Sunday 28 February 2016

Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard

I have been desperate to read the sequel to Red Queen every since I finished reading it. Thankfully Glass Sword does not disappoint although on again the author, Victoria Aveyard has left me desperate to read the next book in the series.

Glass Sword picks up exactly where Red Queen finishes. It may be worth have a quick read through Red Queen again just to bring you back up to speed as it took me a few chapters to get back into the story. Everything is different in Glass Sword. For one we are now following the Scarlett Guard around the world rather than staying within the perimeters of the castle. We're finally visiting the places that the silvers made Mare study in book one and they’re all such fascinating, well written worlds.  

Mare changes a lot in this book and frankly it isn't for the better. I would've liked to have read more about Cal than Mare this time around as her changes irritated me at times. People seemed to forget that Cal is the exiled prince and although his blood may be silver, they want him dead just as much as Mare. I feel that at points in this book I would’ve really enjoyed reading from Cal’s point of view, I genuinely emphasised with him more in this book than Mare at times. Glass Sword has a distinct lack of Maven, so I’m very excited at the prospect of him appearing more in future books, especially from the ending of this book.

I absolutely love this series of books but in my opinion I do prefer book one, Red Queen. Although Glass Sword still made me experience every emotion that Mare did, Red Queen completely tore me apart emotionally and I just didn’t feel such emotion with this book – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an enjoyable book! If you loved Red Queen, you will still absolutely love Glass Sword and I can guarantee it will leave you with desperation to read the next book in the series. 

Synopsis -  

If there's one thing Mare Barrow knows, it's that she's different.
Mare's blood is red - the color of common folk - but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from the prince and friend who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.
Pursued by the Silver king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

Monday 22 February 2016

The Number One Rule For Girls - Rachel McIntyre

The Number One Rule For Girls tells the story of Daisy. Daisy has a great group of friends and the perfect boyfriend. Except her perfect life can’t last forever and her boyfriend moves to Spain and finds a new girlfriend. Daisy decides that she needs a fresh start so enrols in the local college instead of following her friends to sixth form. It’s at college she meets on the service perfect boyfriend, Toby who makes her question all the rules she’s ever known.

I found Daisy likeable overall. She is a bit of a twonk at times particularly when it comes to Toby. Toby in the surface seems to be the perfect boyfriend except in reality he is extremely erratic and puts Daisy's life in danger. I found myself constantly wanting to go and shake Daisy to make her see sense about Toby which is exactly what the book wants you to do. I really liked the very little bits of Matt that we see in the book too, I would've loved to have read more about him.

I’ve never read one of Rachel McIntyre’s books before but I shall certainly be checking her other book out. I absolutely loved her writing style. Throughout the book it is always focussing on Daisy’s thoughts which I loved. I think everyone can relate to her as some of the things she thinks are so unfiltered and I liked that. I also thought that the story wasn’t just a typical romance story it had a strong message weaved in. 

I read The Number One Rule For Girls insanely fast as I just enjoyed reading it. It's not my favourite book but it was a fantastic read regardless. I loved the ending and I would love to read another book about Daisy. For the £2.99 kindle price this book is certainly worth reading. 

Synopsis – 

Daisy knows a thing or two about love and romance. She’s surrounded by it – in fact, there’s no escape! Not only are her parents childhood sweethearts turned soulmates, they also run the very successful wedding agency 'Something Borrowed', helping couples to tie the knot in whatever frilly, quirky, tasteful, outrageous way they choose. So it's no surprise that Daisy has a pretty clear vision of how her life with boyfriend Matt is going to pan out.

There’s one major flaw in this plan – Matt and Daisy have split up! Determined not to brood, Daisy sets out to re-invent her life and her dreams. And that’s when Toby enters the scene, who appears to be perfect, but is turning all the Rules upside down...

An irresistible exploration of post break-up life featuring Rachel McIntyre's trademark wit and observation.

