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

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

Hi everyone,

I think that its really interesting how much we all change over such a short period of time. Looking back at who you were is always a shocking and embarrassingly hilarious thing to do but I think that its healthy as well. I encourage you, right now to log into Facebook and just scroll through your past profile pictures. You might cringe at yourself but you also might be even more proud of who you are in the present.

Forget about the present for a moment though, I want to talk to you all about a book that follows the future.

The Future For Curious People is a new adult contemporary that explores the challenges of being in love in your  twenties and poses the question- If you could know your future with someone, would you want to?

This book was hilarious and that truly is saying something, coming from someone who rarely laughs (I know its awfully sad). I knew nothing about the story going into it- I got it at a discount book store in Liverpool for £1 but Gregory Sherl must’ve been sent to me from The Literature Gods. He manages to keep up a plot that could very easily become bland and directionless with a steady pace that hooks you right from the beginning. The characters were those rare kind that you can only find at discount bookstores in Liverpool- they gave a perspective that felt realistic and honest while maintaining this savoury witty tone. The story takes place in Baltimore which was quite honestly, very refreshing since for some reason every YA or New adult book I seem to read either takes place in New York or some distant, nameless state where our main character just can’t wait to break free from their life and then guess what- travel to New York (it’s a vicious circle). It was a swift three hundred pages that I would do again in a heartbeat. I could not recommend this book enough.

I give it a five out of five stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth

Hey readers,

How have you been feeling with all this ‘January doom and gloom’ that everyone claims exists?
I always have actually loved the winter and the lack of daylight, it just feels more- cozy.

So for this weeks blog post I want to talk about a book I mentioned I was reading in last weeks Book Haul- Gemina.

Following Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman’s Iluminae, Gemina is the second book in the trilogy. The story follows Hannah, the captain’s ‘pampered’ daughter who loves to draw and punch things and Nik, a tattooed ex-con who has a really good heart. We follow them on an edge-of-your-seat journey as they race against an alien infestation, a ship wide invasion and the pulling and pushing of time and space.

Ok people, I feel a moral obligation to let it be known to the public that this book is AWESOME! It was very good, like very very good.

The Characters

Kaufman and Kristoff must be secret part time superheroes on the side when they are not writing books because only humans possessing extraordinary powers could create a cast of characters that felt so real and likeable. After hearing the premise of the book I didn’t think I would like Hannah Donnelly very much at all: ‘pampered’ just made me think of an annoying brat who would be a general inconvenience to the plot. But she was not. Hannah was kickass and she never apologised for who she was. I don’t think I have ever liked a fictional character as much as this one. Nik, her costar, I could write a thesis on. He was just SO fascinating and perfect. But I think I’ll let you see that for yourself when you read the book.

The Format

I said this in my review for Iluminae and I’ll say it again- I thought I was going to have a horrible time reading this book. You see, Gemina isn’t like normal stories, aside from it’s amazing-ness its also individual in the way its told: Through file reports and talk channels, doodles and radio comms, we learn of Hannah and Nik’s story through an interwoven dossier of memories. It makes it feel authentic. It makes it feel interesting. It makes me love this book even more.

The Plot

I will not say a lot because, well spoilers. But I will say if you are looking for a finely-crafted, intelligent and honest piece of sci-fi literature then this book is for you.

My Rating

I give this story a 10 out of 5 stars because I haven’t, in such a long long time, been so genuinely excited to sit down and read a book. I’ll recommend this to everyone, for all of time.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth.