A Review of Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!

I hope everyone had a fantastic day and got everything that they wanted. I know I did. I have to say the best part was having my Nan over because the last time she spent Christmas with us I was 6 and now I’m nearly 17. There’s nothing like telling stories around a Christmas dinner with candles. Felt magical.

But I also got some great presents and I am here to share them. As well as these I get money from my family in Ireland so I will be spending that on books (there’s a surprise) and clothes because being in sixth form I don’t really want to wear things twice. 

So here are the pictures:

And here is what I got, in case you can’t see clearly in the pictures:

-The Dark Knight Rises (MASSIVE batman fan)

-The Amazing Spiderman

-Supernatural Season 7 (Will have to start from one again in the new year)

-Brave (For both my sister and I)

-Kelly Clarkson Greatest Hits

-Pez dispenser and Pez pellets (Because I’m such a kid)

-Watercolour set where you can buy individual refills

-Blue Nose friends calendar (SO CUTE)

-Smarties tube

-Munchies tube (Can’t remember the last time I had some)

-Celebrations box

-Body Butter set

-Bath/Shower gel set (Gotta smell nice)

-3 pairs of funky socks (From my dogs)

-Batgirl t shirt (tehe)

-Blue jumper with silver (wearing it)

-Crimson skater skirt (wearing it)

-Top with American flag

-Corduroy jeans (but too big so need to take back)

-2 pairs of tuxedo jeans, green and purple (and they’re size 10s tehe)

-A beautiful French styled picture frame (it’s the theme of my room)

-A holographic bookmark where a dog reads a book with glasses on (So awesome)

Now the books (This is where it gets exciting):

-Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

-Burn Mark by Laura Powell

-Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

-Hot Blooded by Nancy Holder and Debby Viguie

-Breathe by Sarah Crossan

-The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzad

-The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa (With an excerpt for next Blood of Eden book)

-Dark Eyes by William Richter

-The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

-Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

-Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

-Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

-Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

-Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout (My mum forgot to order Onyx though)

-Defiance by C. J. Redwine

-Entice by Jessica Shirvington (been waiting for this one)

-Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

-Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

-Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (Because the film is coming out soon)

-Touch by Jus Accardo

I plan on getting a lot more in the new year and hopefully I'll have more time to read as well.

I hope you all had a great holiday and if you did a post similiar to this then leave a comment and I'll check them out. That's all from me folks so Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Date Read: December 22^nd, 2012

Date Published: 2011

Publishers: Marion Lloyd

Format: Paperback

Pages: 417

Blurb: Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when four cloaked horsemen capture Lugh, Saba's world is shattered, and she embarks on a quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the outside world, Saba discovers she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba’s unrelenting search for Lugh stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

 Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetic writing style, and an epic love story—making Moira Young is one of the most exciting new voices in teen fiction

Review:

It took a while to finish this one because I was moving house and coursework deadlines just kept coming at me. But last night I decided to pick it up again after not reading for a week and a half and i finished it in three hours. It's safe to say I got into it good and proper.

I've never read a book like this before. The writing style that Young used was so unique and different, I'd never seen it done like that before. What I found strange at first was that there weren't any speech marks. In my head I was going "Well, how am I going to know what's being said and what isn't?" But the fact is that I knew exactly when someone was speaking and it's funny because I could clearly hear what they would sound like. And that doesn't always happen with a book. But the thing that threw me the most with this book was that the whole thing, the description, the narrative, was written in the way that Saba, the main character, speaks. So that involved non-standard grammar and words spelt on the page how they would sound in her voice. It was refreshing because it was different and made the story more real for me.

Saba had such a strong and unique voice. She didn't stand for any nonsense, she was a fierce heroine and I liked that. She didn't moan, she was focused on the task at hand, finding her brother no matter what it took. And boy did she go through a lot. If I was her I would have given up but she didn't and I admire her character for that. She made me laugh at some of the things she said and I connected with her. And some may read this book and think of her as a mean character for not being friendly with her little sister but I see why she does it. But everyone can change.

There were a lot of interesting characters in this book and every single one of them was different. For the most part Lugh, Saba's brother, wasn't in it so we only got glimpses of him or what Saba described him as. I hope that in the next book I can learn more about him. Emmi, their little sister, was sweet and kind and put up with a lot. In the end she proved to be a fighter and a strong girl, who surprised quite a few people. At points in this book there were characters who I despised so much that I felt Saba's anger at them. I won't mention too much about them or what they do but it isn't nice! But the King, he was one strange being. You'll see for yourself if you read it or if you already have then hopefully you'll feel the same as me. He reminded me of one of those crazy villains you see and what clarifies this point is that he talks about himself in the third person. Gina thinks he is crazy.

