Thursday 31 July 2014

Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Released: May 13 2014
Pages: 240
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Add on Goodreads
Favourite Quote: “Always do what you're afraid to do.”

Goodreads Synopsis:
'A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE'


My Review
'We Were Liars' was an amazing and thought provoking novel. This is not a heartwarming book that makes you feel happy and warm inside. But it did make me question my choices and make me very appreciative of what I have. This is actually a very hard novel to review. Not because it was bad. But because you can't give a lot away due to spoilers. 

I went into this book not knowing too much about it. All I heard was that it had amazing reviews. And I'm really happy that was all I knew. The novel is sort of like a mystery. But the thing is, you don't really know what the mystery is until the end, and neither does the main character. 

I had my suspicions while reading the novel over what happened, but every time I thought of one, it sort of got proven to be false. Until the end. Everything comes out in the end. I read half the book in one sitting and that was because we kept getting closer and closer to what really happened and then everything came out.  I don't cry too much in books but this one made me.

The beginning of the novel was very confusing. I had no idea what was going on but I was still intrigued to find out what was happening. That was very different for me. Usually, if I get lost in the beginning of a book I want to move onto a new book. But that wasn't the case with this one. Yes I felt lost, but that didn't make me want to put down the book. If anything, it made me want to keep reading. If you do plan on reading the book and get completely lost in the first section of the book, keep reading. It'll be worth it.

I would highly recommend others to read this book. This is not your 'typical' YA novel. It deals with some serious issues in a different type of format than I'm used to. But just be aware. Do not find out more about the plot of the book. It will ruin it and won't be as enjoyable as it could have been. Mostly because, you don't really know the point of the novel until the end.

5 out of 5 stars

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Tuesday 29 July 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From

Hi everyone,
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Broke and the Bookish and this weeks theme is Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From. However as I don't particularly own a lot of book (due to the high book prices) and use the library quite often, I have decided to change this to Top Ten Authors I've Read The Most Of. So here it is, from highest to lowest


10
Suzanne Collins

9
Kiera Cass

8
Stephanie Meyer

7
Gayle Forman

6
Veronica Roth

5
Lauren Oliver

4
J.K Rowling

3
Richelle Mead

2
Rick Riordan

1
Cassandra Clare  

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Friday 25 July 2014

Review: The One by Kiera Cass

Title: The One (The Selection #3)
Author: Kiera Cass
Released: June 5 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 323 
Add on Goodreads 
Favourite Quote:“Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.”

Goodreads Synopsis
'THE SELECTION changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. Now, only one will claim Prince Maxon’s heart…

It’s swoon meets the Hunger Games in the final installment of THE SELECTION trilogy!

For the four girls who remain at the palace, the friendships they’ve formed, rivalries they’ve struggled with and dangers they’ve faced have bound them to each other for the rest of their lives.

Now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.


America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown – or to Prince Maxon’s heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realises just how much she stands to lose – and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants.

The breathtaking finale to THE SELECTION trilogy will make you swoon!'


 My Review 
Can we just stop to admire that cover. The cover was so beautiful. This has to be one of my favourite book covers.

I have never been so annoyed with a protagonist ever. Like oh my gosh, America Singer you annoy me so much. You need to make a decision and stick to it. And stop with this whole 'I'm going to tell him later'. Tell him now! It was painful to read at times cause he needed to know now not later. The whole thing could have been avoided.

Anyway, The One is actually enjoyable cause it was very fast paced even though the protagonist was so annoying. I know, that sound weird. How could you love a book if you hate the character so much? Well, for some reason I just needed to find out what would happen. And also I needed to read more about Maxon. Maxon is so adorable. I just love him. He was so patient towards America and honestly if I was him I would have kicked her out already. However, America actually wasn't as annoying as she was in the Elite. It was so nice to finally not go back and forth between the two guys (don't get me wrong, it did happen at times. Just not as often as 'The Elite'). However, America was still annoying in terms of her actions. She does not think about her actions. She is very impulsive and at first its like 'haha, oh America' but once it happens over and over again, I just wanted to throw the book and slap her.

The action part of this book happened very abruptly (I'm talking about the one in the end). All of a sudden, the story seemed to be wrapping up a bit when bam, this massive action scene occurs between the Rebels and the Palace. Although it was good to see, all we saw after the fight finished was 1 chapter plus an epilogue. I would have liked to see more about Maxon and America's new relationship after the fight, what would happen in more detail to the caste system as well and more about Celeste. We see this awesome character development for Celeste and then it just stops (view spoiler). I think it could have ended better in terms of that. However, how it did end was good, I just would have liked to see more

(view spoiler)

Overall, the story was very entertaining and even though the main character does get very annoying at times, I was still compelled to continue to read it. It was so addicitve that I finished it within 24hrs.

4.5 out of 5 Stars  

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Tuesday 22 July 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters I Would Want With Me On A Deserted Island

Today, I'm linking up with Broke and Bookish for their weekly meme 'Top Ten Tuesday' with this weeks topic being Top Ten Characters I Would Want With Me On A Deserted Island. This means, I get to list all my favourite fictional male characters and let them compete for my heart. Just kidding. Anyways, here is my response in no particular order

Four - Divergent Trilogy 
How could Four not make it on this list? He would definitely protect me from anyone who tries to hurt me and I think, he would risk his life for me. Cause after all, he's Dauntless and it's their duty protect 

Peeta - Hunger Games Trilogy
Even though he may not be the best person in the world to protect me from all the potential harmful things that may be present on an island, he does know how to make bread which could come in handy. Sure, we may not have any electricity or anything to make it, but I'm sure Four would help us make a fire so that Peeta can cook. And he's also skilled in art so, when its gets boring he can teach me some interesting art stuff

Augustus Waters - The Fault in Our Stars
Augustus would make a great companion on an island cause he knows how to make things enjoyable. He can turn being on an island out in the middle of nowhere to this awesome time cause he is the life of the party

Katniss Everdeen - Hunger Games Trilogy
Let's face it. She would be a great choice. All her Hunger Games training and experience would come into play on the island. She could help us find food as well as give us some helpful advice on how to survive

Will Herondale - The Infernal Devices Trilogy
Will, my Will. He would be able to fight all the demons that come to attack us on our island. Even if there happens to be no one, I'm sure he knows a thing or two about surviving on an island. If not, he would be great company as he loves books as much as I do 

Adam - If I Stay
Ok, so he may not really know how to survive on an island but he does know how to play his guitar. He could entertain us all by playing his guitar and playing a show for us. That would be fun   
 Annabeth Chase - Percy Jackson Series
Since I think I should have a few more girls on my list, I think Annabeth would be a great choice. She ran away from home when she was younger so she would know a thing or two about where to get food, how to entertain themselves (even if she was sort of running away from monsters). But I also think she would be a great girl to hang out with. She's friendly and caring and would look out for me if necessary

Hermione Granger - Harry Potter Series
Hermione is book smart, meaning that she would know how to survive on an island and shes done it before (when she was with Harry in The Deathly Hallows)
  

Rose Hathaway - Vampire Academy Series
Let's face it. Rose knows how to kick-ass. Shes funny, unpredictable and fun to be around. She knows how to party but also knows how to fight. So, I guess if anyone tried to attack me on my island, it'll be alright. Cause Rose is here

Tessa - Infernal Devices Series
How could I go to a desert island without a book buddy? I'm sure she would love to fangirl with me about fictional characters and even recommend me some books to read

Well, I had way to much fun with that. Let me know what your choices were below. 

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Friday 18 July 2014

REVIEW: The Elite by Kiera Cass

Title: The Elite (The Selection #2)
Author: Kiera Cass
Released: April 23 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336
Favourite Quote: “You know that you’ve found something amazing, and you want to hold on to it forever; and every second after you have it, you fear the moment you might lose it.”
Add on Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:
'The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.'



My Review
The Elite, which is the second book in The Selection Trilogy, was a very quick and addictive read. I just kept wanting to read it to find out what would happen next. The storyline was very fast - something was always happening whether it be rebel attacks or a new 'assignment' for the girls. The book never failed to entertain me. However, the protagonist America Singer was so annoying at times. I feel as though this book could have been 100 times better if it weren't for her. America is very indecisive and can't make her mind up about anything. First she chooses Maxon and then she changes her mind to Aspen and then she keeps doing this throughout the whole book. Like, pick one. I get that you are not sure but you have a lovely prince there that would do anything for you (can you tell i'm Team Maxon?). And even the decisions she does make, she doesn't think them through. And its all the time. I just wanted to slap her. She only thinks about the short term effects. She does not think about how it will affect those around her and it's very annoying. I hated when she had to make a decision because I had to brace and prepare myself for the negative repercussions because of her actions.

To be honest, in the first novel, she didn't really annoy me too much. I think it was because I was just starting the series and I don't think she was going back and forth between Aspen and Maxon too much. But in this book, she annoyed me so much. It really made sense why I always heard people saying that the protagonist was annoying.

Overall, the novel was entertaining and I will be continuing on with the series. I hope she is not as annoying in the next one as she was in this one

4 out of 5 stars

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Tuesday 15 July 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Favourite Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and Bookish and this weeks meme is Top 10 Favourite Movies. I am a big movie lover, so I've been kinda excited to put this list together. But it's actually been quite challenging. There are so many other movies that I could put on it but I had to settle for these (otherwise, I'll be here all day).  I should also point out that I am a real sucker for romance movies. Honestly, I love watching them and wishing that I had a boyfriend as awesome as those fictional boyfriends are. I'm actually surprised I don't have more romance movies than I do on this list. Honestly, if this list was a Top 20, it'll probably be predominately romance books. I've tried to put them into a list from 1 -10 but every time I look at it, it keeps changing. But I've finally decided on this.

 10. The Lego Movie

 9. Silver Linings Playbook

 8. 21 Jump Street

 7. Frozen

 6. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

 5. The Spectacular Now

 4. The Notebook

 3. Something Borrowed

 2. Pitch Perfect

 1. The Fault in Our Stars

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Saturday 12 July 2014

E-Readers

Hi Everyone,
Guess what. I have bought my first e-reader (YAY). I've been thinking of buying one for ages and then would always squash the idea. However, the other day I was thinking about it again (as I do) and I finally decided that I will buy one. It took me a while to choose which e-reader to buy. You see, I was always planning to buy a kindle. But after reading online that you can only read books on your kindle that you buy from the kindle store, I decided to buy a Kobo instead. That way, I can read books from my library and also buy books from a wide variety of online ebook stores and not just be forced to buy it from the one store. And let me tell you, I am in love with it.

I'm actually quite shocked at how much I enjoy reading from it. I have always been a book type of person. I never really thought that I would enjoy reading from a e-reader. Don't get me wrong, I will always be a paper book sort of person, but I'm willing to give the Kobo a go.

I'm still pretty new to how it works and the features it has. So, I guess if I were to talk to you about it in a months time or so, I should be an expert on it. But right now, I'm enjoying finding out the features and stuff. If you have any tips or know of any awesome features on the Kobo, let me know below. It'll be a great help


Tuesday 8 July 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Blogging Confessions

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish and this weeks theme is Top 10 Blogging Confessions. So here is mine

1. I'm a huge library person and for that reason I don't own a lot of books. A huge part of the reason is how expensive they can be in Australia. $20-$30 for a book? I don't think so. Therefore I only buy books if a) the library doesn't have it b) I find a book really cheap c) It's just been released and I can't wait till my library gets it cause I must read it ASAP

2. It actually doesn't bother me if book covers don't match or what edition of a book I get or if the sizing doesn't match the other ones. As long as there is the story I paid for inside the cover, I don't really care

3. You'll most likely find me reading on my bed, in the night. I usually go to 'bed' early and read for another hour or so. I don't usually read in the day unless I must find out what happens in the book ASAP or if I'm super bored and the internet is getting boring

4. I prefer soft cover books over hard cover. I think its because of the price. I'm not spending double the price of a soft cover for a hard cover (expect in the case of The Fault in Our Stars but that was because it had John Green's signature inside of it)

5. I only got into reading last year and that was because of Divergent. Ever since then, I haven't stopped reading. I'm always reading something

6. I don't eat and read. I've tried before but it just didn't work. I wasn't focusing on what I was reading, instead I was focusing on what I was eating. So, I had to basically re-read what I had just read. And I kept worrying that I will dirty my book. So yeah, now it's either eat or read. I have to pick one (and sometimes it does get hard)

7. I'm a big fangirl. Like big. I sometimes get told to stop and calm down. If there is a romantic relationship that is developing (actually, its mainly romantic relationships) or something I'm there fangirling. And then when the book becomes a movie. Gosh, I will most likely have seen the trailer within the first few hours its released (in the afternoon if its a school day) and have watched it over and over again. And then when the movies released, I will have seen it within the week (I know, you would think I would have seen it the day it comes out, but sometimes its hard to get to the cinemas)

8. I started my blog after watching YouTube (or BookTube) videos of people reviewing books and I wanted to be part of that atmosphere. So, as I'm still in school I thought it would be more time efficient to start a blog instead

9. My biggest pet hate is when people critise what others are reading. Like why should you care? You're not reading it. Let me enjoy my book without feeling as though I'm being judged just because it's classified as YA. It's only YA because the protagonist is a young adult. Get over it. I don't care what you choose to read

10. I once read 7 books and 2 novellas (so 9 books) in about a week and a half (Delirium Trilogy and the novellas Alex and Hanna, The Fault in Our Stars, The Hunger Games Trilogy). I know for some of you, that may not be a lot, but that was massive for me as I don't get to read a lot cause of school work. And it helped that I was on school holidays at the time

Well, that was fun. Are some of your confessions the same as mine? Let me know below.

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Thursday 3 July 2014

My Favourite Young Adult Quotes

Hi Everyone,
After watch Epic Read's YouTube video of 7 Young Adult Quotes, I decided to make my own list. I always love reading little lines in books that made me realise something or give me the courage to do something that I don't usually do. That is part of the reason I love GoodReads so much. I love their quote feature. After every book, I go through the top quotes and like the ones that really speak to me, whether they are motivational quotes or just really cute love lines. I have just checked my GoodReads and have realised that I have liked over 189 quotes. Yikes. To be honest, when I had just read The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones over two years ago, I kinda liked all the funny lines that Jace said. I think I may have to clean out my quotes section of GoodReads and make sure that they are actually quotes that mean something to me and not just funny ones. But I don't think that will happen as I love going through the quotes and just randomly laughing cause of a specific quote. So today I have decided to make a list some of the quotes that I feel are really motivational

'Your problems are out there. But they're small. They only grow out of proportion when they climb inside your head'
- 'Looking for Alibrandi' by Melina Marchetta

'Love is like the wind, you can't see it, but you can feel it'
- 'A Walk to Remember' - Nicholas Sparks

 'Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it'
- 'Divergent' - Veronica Roth

'Life isn't life if you just float through it'
- 'Delirium' - Lauren Oliver 

''The world', he said, 'is not a wish-granting factory'
- 'The Fault in Our Stars' - John Green

''One must always be careful of books' said Tessa, 'and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us'
- 'Clockwork Angel' - Cassandra Clare 

'Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you'
- 'If I Stay' - Gayle Forman 

'You  have to go forward: It's the only way. You have to go forward no matter what happens. This is the universal law'
- 'Delirium' - Lauren Oliver
 
'Life is a book and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read'
- 'Clockwork Princess' - Cassandra Clare  

 That was actually quite fun. Don't be surprised if you happen to see more of these types of posts on here in the future. But that last quote from Tessa of The Infernal Devices Series is so true. We have only gone through a section of our lives and there is still a large amount of things that haven't happened to us that will eventually occur. I, for one, am looking forward to that. So anyway, what are your favourite book quotes?

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Tuesday 1 July 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Classics I Want To Read



Hi Everyone,
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and today's Top Ten Tuesday is Top Ten Classics I Want To Read. However as I am not a big classics reader, I have decided to change it to Top Ten Books That I Think Will Become Classics. However, I do know that my friend over at A Corner In Time does enjoy to read classics so feel free to check her out.

Here is what I think they will be

I don't think it's no surprise here that Harry Potter will be likely to become a classic. The books are considered 'must reads' and the writing was so brilliant. Even the movies were spectacular.

The Hunger Games is such an amazing book. From the concept to the underlying message that accompanies it. This book, I think, will continue to be successful.

The hype that has surrounded this books is absolutely amazing. I don't think I've seen a more popular stand along book. I've noticed that it's not just girls who are reading it, yet guys have too. That, will no doubt, help it to become a classic

I know that this may be a controversial choice and that many people did not like the story nor writing style, however I do think that this book is not going anywhere anytime soon. The movies opened the door for book-to-movie adaptations and was a major success financially. Basically, it got to a point that you knew at least one person who had read the novels at some point. And for that reason, I believe that the novel 'Twilight' will popular in many years to come. If it doesn't make it as a 'classic', then it will definitely be a popular older book

I actually am not sure what else what I think would become a 'classic' in the future. Let me know in the comments below any other books you think may become one

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