Thursday 11 February 2016

When Everything Feels Like The Movies - Raziel Reid

When Everything Feels Like The Movies tells the story of Jude aka Judy. He pretends his life is like a movie to get through the traumas of his day to day life but unfortunately his life is difficult.

Truthfully I've never read a LGBT book before but I loved the blurb so much that I knew I just had to give it a read. I didn't gel with the characters at all. Although some of the things the main character Jude goes through are truly horrendous I just didn't like him enough to care. He's a well written character I just unfortunately found it difficult to connect with him which made it a real effort at times to pick up my kindle and read more. 

I so badly wanted to like this book. I've heard so many people rave about it lately but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. A lot of discussions are happening as of late about this book which can only be a good thing with the topics that it is based around. If you read the blurb and think it sounds like your kind of book you should give it a read, I like this book is like marmite, you'll either absolutely love it or won't be fond. However, the themes around the book are simply wonderful and it's fantastic to have a book that highlights the struggles LGBT individuals have on a daily basis. 

Synopsis -

School is just like a film set: there's The Crew, who make things happen, The Extras who fill the empty desks, and The Movie Stars, whom everyone wants tagged in their Facebook photos. But Jude doesn't fit in. He's not part of The Crew because he isn't about to do anything unless it's court-appointed; he's not an Extra because nothing about him is anonymous; and he's not a Movie Star because even though everyone know his name like an A-lister, he isn't invited to the cool parties. As the director calls action, Jude is the flamer that lights the set on fire.

Before everything turns to ashes from the resulting inferno, Jude drags his best friend Angela off the casting couch and into enough melodrama to incite the paparazzi, all while trying to fend off the haters and win the heart of his favourite co-star Luke Morris. It's a total train wreck!

But train wrecks always make the front page. 

Sunday 7 February 2016

Match Me If You Can - Michele Gorman

Match Me If You Can follows the individual stories of best friends Catherine, Rachel and Sarah. All of them are having no luck in their love lives, Catherine's ex husband (and business co owner) is getting married to an extremely young woman, Rachel's office romance ended badly and Sarah hasn't had a date in years. Catherine manages to persuade them to join her dating site where you have to join with an ex partner. Can all three of them finally get their happily ever afters?   

Usually I hate books that follow different narratives but I felt that it worked very well in Match Me If You Can. All three of the characters were instantly likeable and you enjoyed reading more about all of them. I usually find you're drawn to a character more and although I preferred Rachel's chapters I still eagerly wanted to find out what happened to Catherine and Sarah too. 

Personally I thought Match Me If You Can was ever so slightly too long. At times I did find myself skim reading a few of the chapters. However, overall it was a enjoyable read and I did thoroughly enjoy the authors writing style. 

I had high hopes for this book as it the story really appealed to me when I read about it. The idea of having to join a dating site where your ex fills in a questionnaire about when you were dating is a great premise for a book. I can see some people absolutely loving this book but for me, I enjoyed reading it but it unfortunately wasn't the best book I've read. 

Synopsis - 

Three friends upcycle their exes through London’s most popular boyfriend recycling website, but haven’t bargained on the consequences of the exchanges they make.

Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Lindsey Kelk.

Meet best friends Catherine, Rachel and Sarah. Yet to find Mr Right, they’ve been settling for Mr Right Now. But when Catherine, London’s finest matchmaker, gets the girls to join her dating site where they can recycle their ex-boyfriends, they soon realise that anything could happen.
Rachel's office romance James was a big fat mistake and she's more than happy to upcycle him… Or is she? Homebody Sarah hasn't had a date in years but when her transformation finds men falling at her newly-pedicured feet, will her popularity be worth the sacrifices she’s making? And Catherine falls asleep more often on her desk than on a man, so when she builds the perfect partner who ticks all her boxes, surely it's a recipe for love . . . not disaster?

There’s someone for everyone, right? These best friends are about to find out for themselves . .