There is one person in this book I feel a crush growing on. Jack. The handsome thief who is good looking, funny and has that arrogance about him that makes you like him for his witty comments. But it was so frustrating when Saba wouldn't let herself be close to him. I think I slapped my forehead at one point because she acted so stupid. But you can just tell that they are meant to be together and I look forward to reading more of them in the second book.

So overall this book has a strong story that is captivating and intriguing. The world is so different from ours yet it seems as though it could be real. The characters all have their place and everyone is important to making this book what it is. I enjoyed this very much and I think that Young is a magnificent author for creating this story.

Rating: 

Review: The Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Date Read: November 28^th, 2012

Date Published: August 2^nd, 2012

Publishers: Indigo

Format: Paperback

Pages: 336

Blurb: Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Review:

I didn't know what to expect with this book. Steam punk is a genre I'm not familliar with. I know that it's a mixture of past and present objects. For example there are horse drawn carriages in this and the fashion is vintage style with corsets and big skirts but there are also nightclubs and skycraping hotels. It's definitely different and I kind of like it.

This story is set in a dark world that's mysterious and strange. The plague is killing everything and everyone and only those rich enough to afford masks can have them. Araby is the main character who goes out to the clubs to get away from the death of the city and her painful past that haunts her everyday. There's no cure, even though her father created the masks he cannot stop the plague from spreading.
But when Araby meets Will she thinks her life might have some meaning. But it's dangerous out on the streets and nothing is what it seems. But when Elliot comes into her life she isn't sure if she should trust him. Everyone has secrets.

I thought that Araby was quite a good character. Not the best I've ever read about but she was engaging. She has a lot of pain inside her and you get to know why she is the way she is. Why she goes to the club to get away. As the book progressed her character grew and I ended up liking her a lot.
Will was sweet and sexy and just oh so nice and you can tell from the beginning that they have chemistry together. But events that happen in this book leave me unsure of what to think of him. I'm hoping that in the next book everything will be fine.
Elliot was the opposite of Will. He was arrogant and not really that nice but he was, in fact, a nice person and was sweet. I believe he really likes Araby and it isn't an act. I'm curious to see how this love triangle will develop in the next book.

I think I enjoyed this read because it was so different to any other book. The characters were okay but I didn't connect with them as much as what I normally do. But I want to find out what will happen to them and how their story will end. I'm hoping for more action and I am praying that i get some.

Rating:

Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Date Read: November 24^th, 2012

Date Published: May 1^st, 2012

Publishers: Harper Teen

Format: Paperback

Pages: 453

Blurb: Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Review:

This book was awesome and different to the other angel, demon books out there. It's nice when you find a book that takes an idea or genre and changes it while still leaving bits that are typical to that genre. What I found interesting with this book is that the children of the fallen angels had to do work for their parents. So if your dad was say...a fallen angel, the Duke of Substance Abuse then you'd have to influence people to do drugs, become an alcoholic etc. Very creative if you ask me.

Our main character Anna was pretty cool. She can see people's auras and knows what they're feeling. She never knew why she could do it, she just accepted it. But she feels a pull towards the darkness of the world. When she meet Kaidan she realises why she is the way she is. She's special because she is part Angel, part Demon and there is a struggle inside her. One side will win, but which will it be. She needs answers and knows that Kaidan will help her. But she feels drawn to him like no one else and it will be hard to resist. Especially because of whose son he is.

This book was quite addictive and it didn't take too long to read. Anna and Kaidan were complete opposites yet they werent at the same time. And as the story went on I found myself rooting for them. But there are prices to pay for them and the consequences won't be good.
He was quite the bad boy, a drummer in a bad, and he's british. Personally I don't know why people find our accents attractive but hey it works (but only if you don't sound common, if you do then no it's not attractive). Things get pretty steamy between them so maybe this book isn't for younger readers out there. I look forward to seeing how their romance will work out in the next book (which i need badly!).

This is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2012. It was unique, different, had awesome characters, a strong plot and I just know that the next book will be just as great. Miss. Higgins, thank you very much!

Rating: