Seeking Crystal – Joss Stirling

Sparks will fly. Passion will ignite….

A fantastic third book in an amazing series!

 

I was was very excited to read Seeking Crystal having previously enjoyed the unputdownable Finding Sky and Stealing Phoenix! I love the tales of the Benedict brothers and their respective girlfriends and I thought the storyline was new and original whilst still including my old favourite characters!

 

The story is that of Crystal Brook, the girl that lives in the shadow of her wonderful sister Diamond, who meets an older Benedict brother and falls head of heels in love! The families join together for their wedding and just when it’s all going to plan, there is an attack from a powerful enemy that causes Crystal and Xav to join forces against it.

 

I loved the Crystal was by no means perfect as I felt this made her easier to relate to, apart from the Savant thing!:) Also I thought the chemistry between Xav and Crystal was very well written and believable, love the way it is told too!

 

Overall it was a stunningly good book and I have no complaints at all! Just can’t wait to read more Joss Stirling! Definitely recommend it to everyone 😀

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

Another amazing book. I broke my ultimate book-film rule when it came to this. I watched the film first, something I try not to do. However I don’t think it made all that much of a difference this time.

The book follows Charlie, a teenager who has a difficult past. As a reader it is impossible not to feel for Charlie and to like him! He meets Sam and Patrick who are also very likeable characters. It focuses on their adventures throughout the year at school and the new experiences that Charlie has. It is an amazingly moving book that drove me to tears more than once, I am not ashamed to say it! It was so fantastic and the actors in the film could not be more convincing, they were perfect for the roles, especially the actors for Charlie and Patrick. I fully recommend this for teens and adults alike 😀

Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green and David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson was an excellent book written by two fabulous writers! It is written in two parts, alternating between one Will Grayson and the other, each written by on of the authors.

 

The concept of the book is very interesting in itself as everyone undoubtedly wonders what it would be like to meet a person with the same name as you. So naturally the book intrigued me from the start.

 

It follows two boys both called Will and how their lives move and come together. I really liked all the characters especially Will Grayson (1) and Tiny, who writes a very funny play.

 

As is typical of John Green, the book features issues which apply directly to teenagers and how they interact with each other. It is funny and yet sad but also cute and overall wonderful.

 

It is my second favourite John Green book, after TFIOS, and I would recommend it to everyone 🙂

Guardian Angel – Robert Muchamore

**as the second book in the CHERUB Aramov series this review may contain unavoidable spoilers**

I have been a long term fan of the CHERUB series as I enjoy the espionage and drama contained within the books. I have also read Robert Muchamore’s other series, Henderson’s Boys, which are also fantastic and not just boys’ books!!

The story focuses on Ryan Sharma, an already qualified CHERUB agent who was on the mission to pull down the Aramov clan in Kyrgyzstan. In book 1, Peoples Republic, Ryan had to befriend Ethan Aramov but then Ethan’s mother was killed and Ethan was taken to Aramov HQ. In book 2 Ryan must help bring the Aramov clan down successfully whilst trying not to hurt Ethan. The book switches between Ryan, Ethan and Ning (another agent). 

Guardian Angel was a thoroughly enjoyable book and I look forward to reading Black Friday, the third book. My only criticism would be that it was quite slow to get going! Otherwise though, it was fun and thrilling!

I would recommend it to everyone, girls and boys alike 🙂

Thank you to OSH Librarian, Jo, for lending me the books 😀

Divergent – Veronica Roth

Such a great read! As soon as I saw this book I was desperate to read it so I am so very grateful to Harper Collins UK who kindly sent it to me.

Divergent is set in a dystopian world where there are five factions: Dauntless, Abnegation, Amity, Candor and Erudite. It follows a girl named Beatrice (Tris) who is originally part of Abnegation before the choosing ceremony. It shadows Tris’ Journey as she matures and meets new people. 

I really liked Tris’ character as she was brave and yet still had flaws which I think makes a good character as it makes them closer to real human beings. The story is truly moving and it shows the hardships of the people very well and also displays how power corrupts people. 

I thought that the characters were very well written and showed a great variety of people. My favourite character was by far Tris but I also liked Four and Will . 

My only criticism is that at times (only a few times) it was slightly predictable but otherwise it was fantastic.

I truly recommend this to everyone and cannot wait to read Insurgent, the second book, thanks again to Harper Collins 🙂

 

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

I will admit that when my mum told me I should read Pride and Prejudice I was a little apprehensive, believing that the book had a lot less in it than it actually did.

The story is based around the Bennet sisters, focusing mainly on Elizabeth. It shows very well how a woman’s whole aim was to find a husband and depicts Mrs Bennet as being extremely set on this goal.

