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Edition: Paperback, 237 pages, published September 6th 2012 by Walker
Synopsis: At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting — he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments.

The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

Although I love everything I’ve read of Patrick Ness so far, I was a little apprehensive with A Monster Calls. I just really didn’t know what to expect, but trust me, again, Ness delivered.

The plot…is basic, but I loved that. It’s easy to follow and allows you to feel fully involved in the story and everything happening in Conor’s head. It allows you to slowly learn more about Conor and his life as the story continues at a perfect pace.

The characters…are so right for the story. I felt a lot of connection to both Conor and his mum throughout this story, which was obviously all down to Ness’ amazing writing, which brings me on to…

The writing…can Ness ever fail? What a beautiful, poetic but down-to-Earth book. Although I found this book very poetic, I didn’t feel like it was looking down on me as I kind of felt with Red Queen. It was right there on the same level, and that was perfect.

Something I liked…gosh. Everything. I actually can’t pick out a singular thing or topic, because the amazing thing about Ness’ novels are that everything, everything, works together perfectly.

Something I disliked…absolutely nothing. Sure, grandma got on my nerves sometimes. So did dad. But they’re meant to, so me not liking them shows just how great the characters came across!

My thoughts…again, wow. A Monster Calls is a touching, moving but humble novel that struck me right in the heart. It’s a masterpiece, and one everyone should read…if only to learn that stories are never just stories.

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
5 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Edition: Hardcover, 352 pages, published April 5th 2016 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Synopsis: We are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know…
Jonah never thought a girl like Vivi would come along.
Vivi didn’t know Jonah would light up her world.
Neither of them expected a summer like this…a summer that would rewrite their futures.
In an unflinching story about new love, old wounds, and forces beyond our control, two teens find that when you collide with the right person at just the right time, it will change you forever.

How beautiful broken things can be…how beautiful they are. And how beautifully Lord showed me that with this book…I will never be able to comprehend any of those things.

The plot…I love that the book is set over a summer, it’s one of the best time spans for a contemporary novel, I think. As a reader, I wasn’t involved with each day. But I felt like I was, and that was enough.

The characters…they are the most broken things of all, but they are also the most perfect. Vivi and Jonah are like colours, bright and sparkling, balancing each other out until they make the most beautiful rainbow.

The writing…is beautiful, too. The ultimate word for this book is beautiful. The writing is raw and deep and full of emotion, and that matches with every single thing about this novel. I wish I could write like Lord.

Something I liked…the setting! It’s not often I read about such a deep connection to a place in a contemporary book, and I really liked that Lord showed us this. I fell in love with Verona Cove from the very first page, but I think you need to for this book to be complete…and I love that loving the setting is just another puzzle piece to loving this book.

Something I disliked…the only thing I can say is Vivi.

I admit, there were times when I really didn’t like her, as much as I wanted to. She just came across so self-centered and undeserving – and I felt like she cast Jonah aside until she needed him. I felt his little heart breaking every single time he would be waiting to hear from her, worrying about her, when she would be planning her next wild adventure…without him.

But I think that’s exactly how Lord meant for her to come across, and I admit, it works. Because I realised a lot of things as the book went on, and as Jonah found out about them. And if those facts had been laid out in front of me from the start…if I realised what made Vivi…Vivi, this book just wouldn’t be what it is. It needs the confusion and then the understanding to make it so heartbreakingly, emotionally perfect.

My thoughts…this book is like rain. It’s messy and it destroys your hair, but it’s so, so beautiful. And rain…rain is the very thing that makes rainbows.

My rating is…

☽☽☽☽☽
5 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Goodreads | Amazon

Edition: Paperback, 383 pages, published February 12th 2015 by Orion
Synopsis: This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. The poverty-stricken Reds are commoners, living in the shadow of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers. To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from the Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change. Then Mare finds herself working at the Silver palace, in the midst of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

Although it took me ages (too long!) to get through this book, overall I really, really enjoyed it!

The plot…is so captivating! I felt so drawn in, and I just constantly wanted to find out more about the characters and their lives.

The characters…I felt mixed about. Even though I liked Mare and the complexity between her and the two princes, I didn’t feel very close to either prince. I definitely think this book would have been better if it had maybe been from alternating viewpoints!

The writing…wow! This book is so full of beautiful quotes and poetic writing – I wish I could write like Aveyard!

Something I liked…the writing was definitely #1 for me in this book! I could probably look through beautiful quotes for hours on end! The plot would be a close second favourite thing, and the characters third.

Something I disliked…this book is beautiful, poetic and I intruiging. However, I did find the start a little slow…and would have liked more detail from the characters.

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
4 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Goodreads | Amazon

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Cathy Cassidy and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.
Edition: Hardcover, 320 pages, published April 21st 2016 by Puffin
Synopsis: Andie, Eden, Ryan, Tasha and Hasmita love being part of the Heart Club. They’ve promised to stay best friends forever and nothing can tear them apart.
But sometimes things happen that you couldn’t ever have expected and forever might not be as long as you think.
Now, two years later, Eden and Ryan are haunted by memories of the past. Can they find a way to bring the club back together or is it too late to mend a broken heart?

I admit, I was worried with this one. It’s been a while since I’ve read any new stuff of Cathy’s and now I’m a little older I was concerned the magic would kind of…go away.

But of course, there was no reason for me to doubt Cathy’s writing or skill. No matter how old I am, it will be the amazing constant that only she can achieve.

The plot…it was so intriguing! I expected this book to be a light, easy read but far from it! It follow a compelling and emotional story, and that’s just the plot.

The characters…I would have loved to have seen more of them! Although Eden and Ryan were perfect main characters, I think it would have been great to have little sections from Andie, Tasha & Hasmita, too! Maybe in a diary form or bonus letters or text conversations between the characters at the end of the book?

The writing…Cathy could never fail! She made a simple break between friends into a complicated, deep, meaningful story. It was beautiful and poetic, making me laugh and cry. I couldn’t have hoped for anything more.

Something I liked…as I mentioned above, this book was beautiful. Yet it was so easy to read and follow, I couldn’t stop! I love the mix of amazing quotes and raw, honest emotion. It worked perfectly, and both things completely bounced off one another.

Something I disliked…nothing! This book gave me everything I could have hoped for and more.

Thoughts…what a perfect book. It reminded me very much of Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard, both books a poetic and raw way to describe the complicated beauty of broken friendships. If you love unique books that don’t focus wholly on young love, you need to try this novel.

It’s raw and it hurts…but it’s also full of love. It’ll make you cry and make you laugh…but emotion is what makes this book what it is. And that, that is exactly what a novel should be.

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
5 out of 5 moons…
…and all of my heart

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Mid-week update! Hi everyone! So my exam went pretty good yesterday. It could have gone better but it could have also gone a lot, lot worse. At least now I think I’m in with a chance at getting a C, even though I’m not confident about it.

My next paper is on Friday, but after then I’ll be back on this blog every day! I have been missing this blog a lot but it’s definitely right for me to have a break.

And my reading state? Well, I’m still getting through Red Queen, but I’m hoping the one day break I took to read Broken Heart Club will give me the motivation to get another 100 pages (at least) in before Friday. We’ll see, but I’m hoping to be writing a review about it on Sunday at the latest.

Hope you all have a great rest of the week, see you Friday!

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Edition: Paperback, UK, 421 pages, published September 19th 2012 by Scholastic
Synopsis: Blue has spent the majority of her sixteen years being told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. When Blue meets Gansey’s spirit on the corpse road she knows there is only one reason why – either he is her true love or she has killed him.
Determined to find out the truth, Blue becomes involved with the Raven Boys, four boys from the local private school (lead by Gansey) who are on a quest to discover Glendower – a lost ancient Welsh King who is buried somewhere along the Virginia ley line. Whoever finds him will be granted a supernatural favour.
Never before has Blue felt such magic around her. But is Gansey her true love? She can’t imagine a time she would feel like that, and she is adamant not to be the reason for his death. Where will fate lead them?

Again, I was uncertain about this book. As with mystery, I don’t read a lot of fantasy. Therefore I always tend to be a little more hesitant when diving into the unknown. But again, I was pleasantly surprised…I loved this book!

The plot…is really steady. The first 100-150 pages are compelling but I didn’t feel so immersed in the story.

I have heard this book be described as a ‘slow-starter’, and although I see how this could be true, they are not the words I was use exactly.

The simplist way to put it is this:

The start is good – but the middle and ending are great.

The characters…I love them – especially Blue and shy, quiet Adam. The only thing to improve would be to learn more about the other characters (Noah!) and maybe have different POV (Points of View) from them.

The writing…is outstanding! It took me (as it does with good books) by surprise, when I halfway through The Raven Boys, discovered it was written in third person.

Now that, right there, is when you know you’ve read a good book.

Something I liked…the characters and the setting! I rarley like, or even notice settings in some books – especially contemporary and romance – but I loved the mystery of Henrietta and Cabeswater.

Something I disliked…I didn’t dislike anything, as such. There was just something tiny missing. Something I would have liked more of. I can’t pinpoint anything, as such, but there is something. It needed something more.

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
4 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Edition: Hardcover, 321 pages, published March 1st 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books
Synopsis: The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

I wasn’t expecting to actually like this book. Mystery has just never really been my thing. Although I’ve always seen the appeal of it, it’s just not a genre I come across often, and therefore haven’t read a lot of it.

The plot…ah, so compelling! Obviously, this book is a mystery. It should be compelling. And the reader should always be kept guessing, but I didn’t expect it to be done so well. So amazingly.

The characters…how perfect for YA! I guess here lies my problem with mystery books. I never thought I would be able to relate to, or like the characters. But Cavallaro proved me completely wrong. Being teenagers in a high school, they were relatable. They were likeable. They were perfect.

The writing…was pretty damn spot on. I don’t know how else to word it, but it suited the book down to a T. I felt both Holmes’ and Watson’s characters very strongly throughout the writing, even though most of the book was written from Watson’s POV.

Something I liked…the setting. I don’t often point this out, but I think if it hadn’t have been set in a high school I just wouldn’t have related to it as much.

Something I disliked…practically nothing. The only thing I can say would I would have liked more closeness between the two, and more expansion on their friendship.

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
4 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Goodreads | Amazon
Release date: June 7th, 2016

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron’s senior trip to Italy was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. And then the accident happened. Waking up in a hospital room, her leg in a cast, stitches in her face, and a big blank canvas where the last 6 weeks should be, Jill comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident in her travels abroad. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident…wasn’t an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

I really wasn’t sure what I would think of this book as I’m not usually one for mystery, but when I saw it on NetGalley and found it’s also a contemporary, I thought I’d give it a go.

And surprisngly, I liked it! A compelling, well-written YA book – one I couldn’t stop thinking about!

The plot…is so intruiging! I constantly wanted to know what was going to happen to Jill and what she outcome would be for her and Simone.

The characters…I found so clever. As a reader you have every reason to dislike Jill, but I just couldn’t. This book is so honest, I felt like I could really see into Jill’s head!

The writing…as I mentioned above, is so honest and raw. A beautiful kind of raw, one I very much admire. I felt everything along with Jill as she remembered…and that’s what a book should do.

Something I liked…the setting! I love the fact that this book was (partly/sort-of) set in Italy, even the idea of it appeals to me.

Something I disliked…the only thing I could say is I would have liked to have had more of a solid outcome. I felt the ending was a little rushed, and I just wanted to know for sure what happened that day.

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Goodreads | Amazon

Disclaimer: I received an ebook version of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (But have already purchased a hardback version too haha)
Edition: Hardcover, 400 pages, published March 1st 2016 by Sourcebooks Fire
Synopsis: Grief turned Jaycee into a daredevil, but can she dare to deal with her past?
On the anniversary of her daredevil brother’s death, Jaycee attempts to break into Jake’s favorite hideout—the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum. Joined by four classmates, each with their own brand of dysfunction, Jaycee discovers a map detailing her brother’s exploration and the unfinished dares he left behind.
As a tribute to Jake, Jaycee vows to complete the dares, no matter how terrifying or dangerous. What she doesn’t bargain on is her eccentric band of friends who challenge her to do the unthinkable: reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother.

Okay. Wow. Wow-ee. This book was insane, incredible. You name it, this book is it (as long as you mean it’s good). Seriously, I always say the hardest books to review are the amazing ones…and I’m struggling to find the words for this one already.

The plot…is captivating, entertaining and all around amazing. I felt sucked in from the first page. There’s a sort of twist at the end that although I was expecting, really wasn’t sure if it was going to happen. And let me just say, I’m so glad it did! I’m also so, so happy it happened at Geauga! I just wanted to read on and on and on…and that’s what I did, literally finishing the whole, 400 page novel in a few sittings. The amazing plot just made me feel like the pages were turning themselves!

The characters…are pretty much sat on an extremely emotional roller-coaster the entire way through the book. But that’s okay, in fact that’s what this book is all about – and Cori writes that so well! I loved how close I felt to all of the characters (even Mik) with all of their different chapters. I would even go as far to say as this is the best book I’ve ever read with more than two POV’s. It just does it so well!

The writing…okay, so the writing is just incredible. It’s what ties this whole book together. Because yes, I loved the setting(s), characters, plot and everything else, but the writing just absolutely blew my mind.

How Cori put herself into the heads of all these amazing and unique characters I can’t even begin to comprehend. I also loved how this book was so normal, and relatable, but at the same time so deep and emotional.

The setting…is not normally something I include in reviews, but here I simply have to.

Abandoned places fascinate me. And this book is full of them – in fact most of the best scenes are set in them. It made the book not only extremely unique, but also have this great edge I’ve never noticed in YA before. This creepy, ghostly but very intruiging edge that I couldn’t drag myself away from.

In fact, the settings touched me so much that I’m going to be doing a post just about them (with links to info about the real places!) this Saturday. If you’re interested, check that out!

Something I liked…ah the comic parts! Just like my lovely friend Sophie said, DO NOT LET THEM PUT YOU OFF! They perfectly represent Mik as a person, as the graffiti does for Bishop (don’t let that put you off, either!). Just as the poems and paintings do in Jandy Nelson’s novels, they simply enhance and improve this beautiful book even further – and it just wouldn’t be what it is without them.

Something I disliked…absolutely nothing. It is extremely rare that a bookworm will come across a novel that they found not one thing to dislike…but here is one of those ocassions that that has happened. I go through each book I read being able to pick up on at least one thing I didn’t enjoy or could have been improved on. But now…I’m stuck for words. This book was perfect.

My thoughts…Cori McCarthy, I don’t know how (please share your secret?) but you have created such an unusual, individual but so beautiful and magical book. I feel like it was a true treasure and one I will not find again in a long time.

This book is a perfect coming-of-age novel with a twist. If you haven’t read it, I utterly force recommend you to do so. Now.

In fact…I may even go far enough to say that this book may have taken over (or at least equalled) All The Bright Places as my favourite novel of all time – wow.

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
5 out of 5 moons
(and so much more)

 -Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Goodreads | Amazon

Edition: Hardcover, 398 pages, published January 11th 2011 by Razorbill
Synopsis (from back cover): Amy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away.
Trapped in space and frozen in time. Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she’s due to arrive, she is violently woke, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy’s lost on board and nothing makes sense – she’s never felt so alone.
Yet someone is waiting for her
He wants to protect her –
and more if she’ll let him.
But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies? A killer is out there – and Amy has nowhere to hide…

My lovely best friend Emma bought this book for me for Christmas, and I’ve finally got round to reading it! I just want to say thank you, Em, it was amazing!!

The plot…is so captivating! This book is a real page-turner, and I felt like the book was going past so fast because I just couldn’t help but want to keep reading so fast!

The characters…I love Elder – his love for Amy just makes him seem so sweet. The characters are so well built, I honestly felt like they had full control over what I, as the reader, thought about them – and she could make that change in an instant. I’d literally feel angry one minite and happy the next.

The writing…ahh! It’s so good! Like I mentioned above, I felt like the pages were turning all on their own! It’s just so amazing, intruiging and insanely captivating – and all of this is because of the crazy-good writing.

Something I liked…I love how this book is dystopian and action filled but also with a twist. I’ve read a lot of dystopian books and found them all quite similar, in fact they all blur into one colour. But then there’s this one, completely different and bright, overtaking all of the other colours to rise out of the ashes. THIS BOOK DESERVES MORE CREDIT!!

Something I disliked…well, it took me a while to get used to the different words. I’m sure you’ve all come across it, but in a lot of YA fantasy/dystopian novels, swearing will be replaced. Honestly? It just makes me want to throw the book across the room and shout “WE’RE TEENAGERS. WE KNOW WHAT THE WORD F*CK MEANS”!

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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