Category: Book Review

ARC Review: All the Good Things by Clare Fisher

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review10 Comments

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Twenty-one year old Beth is in prison. The thing she did is so bad she doesn’t deserve to ever feel good again.
But her counsellor, Erika, won’t give up on her. She asks Beth to make a list of all the good things in her life. So Beth starts to write down her story, from sharing silences with Foster Dad No. 1, to flirting in the Odeon on Orange Wednesdays, to the very first time she sniffed her baby’s head.
But at the end of her story, Beth must confront the bad thing.
What is the truth hiding behind her crime? And does anyone-even a 100% bad person-deserve a chance to be good?

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK in exchange for an honest review. This has not changed my views in any way.

Note: This review will also be published on June 23rd as part of the All the Good Things blog tour.

The easiest way I can describe All the Good Things is raw. This is pure, honest feelings. There is absolutely no filter, and I loved it.

Beth is the perfect protagonist. She tells her story in a great way – and I loved the use of flashbacks to all the different parts of her life. The cast of characters is large, and I actually enjoyed that. Most of the time I find it easier to focus on just a couple or small group of main characters, but this time, it worked. I knew who everyone was, why they were there and what they added to the story. And that’s the other great thing – all of the characters fitted. All of them worked well together, and they were all needed to complete the story.

The story Beth tells is one of the most difficult I have ever read – but at the same time, I couldn’t stop reading. I became very attached to Beth, the damaged soul she is, and I wanted to know she would be okay.

The writing is extremely clever, in that we get to know Beth before finding out about this ‘bad thing’. In fact, we know everything about her and her life before this ‘bad thing’, and it works so well.

This stopped the judgement surrounding people in prison. It stopped the way we feel towards people who have committed crimes this serious, because we, strangely, were forced to understand. We were forced to relate. The fact that Fisher could do this in words baffles me. I look up to her and respect her as an author, because she did something beyond belief.

I love the lead up to the big ending in the story. The book follows a series of sessions Beth has with her counselor, Erika, in which she writes a list of all the good things in her life. With each point on this list, another part is added to the story.

So…did I guess the ending? I have to admit, I did. Not completely, but it was like this thing in my head was nudging me, going ‘it could be this, it could be this’, and it was right. But, the same as Beth, I didn’t want to accept the fate. And, the same as Beth, I ignored the nudging. This means the book works whether you guess the ending or not – because you still don’t want to face it, and you still want to find out what really happened.

Overall, this book was harrowing, but it needed to be. It was real. It was human. It showed a very important thing – we are complicate creatures. We are all different, and we are not defined by one single thing.

A beautifully written debut, and one I would thoroughly recommend to all readers.

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
5 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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ARC Review: Out of Heart by Irfan Master

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

Disclaimer: I have been provided with a proof copy by Hot Key Books in exchange for an honest review. This has not changed my review or opinion in any way.

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Donating your heart is the most precious gift of all.
Adam is a teenage boy who lives with his mum and younger sister. His dad has left them although lives close by. His sister no longer speaks. His mum works two jobs. Adam feels the weight of the world upon his shoulders.
Then his grandfather dies and in doing so he donates a very precious gift – his heart.
William is the recipient of Adam’s grandfather’s heart. He has no family and feels rootless and alone. In fact, he feels no particular reason to live. And then he meets Adam’s family.
William has received much, but it appears that he has much to offer Adam and his family too.

To put it simply, this book is unlike any I have ever read before. The writing is unusual, the characters are different, the setting is one not often used and the whole concept is one I would love to see more of.

I love the mixture of writing – it was extremely clever in structure. We jumped from different characters viewpoints, between prose, story and sketches. This book really stands apart in many ways, and above all, it intrigued me.

We dive right into the story, and I will admit that it confused me slightly. To be thrown into a characters life is a lot to take in – and I didn’t understand everything straight away! But the pure difference of this book made me want to carry on and find out more about the people this story follows. I wanted to understand.

On the subject of the confusion, I’d say that’s the only bad part of this book. Although much of it becomes clear as the story unfolds – some things were a little misty. One that stood out to me, for example, was the age of William. I thought he was not much older then Adam, and then I found out he was around the age of Adam’s parents. I liked this feature a lot, as it showed the unimportance of age, but I wish it had been clearly stated earlier in the story.

This book holds a lot of meaning. It talks about things many YA novels don’t – abuse, depression, illness, mental health and race. I love the way this book explored nationality and I felt some of it directly related to situations in some communities here in the UK.

I felt Adam’s story really demonstrated the need for equality, and I wish we had more of that. It really struck a chord with me, and reminded me the real importance for stories like this to be told.

A lot of things in this book felt important. The need to stand up for others and stand together. The longing to support others in their times of need. The need for love among those who are quiet, who are loud, who are different in appearance and age and backgrounds and personality and race. The need for love among all.

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
4 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review6 Comments

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Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.
Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

This book is everything I have ever stood for. Everything I fight for. I feel as though Poston has ripped my heart out and scattered it among beautiful pages. It’s as though she described me better than I could ever describe myself – in a book.

This novel shows that fandom is real, and it can change your life. It captures the very essence of a con – that feeling of walking into a room and knowing everyone is just like you.

It demonstrated that no one can define who you are – except yourself. That bullies can come in every form and in places where you feel safest, but at the same time, not everyone is like that.

It showed the true meaning of words…and it showed that long distance relationships are manageable and can work, if you only remember to never miss a goodnight.

And it showed something I believe is even more important than anything else in this book. It showed that no matter who it is, what they do and wherever they are in the world – any two people can fall in love. Even through late night texts.

As you can tell, I related to this book on an infinite number of levels. I feel like talking about different things about this book would be pointless. Because everything – the plot, the characters, the writing, the concept – worked. This book is just…more than that. It’s more than picking apart the building bricks of it, because it’s just perfect. It’s just simply incredible. I don’t want to ever let this story, these characters, this fandom, go.

In fact, I think it’ll stay in my heart forever.

Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite.

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Ink by Alice Broadway

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

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Every action, every deed, every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for ever. When Leora’s father dies, she is determined to see her father remembered forever. She knows he deserves to have all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to stand as a record of his good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether she ever knew him at all.

I know I’m a bookworm and this shouldn’t be a big deal – but I finished another book! I’ve had less college work to do recently, so it’s been a good time to delve into a few new reads.

To sum up Ink in 3 words, it would be: I liked it. I didn’t love it and I’m not going to rave about it, but it was a good, solid debut that may bring me back to reading Broadway’s other novels!

I’ll take you through a few things I liked and didn’t, probably in sections as I found a lot to talk about with this one.

To start with, the setting was…weird. It felt really mixed up. I imagined the people to be living in old-style houses, almost Tudor. But then I imagined some of the public buildings as extremely modern. It just fit – and it’s not the only thing that felt off.

Image result for tudor street

A lot of this book felt mixed up. For a start, there was no media (TV, radio, or even a newspaper) mentioned, but they had advanced methods of tattooing and a phone-line). Literally all of the information we heard about was through other people.

The clothes seemed to change a lot, too. Our main character would be wearing gray, baggy outfits while her best friend would be adorning smart business clothes.

The writing was good, but didn’t feel quite mature enough for a YA read. You could tell this book was a debut – but it wasn’t a bad read because of it.

I liked the characters – but something felt strange about them too. It’s clear our main character, Leora, is very naive about the world, yet she still felt very ‘censored’. I feel this a lot with YA novels that don’t include swearing – and I definitely felt it with this one. For me, if you’re going to target a book at teenagers, you shouldn’t refrain from swearing and using bad language.

The best thing by far about this novel was the plot. It felt extremely complex but simple in another way. I felt the confusion for and with Leora, but I didn’t feel confused about the backstory or anything similar. The only complaint I have is that all the action came towards the end of the novel, and the middle felt a bit…flat. Literally, Leora just thinks for the majority of the book. But carry on if you’re reading, because the ending does make up for it!

Talking about the ending – that was another thing I loved. Once I got to around page 280, I couldn’t put this book down. I felt so much tension portrayed through the words, I just needed to know what was happening.

So overall, a good read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I just wish we had a little more explanation in some areas!

☽ ☽ ☽
3 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review4 Comments

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Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder’s brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it “a matter of national security,” but Cinder suspects it’s more serious than he’s letting on.
Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder’s intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that’s been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter’s illness, Cinder’s stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an “honor” that no one has survived.
But it doesn’t take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.

Has anyone noticed anything unusual recently? Yes, there hasn’t been a book review for over a month. Because I have been reading Cinder for over a month. A month and two days, to be exact.

I went through most of this book thinking it was slow and boring. Hence the 4 week time-log. But I found it’s one of those books that I like a lot more looking back on. It’s definitely a mixed bag – and I’ll try my best to explain why! Let’s go through the things I didn’t like about this book.