When Mr Bingley moves into the big house, Netherfield, Mrs Bennet is determined that one of her daughters should marry him. So the sisters go to balls which he also attends and at one of these Elizabeth meets Mr Darcy, the seemingly rude and stuck up man, whom she immediately dislikes. Over the course of the book more and more characters are introduced and the drama increases until a happy ending for most.

I must now admit that I was wrong to presume Pride and Prejudice would be rubbish because in fact I enjoyed it thoroughly and I can honestly say that Elizabeth Bennet is a fantastically written character who, for me, joins the likes of Jo March (Little Women – Louisa May Alcott). Definitely a recommended read.

Heaven – Christoph Marzi

“They’d kill for her heart”

After reading the very strange and short blurb to this book, I was hooked! It sounded amazing and completely crazy, which it was.

The story is about a girl called Heaven and a boy called David. It starts with the night that Heaven has her heart cut out by a creepy man that changes his name far too much throughout the course of the book. This man had been hired to cut out her heart. However after having her heart cut out, Heaven gets up and runs away. Obviously she is not normal. Then she meets David and so begins their adventure to escape being killed by the man with the knife while at the same time find out about Heaven’s true identity and get her heart back.

It was a truly unforgettable read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thrilling read. It was the second book I have read from bookswithbite, the first being Anna Dressed in Blood, and I am beginning to suspect a lot of their books will be fantastic!

Anna Dressed in Blood – Kendare Blake

Anna dressed in blood – Kendare Blake

“Just your average boy-meets-girl. Girl-kills-people story.”

Theseus cassio lowood is not just you ordinary teenage boy, he kills ghosts like his father did.

At the start of the book you get a little background information of Cas and then he and his mother move to Thunder Bay because Cas received information that there was a very murderous ghost living in an old house there. This is Anna, Anna dressed in blood, and Cas has to kill her. However this is not as easy as it seems. Following the initial attempt to kill her, Cas realises she is not like any other ghost he has ever met. Therefore he will have to go about it in a different way. With a horrifying twist at the end of the book it really manages to grasp the readers attention.

I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because it was a fantastic read with lots of suspense. I cannot wait to read the second book, Girl of Nightmares.

The Fault In Our Stars – John Green

The story of Hazel Lancaster and Gus Waters is one of the most tragic i have ever read and yet at the same time, it was also one of the best.

I was in Waterstones looking at the tables with the books on when I saw TFIOS, I had heard of John Green before but had not read any of his books. After reading the blurb I was hooked and i couldn’t wait to read it!

The Fault In Our Stars is a book about a girl named Hazel who has terminal cancer. She attends a Cancer Support group where she hears other kids stories, however she often finds herself rolling her eyes alongside Isaac: the boy with cancer in his eye.

One evening when she is attending the support group, Isaac brings a friend; Augustus Waters who previously had cancer. Hazel and Gus immediately become friends and they spend a lot of time together. They share book recommendations and Hazel tells Gus to read An Imperial Affliction, a book about a girl, Anna, who had cancer and the book ends in the middle of a sentence. Hazel understood that this was probably due to the fact that Anna had died but she wanted to know what happened to Anna’s family. Consequently Hazel and Gus make plans to go to Amsterdam to meet the author.

Altogether this book was amazing and heart-breaking due to the twist at the end and it made me cry buckets. I would truly recommend it to everyone as the story of this couple was brilliant yet depressing at the same time with many moments of humor and grief. Now I cannot wait to read John Green’s other novels, including: Looking For Alaska and Paper Towns.

Debutantes – Cora Harrison

The season of parties, romance and secrets is about to begin

Debutantes is set in 1920’s England, and being a fan of Downton Abbey; I knew I had to read it! Overall I would have to say this is a very enjoyable read, however in places it was quite predictable and the I felt the characters were slightly lacking in their personalities.

The book begins with introducing the Derrington family, Violet, Daisy, Poppy and Rose. Along with their father, Michael, and Great-Aunt Lizzie.  The book mostly focuses on Daisy, introducing her ambition first, to be a famous film director. I found Daisy’s character slightly annoying and I would have preferred the book to have focused on each of the girls in turn as this would mean you could see different characters points of view in turn. The other girls all have ambitions too; Violet wants to be the perfect debutante, Poppy, a jazz musician and Rose wishes to be an author.

The book focuses on Violet’s efforts to become the perfect debutante. However with no money, this proves a challenge which the girls struggle to overcome. As well as this, the girls dig up old family secrets which lead to things that change their lives.

I enjoyed this book since the parties and atmosphere of the 1920’s were described really well and the plot line as quite amusing and intriguing.

I would recommend this book, and definitely to fans of Downton Abbey or the 1920’s era! 🙂