both unique and they both had different connections to her.
Will through books. Jem through music.

"Wo ai ni." - Jem, Clockwork Princess

"Marry me and stay with me and never leave me, for I cannot bear another day of my life to go by that does not have you in it." - Will, Clockwork Princess

My favorite relationship in this book is actually the Jem-Will parabatai relationship. I cried a LOT during their scenes together!


"If there is a life after this one, let me meet you in it, James Carstairs." - Will, Clockwork Princess


"The world is a wheel. When we rise or fall, we do it together."
"Wherever we are, we are as one" - Jem, Clockwork Princess  



▪THE END▪


THE EPILOGUE. WHO EXPECTED THAT?

My heart after:




The epilogue was beautiful.
The epilogue was heartbreaking.
The epilogue was phenomenal.

The series could not have ended in any other way. Will had lived and died with Tessa by his side. A cure for Jem had been found, therefore enabling him to be freed from the Brotherhood, allowing him to finally be with Tessa after over a century of meeting up annually on Blackfriar's Bridge (which actually still exists now). 

The ending just blew me away and made me cry, laugh, smile and die all at the same time.
THE FEELS. THE FEELS.




"Come with me. Stay with me. Be with me. See everything with me. I have traveled the world and seen so much, but there is so much more, and no one I would go rather see it with than you. I would go everywhere and anywhere with you, Jem Carstairs." - Tessa Clockwork Princess 




Overall, Clockwork Princess was truly amazing and I enjoyed everything about it. It was sad, humorous, quirky, amazing and you are left speechless afterwards.
The characters and the story will remain forever in my heart and I wish I could somehow bring them to life so I can meet each one of them!



"Zhe shi jie shang, wo shi zui ai ne de." - Jem, Clockwork Princess 


In all the world, you are what I love the most.





RATING:✰✰✰✰✰



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