  • It was sooooo slowww…or at least I felt like it was! For me, the story was pretty focused around a certain VIP. And that guy just wasn’t in the book for most of the story!
  • Cinder seemed a little…flat? I just couldn’t sympathise with her. I mean, we all know how it feels when we don’t belong somewhere. But I felt like that’s all I knew about her. Her whole character just seemed to be this ‘I don’t know who I am and I don’t belong here and I don’t know what to do about it’ bubble. Like, that was it.
  • I found it confusing. I didn’t know about the characters, so to put it bluntly I didn’t care either. I found Peony and Iko more props than people, more support for the storyline than actual characters.

Okay, so that is me being very critical and extremely brutal. So to finish off, let’s talk about what I enjoyed!

  • The ending! I loved the dramatic parts of this book – and that only seemed to come towards the end of the novel.
  • Prince Kai! Even though we don’t see much of him, I actually sympathised with him the most.
  • The intrigue and mystery. I loved not knowing what was happening with Cinder, and it was so exciting towards the end of the book to find out what was going to happen.

So overall, it was definitely mixed opinions about this book. I liked it and wanted to stop reading at the same time! But I have to admit…I did completely fall in love with the end of this book. To balance it out, it’ll have to be…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
3.5 out of 5 moons

P.S. Thank you for 400 followers on this blog!

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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We All Looked Up. Book Review #11

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, Pete2 Comments

Hi guys and girls

I hope you’ve all had a really great week and if not then I hope this next one will be.

I thought I’d talk about a book thats really important to me today.

We All Looked Up poses the question- if the world ended in two months what would you want to do with your last days? The story follows a group of teenagers who, for all of their lives have been defined by labels. But now a planet-destroying asteroid is plummeting towards Earth they don’t have to be the athlete or outcast, the slacker or the overachiever… they can just be themselves.

Initially it would be easy to deem this book as a cliche hotpot of teen angst and forthcoming apocalyptic drama. But that is not the case. Tommy Wallach was able to create a plot that felt realistic amongst a backdrop that was largely improbable. The characters are not cardboard cut-outs of previously used troupes but instead are original people with genuinely interesting stories to tell. Instead of focusing on the hysteria that we imagine would exist at the end of the world this book zooms in on the individual consequences of impending doom and how it would effect the lives of the everyday suburban teen. This is not a book full of heroes and heroines but instead scared kids who only ever wanted to belong. There is something truly elusive and astounding about a story as honest as this one. I can’t give much of the plot away because its one of those books you just have to read to enjoy but if I had to compare it to anything else it would be The Breakfast Club meets Station Eleven minus the aftermath.

If you read nothing else this month read this

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth

The Graces. Book Review #10

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, Pete1 Comment

Hey everyone!

This week I’m going to talk about one of my favourites.

The Graces is a Young Adult, Magical Realism story about a girl called River who only ever wanted to be in when she had always felt out. The Grace family are young and gorgeous and mysterious and she, like everyone else at their school, wants to be one of them. In this book we follow black magic, beach parties and beautiful people and in the end River must confront it all to finally feel like she belongs.

Rarely do I become so wholeheartedly addicted to a book as much as I did with The Graces. A lot of people have criticised this story for being too cliche or cringe and I think that they are absolutely right. It is both of those things but thats what makes its so addictive. We learn about the plot through a main character who is a teenage girl so we shouldn’t expect the story to sound like its been narrated by a middle aged man with a degree and a mortgage. This books originality and success is born from its characters who are wide, well thought out and genuinely interesting. All of their motives and actions intertwine with events in the novel in a clever and satisfying way.

The Graces definitely has that easy to read quality because ultimately we, just like River, end up loving the family that manages to be so elusive and magical at the same time. If you are looking for a story that has some sometimes cliche main characters mixed with a winding and compelling plot then this book is for you.

I give it a 4 out of 5 stars

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth

We Are The Ants. Book Review #9

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, Pete1 Comment

Hi everyone!

I hope you’ve all had an amazing day. So you might have (but probably didn’t) realise that there was no blog post from me last week. I’ve been very busy with work for school at the moment and so I didn’t have time to blog- but I’m back now!

This week I want to talk about I book I read quite a while ago but is still one of my favourite recommendations.

We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson is a YA sci-fi contemporary novel that poses the question- If you could end the world, would you? Henry has been through a lot in his life and things don’t seem to ever be getting better for him. Then he meets Diego who gives him a reason to save the world he wants to destroy. This book follows alien abductions, high school house parties and a grandma so cute you actually wish you knew her in real life.

On the surface many people might deem this book as a semi-unorginal story about another teen who has depression. In reality it is so much more. Our main character is gay but him being gay isn’t the entire plot. Whilst reading this I was genuinely so happy that Hutchinson was able to tell a story that involved so many different elements and not just focus on his hero being a member of the LGBTQ community. I feel like Hutchinson is helping to normalise being gay for teens in a really simple and effective way through this book because we get to learn about Henry not through a closeted-boy lens but through a regular teenager lens.

Aside from the amazing LGBTQ forward message Hutchinson also weaves together a fast paced plot with lovable characters that is, in my opinion, incredibly unique. The love in this book is addictive and real like it should be and all of the cast are just imperfect enough to feel like actual human beings.

I have not read anything like We Are The Ants in years and I wholeheartedly recommend it to every single one of you regardless of sexuality, age and gender.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth

Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review11 Comments

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Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Oh. My. Gosh. Where do I even start with this book? Well, let’s just say it took me only 2 days to finish this 407 page novel – and I wouldn’t say I’m a quick reader!

“Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality.

This book is poetry. It is a spell, cast over every single reader. It is majestic, enchanting and truly mind-boggling. Stephanie has created such an amazing world in my head, and it has completely taken over my brain for the past couple of days.

It’s more than just a game or performance.

For a book with so many twists and turns, I also managed to follow every word. That is truly impressive for me. And for a fantasy book to capture my attention for that long, for so many hours when I should have been doing work, to inspire me to make both a playlist and a mood board (coming Thursday!), this book is just simply awesome.

Also, the romance isn’t cheesy! I’m going to try and do this spoiler-free, but OHMIGOD SHIPPING. SERIOUSLY. I SHIP THOSE TWO SO DAMN HARD. It wasn’t insta love. I didn’t know what was going to happen at any time. All of the reveals in this book came as a surprise – everything was so incredibly original!

Okay, so as you know I don’t usually fangirl over a novel, or characters. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so invested in a fantasy world as I do now. I feel like this book has twisted my mind into loving circuses and carousels and beautiful, twisted cities with rivers for roads.

It’s the closest you’ll ever find yourself magic in this world.”

As you can probably gather, I also adored this world. Yes, it was dark and creepy. It was full of secrets and lies. It was twisty, and twisted. But at the same time, it was intriguing and captivating and just truly magical.

Stephanie Garber, I don’t know how I’m going to even attempt explain to you how grateful I am for your novel. This has to be the first fantasy I have truly fallen in love with, and is definitely the best fantasy I’ve ever read…and my favourite of the year so far. To put it simply – I LOVE YOU.

Oh, and to back up my claims about this book, it’s been out for only 21 days and it already has over 6000 Goodreads ratings. If that’s since the release, over 285 people have rated this book a day. And it has an overall rating of 4.14 stars. That means it has a higher rating than The Night Circus and Red Queen – two of the most famous, most hyped fantasy novels in YA fiction. No wonder everyone is talking about this novel.

So, without a doubt this book simply has to be given 5 moons from me. Gods teeth, it gets more than that. I’d give it 100 if I could!

P.S. UM. THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BE A MOVIE. FOX HAVE OFFICIALLY PURCHASED THE RIGHTS. I’M SO EXCITED!!

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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The School For Good and Evil. Book Review #8

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, PeteLeave a comment

Hey everyone!

I hope you’ve all had an amazing weekend and none of you are feeling too gloomy at the prospect of going back to school/work tomorrow.

This week I want to do a quick review of a book which I recently read.

The School For Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is a middle grade fantasy and adventure story that asks the question: Are any of us truly Good or truly Evil? Most children from the small village of Gavaldon would be terrified at the prospect of being taken away in the night by a mysterious School Master. Not Sophie. She dreams of being whisked off to the School for Good and finding her prince in Ever After and her wish comes true, almost. Her best friend Agatha has been cast off as Evil but things change when the two girls arrive at the school.

Through a series of hilarious and nail biting antics we get to follow the girls journey through a school almost as addictive as Hogwarts. With this books magic and whimsy I think everybody can find something in it that they love. Sophie is perhaps one of the funniest literary characters I have ever come across and I was genuinely laughing out loud for so much of this book. It was easy to read and never became slow or annoying. The school setting was absolutely addictive and some of ideas, although at first appear parallel to Harry Potter, were 100% unique in an incredibly refreshing way. The romance was tasteful and it didn’t take centre stage despite its purpose in the book. I could not recommend it enough to all of you, I think its the perfect light and whimsical story that everyones looking for.

I rate this book a five out of five stars!

Keep on reading

And thanks again Beth