Book Review - All That Glitters

Title: All That Glitters
Author: Holly Smale
Series: Geek Girl (Book 4)
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Release Date: 26 Feb. 2015
ISBN-13: 978-0007574582

Synopsis
Harriet Manners has high hopes for the new school year: she's a Sixth Former now, and things are going to be different. But with Nat busy falling in love at college and Toby preoccupied with a Top Secret project, Harriet soon discovers that's not necessarily a good thing... 



My Review
I adore the Geek Girl series, they are genuinly funny, light-hearted reads that make me laugh out loud and just feel better about myself. I see so much of myself in Harriet that I have a real connection with her and I can't wait to see what her next misadventure will be.
Harriet is growing up, she's now entering sixth form but it's not all she hoped it would be, suddenly Toby doesn't seem interested and Nat has no time for her anymore with a new boyfriend and Harriet is more lost than ever. Not only that, she misses Nick and is trying to figure out exactly what her life is supposed to be and what she really wants. A lot of teenagers will relate to this because even though very few of us are accidental models, Harriet deals with some real issues - boyfriend trouble, friendships, clicks and groups, school stress, and feeling like you just don't belong. 
I love her quirkiness and really do read this with constant giggles. I will never get enough of this series and hope that I get to meet Holly at the Young Adult book convention this July, and I also hope there will be a lot more from Harriet.

My Rating

  

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Book Review - The Selection Stories

Title: The Selection Stories: The Prince and The Guard
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection (novella)
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Release Date: 27 Mar. 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0007587094

Synopsis
Two novellas set in the world of Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series are now available in print for the first time. The Prince and The Guard both offer captivating views into the hearts and minds of the two men fighting to win America Singer's love. This collection also features exclusive bonus content, including a sneak peek at The One, the eagerly anticipated third novel in the Selection series.

Before America arrived at the palace to compete in the Selection, there was another girl in Prince Maxon's life. The Prince opens the week before the Selection begins and follows Maxon through the first day of the competition.

Raised as a Six, Aspen Leger never dreamed that he would find himself living in the palace as a member of the royal guard. In The Guard, readers get an inside look at Aspen's life within the palace walls—and the truth about a guard's world that America will never know. 

My Review
I love the Selection series and always try to get as much as possible to do with it, so when I saw these two novellas were out I knew I had to read it. I had to wait for it to come back into the library but as soon as I got it, I abandoned everything else I had going on and got straight into this.
The first novella 'The Prince' follows Maxon the week before the Selection starts and gives you an insight into his life and thoughts. I always knew there was more to his persona and this story lets us see it. I really felt for him and the pressure that is put upon him and all the expectations.
The other novella 'The Guard' is told from Aspen's point of view which was refreshing to see the other side of that relationship. Aspen was always a little bit of a mystery to me, I was never quite sure what his angle was and if he was true, but this really changed my mind about him and I found myself with more respect for him. 
They are only short but they offer a real insight into the world and i found it interesting to see America from someone else's point of view not her own. 
This book is perfect for fans of the series and a must read.

My Rating

    

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The Sin Eater's Daughter

The Sin Eater’s Daughter is a YA fantasy novel by Melinda Salisbury.

Seventeen year-old Twylla is the Goddess embodied. This means she is impervious to poison but by simply touching another, she kills them.

When she was brought to the castle as a young girl, at the time an apprentice to her mother, the Sin Eater, she did not realize that being the Goddess embodied meant being the royal executioner.

She knows now.

Under constant guard to protect others from her divine, lethal touch, Twylla is avoided as much as she is tentatively revered. Even the royal family, including the prince she is betrothed to, shuns her company despite being the only ones immune to her poison.

Her loneliness is permeated only by her guard who has been with her since the beginning. It’s a professional relationship, but she feels that he actually cares for her.

But when he falls ill, Twylla is given a new, young guard. He throws her off balance with easy smiles, a lack of understanding of the boundaries meant to be established with them and a desire to be sociable. Somehow, he sees her as a girl – not a goddess. Not a blunt instrument of death.

It’s intoxicating.

Yet, Twylla knows that entertaining such ideas as friendship breach into treasonous activity in the eyes of the queen. The queen is not one to be trifled with – as someone who not only uses Twylla’s poisonous gift for execution but even crueler, nauseating means.

Is Twylla still up to doing what she must for the kingdom? Or is she falling into a doomed, hopeless love?

This cannot end well…

Wow – I *loved* The Sin Eater’s Daughter.

I mean - I really, really did.

Swiftly, the author creates a world that is twisted, disturbing and fascinating – with the worrying madness of royalty rivaling that of Game of Thrones.

Twylla is in the midst of it, whether she wants to be or not. And her situation is one that is terribly sad – yet she is wonderfully stoic about it. She doesn’t sit around and cry. She knows what she is and has accepted it as much as she can.

Yet she doesn’t like killing. She doesn’t like to be the weapon.

With a good deal of character development, Twylla’s first person narration is absorbing and compelling. I loved her and I loved where the plot went.

And the plot goes crazy!

I won’t say much here because I want it to all be a surprise for you. But I will say this: The Sin Eater’s Daughter is one of the most breathless, suspenseful, intriguing, romantic novels I have read this year.

It weaves together classic fairytales such as The Magic Flute, The Pied Piper and The White Bride and the Black Bride to create an entirely new tale that is epic in emotional scope.

It sounds like there is to be another book – and I am so very relieved!

Truly memorable.

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The Cake House

The Cake House is a contemporary novel by Latifah Salom.

When Rosaura Douglas’s father shoots himself, her entire life changes.

Suddenly she is living in “The Cake House”, a monstrously pink manor that is nothing like the small apartment she was recently calling home.

She has a step-father that wants to shower money on her with no clear explanation as to where the wealth comes from, and a new step-brother that keeps just as mum.

Soon Rosaura begins to see her father’s ghost – and he always seems to be warning her that her step-father is not to be trusted… That, perhaps, his death was not a suicide…

The Cake House was odd.

Rosaura was very difficult to try and relate to. First, trying to pin down her age was very difficult – the way she reacts to her father’s death made me initially think she was very young. Once it was revealed that she was thirteen/fourteen I found it a little bizarre. I know people deal with grief differently – but her reaction gave me an impression of definite instability… Her ongoing personality traits did not change my opinion of her.

Also, it was very difficult to try to determine what time period we are in – there are so many references to 80s and 90s music and very little reference to 21st century technology. I am still not absolutely certain, but I do think we’re supposed to be in modern times. Strange.

Anywho! With suspicions regarding the circumstances of her father’s death, a mysterious step-father and step-brother and a seemingly terribly unhappy mother – there was some interesting aspects to the plot. Yet… it never really latched on. It just felt disconnected to me. Not absorbing, not page-turning.

Plus, the ghost aspect was never really elaborated on. Was there a ghost? Was it Rosaura’s consciousness? Does this mean she is suffering from a mental illness? I read the whole book and I cannot really tell you.

Sadly, for me, The Cake House was not satisfying and overall just hard for me to invest in. In fact, it was kind of boring and felt pointless…

But – you know what I am going to say!!! Every book has a fan – and it could be you! Read The Cake House for yourself!

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The Moon and More

The Moon and More is a YA contemporary novel by the beloved bestselling author Sarah Dessen.

Emaline is at a precipice – she is going to college once this summer in her beachside small hometown of Colby is over.

This is the time to savor every moment with her parents, sisters, best friends and longtime high school boyfriend, Luke. He’s handsome, nice and there’s a comfortable understanding of each other that comes with being together so many years.

Yet comfortable is losing its appeal.

When one of her family’s rental properties is inhabited by a two-person documentary crew, Emaline meets Theo – a driven, wide-eyed New Yorker that is so very different than anyone she’s ever known in Colby. Theo makes it clear that he thinks Emaline is meant for bigger things than tiny Colby.

Then Emaline’s biological father is also in town with her little brother – and an event that occurred earlier in the year between them is straining their already less than close relationship. But, like Theo, has a vision for Emaline – a vison of Ivy League and getting out of the beachside town.

Both enticed by their ideas of a bigger future for her and the comfortable contentment of the status quo, Emaline finds herself looking for a balance…

My favorite thing about Sarah Dessen is how she takes regular, believable people and portrays regular, believable life events. It’s the quiet elegance of depicting family life, love and friendship that brings me back to her every time.

Here, yet again, we get that in spades.

