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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Wink Poppy Midnight. Book Review #14

On By paperbackpeteIn PeteLeave a comment

Hi everyone!

I hope you’ve all had a dazzling weekend. Its been uncharacteristically warm in England over the past few days and I’ve been lucky enough to get away from studying for a few precious hours and actually enjoy it.

This post, I want to talk to you all about one of the most unusual books I’ve ever read.

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke is a magical realism YA novel that follows a trio of characters all shrouded with mystery and darkness. Wink is weird, Midnight is torn and Poppy is beautiful. The three teenagers, over the course of the summer become intertwined in ways they could’ve never imagined and a single act lays the path for secrets and lies that soon spin out of control.

So the first thing I’d say about this book is to go into it with an open mind (as you should with all stories) although especially with this one. In the frankest way possible Wink Poppy Midnight is strange, like really really strange. The plot, whilst on the surface appears to be very We Were Liars-esque (Which I didn’t mind), is nothing of the sort. Certainly I have never read anything like this before and I do not believe that I ever will. It would be easy to look at this book and think it to be just another one go those samey samey-mysterious-and-abnormally-good-looking-teenagers-kill-someone-in-the-middle-of-what-was-supposed-to-be-the-best-summer-of-their-lives-and-form-a-bond-like-no-other troupes but really there is a lot more depth to it and numerous quirky lines and lovable scenes. I won’t give away any spoilers but I will tell you there is a twist and ,just like the entire book, its a weird one.

Tucholke’s use of language is so beautiful and perfectly poetic that the line between realism and magic is often blurred. Whilst reading this book I was never sure if any the characters were going to momentarily conjure fire at their fingertips or shift into a bird; I like this detail very much. If you don’t decide to read this novel for any other reason please do just for the stunning prose.

The characters, in their names and their back stories, were each a delight to read. The dialogue between the cast was so sharp and quick that it felt like I was reading a real teenager conversation. The only way I could describe my love for them all was that it made me feel nice and warm inside.

There are many who criticise this book for being too strange or too ‘out there’ but to that I say nah. Weirdness should be celebrated and thats what this book does, it teaches us that its ok to be different whilst giving us a cracking mystery to solve along the way.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth.

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.

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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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Blog Tour: My Name Is Leon

On By Beth JonesIn Blog TourLeave a comment

Thank you to Penguin Random House for letting me take part in this tour!

So readers, I am proud and happy to welcome you to my very first blog tour. Hopefully it is the first of many! Before we start, I received a copy of this book from the publishing company for review, but all of my opinions are my own.

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A brother chosen. A brother left behind. And a family where you’d least expect to find one.

Leon is nine, and has a perfect baby brother called Jake. They have gone to live with Maureen, who has fuzzy red hair like a halo, and a belly like Father Christmas. But the adults are speaking in low voices, and wearing Pretend faces. They are threatening to give Jake to strangers. Since Jake is white and Leon is not.

As Leon struggles to cope with his anger, certain things can still make him smile – like Curly Wurlys, riding his bike fast downhill, burying his hands deep in the soil, hanging out with Tufty (who reminds him of his dad), and stealing enough coins so that one day he can rescue Jake and his mum..

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book about adoption/fostering, and I was a little apprehensive as it’s been so long. But I actually really enjoyed this one!

The plot…is steady, easy to follow and flows very well.

The characters…are touching. I loved Leon – and that the book was from his POV. His tender love for his family runs throughout this novel and it shines through to make this book what it is.

The writing…is amazing! I know I would struggle to write from a child’s viewpoint, but Kit De Waal really pulls it off.

Something I liked…this book…it really makes you feel for the characters. They are young, and therefore I felt so much sympathy for them – more I think than if it was in the POV of an adult.

Something I disliked…honestly, I can’t pick out anything. In it’s own right, this book is amazing. It’s not something I’d usually choose, but I’m very glad to have read it!

My thoughts…My Name Is Leon gives you everything you could ever want from a book. It’s emotional, extremely touching and it makes you think. I’d definitely recommend it!

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
4 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Save

Book Haul #13

On By paperbackpeteIn PeteLeave a comment

Hey guys!

What do you do when loads is happening in your life and your future is arriving quicker than you thought?

Buy books of course!

Actually, for a certified book worm I usually only buy one book a month or sometimes none at all. This is because of the money but also because me and my local librarian have a wonderful relationship and so most of the time I’m able to read new stuff without having to pay sometimes extortionate prices and support the hallowed halls of literature at the same time.

But this month was different. Basically I went on The Book Depository and got excited.

A Conjuring of Light- VE Schwab

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This was the first book I wanted and the only book I intended to buy. Its the final instalment in the Darker Shade Of Magic trilogy by the sensational author- VE Schwab. It only came out recently but I knew I had to get my hands on it. If you ever have the chance please pick up this trilogy. You won’t regret it!

Crystal Storm- Morgan Rhodes

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This is the fifth book (I think) in the Falling Kingdoms series. I’ve talked about these books before but- if you somehow still haven’t read them, now is the time. Seriously you need to pick them up. I just had to add it to my cart when I saw that Rhodes had just released the newest one.

A Million Worlds With You- Claudia Gray

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I know that this trilogy is frequently argued over in the YA world but in my opinion it is one of the best out there (plus the covers are gorgeous). This is the final book in the series and I’m ecstatic to start!

Thanks for reading this post, I hope you pick up at least one of these fantastic stories.

Keep on reading

And thanks again Beth

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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Quotes I Love #12

On By paperbackpeteIn PeteLeave a comment

Hey everyone!

Whenever I think about how much pressure i’m under in school and life I always turn to books and the stories inside of them.

Here are some of my favourite quotes that whisk me away from the mundanities of everyday life.

The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August by Claire North

This book is one of the most unique and powerful stories I have ever read. If you like the idea of exploration of time you should definitely pick it up!

“I was six years old. I was seven hundred and fifty. I was being hunted.”

There is something so beautiful about reincarnation and I think this quote summarises that beauty and the story itself.

A Court Of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Mass

ACOTAR is one of the most successful YA High fantasy trilogies of all time and its easy to see why with empowering quotes like this one.

“No one was my master— but I might be master of everything, if I wished. If I dared.”

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I’ve always been fascinated by wealth and what it does to people. This book is an amazing example of that mixed with some mystery and teen angst!

“We are liars. We are beautiful and privileged. We are cracked and broken.”

Make sure you check out at least one of these amazing books.

Keep on reading

And thanks again Beth.

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