A fractured relationship with her father, Dessen perfectly shows the mixture of hope, and frustration with that same hope, that wars within Emaline. We see her question the familiarity of her life, while also clinging to it. It’s a subtle, dramatic anguish that is leveled by a character that is not too over the top, self-pitying or immature.

I wouldn’t say The Moon and More sucker punched me quite as much emotionally as some of Dessen’s other novels have – but I am still a huge fan of this book. It’s a slice of life that offers wisdom, seemingly without trying.

Without spoiling anything, I will say that I was very pleased the way it all turned out by the end – and felt it was a refreshing, smart conclusion.

There’s nothing quite like taking a break from the ghosts, werewolves and vampires to dive into something altogether quite similar to our own lives and thoughts – something that breaks our heart but also inspires us – something that faces reality and shows us everything is not Happily Ever After, but everything is not bad either.

That is what The Moon and More is.

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Mark of the Thief

Mark of the Thief is a YA historical fantasy adventure novel by Jennifer A. Nielsen.

A slave in the mines of ancient Rome, Nic dreams of freedom for himself and his sister.

Yet, instead, he faces certain death as he is forced to enter the recently located cavern allegedly containing the hidden treasures of Julius Caesar.

Amidst the jewels and gold is an artifact, a bulla, which has extraordinary magical power – something that some Romans would kill for.

Managing to survive the dangerous cavern, Nic is now armed with this bulla and his determination is freedom – however, his possession of this powerful object places him in a conspiracy to overthrow the emperor.

To save Rome, Nic must learn how to use his new powers and figure out who he can trust…

The beginning of Mark of the Thief reminded me of a Roman version of Aladdin. Felt a little familiar, though adding in a griffin to protect the treasure was a bit more fantastical.

I loved Nielsen’s Ascendance Trilogy, but for whatever sad reason Mark of the Thief did not connect with me. Whereas I always felt in a state of suspense in the Ascendance Trilogy and very invested in the main character, I did not feel the same way with Mark of the Thief.

There’s a lot of action, a lot of running around from place to place and a period of time in a gladiator arena that certainly sparks of excitement – but I just never really felt strongly about any of it.

I wish I could say something different, but Mark of the Thief was, oddly enough, a little boring for me. Nic wasn’t developed enough to be all that likable, nor were the secondary characters, in my opinion.

Hopefully you will have a different experience! I am sure Mark of the Thief will be enjoyed by many!!

For me, I do not think I will read book two.

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Book Review - Moriarty

Title: Moriarty
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Series: New Sherlock Holmes (Book 2)
Publisher: Orion
Release Date: 23 Oct. 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1409109471

Synopsis
Sherlock Holmes is dead.

Days after Holmes and his arch-enemy Moriarty fall to their doom at the Reichenbach Falls, Pinkerton agent Frederick Chase arrives in Europe from New York. The death of Moriarty has created a poisonous vacuum which has been swiftly filled by a fiendish new criminal mastermind who has risen to take his place.

Ably assisted by Inspector Athelney Jones of Scotland Yard, a devoted student of Holmes's methods of investigation and deduction, Frederick Chase must forge a path through the darkest corners of the capital to shine light on this shadowy figure, a man much feared but seldom seen, a man determined to engulf London in a tide of murder and menace.

My Review
I love anything Sherlock Holmes and I think Horowitz does an amazing job with the world and characters. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, how can you have a Sherlock Holmes novel if he is dead? But I went in with hope and soon found myself lost in the pages and coming to like the new pairing of Chase and Jones. They were witty and a little bit foolhardy at times but charming.
Their are a few characters that could be seen as enemies and each one is portrayed in their own dastardly way. I really liked the shy agoraphobic character, he had a real sense of menace and darkness about him. But each one was well written and would make excellent villains.
The book has a lot of little mysteries that you know are leading up to a much bigger one but even so when that bombshell was dropped I did not see it coming! I will not give anything away because that was the highlight of the story for me, it was just so unexpected and really well played out. I was absolutely gobsmacked.
There is just the right mix of adventure, crime and violence, it's just what you would exepct from a Holmes novel and it will keep you turning the pages, saying that, the book did have a few moments that were a bit slow and possible not entirely relevant but overall it was an exciting read and I look forward to more from this series.

My Rating

 

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