After Eden by Helen Douglas

I received this book for free through a Goodreads first reads giveaway, all opinions expressed are my own!

Image taken from Goodreads

I read After Eden in one sitting, it is a pretty easy going book to read, the plot isn't too complex and neither are the characters for that matter. The genre that this novel would fall into would most likely be YA sci-fi due to the time travelling and the frequent mentions of space. To be frank, the product description doesn't paint this book in the right light, After Eden is more than just a story about a careful girl falling in love with the mysterious new guy, it is a cautionary tale about the importance of how the tiniest of actions can change the course of your future. 

The thing that I was immediately struck by was the cover, I know, I know, never judge a book by it's cover but lets all be honest here... We have all judged a book by the cover. As you can see above, the cover has bright colours that have been combined with the bold font and geometric shapes to make a pretty eye-catching cover.

Eden is our protagonist and as far as protagonists go, she is tolerable. Besides being good at solving puzzles she doesn't have any traits that leap out at you immediately, she is quite simply an average human. But there is something about her narrative thought that is interesting to read. I do feel that there were a lot of aspects of her character to be improved upon

Our main guy, Ryan, is confident, attractive, intelligent, and just a little bit sarcastic. So basically the typical YA guy. He is somebody that is dedicated to the task they have been set, at least until somebody comes along and changes all of that. I personally liked Ryan a lot more than I liked Eden and that is because his character was slightly more complex than Eden's was. We receive more of his back story which helps us to understand him in ways we don't even seem to understand our protagonist.

But don't let my previous negative thoughts put you off After Eden. Helen Douglas' writing style is so addictive. She really knows how to draw the readers in with her light-hearted style and easy to follow narrative. She has begun to develop her characters, worlds and plot to the point where I found myself being pretty sad it was over so quickly.

I decided to rate this 4 out of 5 stars for a fantastic premise and interesting to read writing style. Hopefully in the sequel, Chasing Stars, we will get a more in-depth view of Eden's character and history. Great work, I can't wait for the next book!

Book Review: Ramcen's Assignment by Simone Gillespie

Image taken from Amazon

Carmen and Jenny have always been bitter rivals and soon Carmen becomes consumed by her hatred for Jenny. When a mysterious and frightening creature appears to her and offers to help her defeat Jenny, she overcomes her initial terror of him and accepts his help. Ramcen’s pranks make revenge sweet but when these pranks cross the line into attempted murder Carmen begins to distance herself from Ramcen and to rely on her own strength . That’s when the trouble begins, Ramcen does not take the rejection lightly and begins to plot his revenge.

I recently received an email from Simone Gillespie with a link to the trailer for Ramcen's Assignment, she is giving everybody who subscribes to her website a PDF version of the book so go and check it out if you get a chance to. As this was the first book I have ever been sent to review, I was eager to get started.

The premise for this book is great, it's a fresh idea which is great to see. Ramcen is the physical embodiment of rage, and he quickly persuades Carmen to exact her revenge upon her nemesis, Jenny. I was pretty excited to read this book and Gillespie has a kicker of an opening sentence: "The sky was dark, very dark, it was only three o’ clock in the afternoon but it looked like midnight." The use of weather to set up a novel always has something to say for the way the novel will go, and using darkness to open the book was a great way to engage the reader and make us wary of the events about to take place.

At 76 pages, it's a very quick read, the kind that you can sit down on a rainy day with a nice cup of tea and read in one sitting. However, I found myself losing interest at some points. I found that the dialogue could be a little stunted, and actually the plot moved way too quickly for the story to be engaging. I know I usually complain that plot is awful when it moves too slow but shh.  Obviously, I understand that this is quite a short novel so Gillespie is going to need to keep the plot moving fast but she missed out on important character development which I felt led to some confusion, it felt as if the reader could not understand whether the rage Carmen felt was out of character or not. If the reader knew Carmen's character better, we might be able to connect with her on a more personal level, and thus lead us to feel empathetic towards what is happening to her. I expect Gillespie will develop this in the sequel, and it will certainly be interesting to see how her writing style has evolved.

I absolutely loved the way the book ended though, Gillespie gives the readers an incentive to read the sequel. The twist at the end introduces us to more groups and the embodiment of another familiar human emotion. There was suddenly a great twist, and you know what, I found myself speeding through the last 15 pages because I just had to know how it was going to end! But I won't spoil it for you, in case you decide to read the book. 

This book wasn't really for me, but that doesn't mean that you won't like it. Contrary to the review I have given, it is a good book but it just didn't fit my preferences in novels. I rate this book 3 stars out of 5. I may read the sequel to learn more about the world that Gillespie has introduced to the literary universe. Hey, the book is free, you may as well check it out and see if you like it yourself! Follow the link to YouTube to claim your free copy! Click Here For Your Free Copy!

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Yes, I know. I'm rather late in hopping on the Rainbow Rowell band wagon, but better now than never. Right?

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.

Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he's made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor... never to Eleanor.

Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you're young, and you feel as if you have nothing an everything left to lose.

I was 85% positive that I would not like this book, in fact I was so sure that I bought it just to prove myself right. Well, I was wrong. Sometimes books are just so hyped up that when you finally get the chance to read them you just feel so remarkably underwhelmed that you want to sob in a corner. Not Eleanor and Park. Oh no, the characters are constructed so eloquently that you're with them for their journey, as if you were their closest friend.

I swooned over Park, I wanted to hug Eleanor, her siblings and her mother, and I really wanted to punch Tina in the face for the majority of it. It's a book that gets under your skin in such a way that has you thinking about it for many days later.

To put it simply, I felt all of the feelings. To put it in an even simpler way, it is a masterpiece.

If you have yet to discover this fantastic piece of literature, then please head out to your favourite bookshop or Amazon and buy it. Honestly, this story of first loves and 80's references will make you fall in love with reading all over again.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

taken from goodreads

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. 

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Lets just establish something, if the bad ass cover doesn't immediately draw you in and the bad ass synopsis doesn't immediately  draw you in then hopefully this review will do what the previous two failed to do.

First, I would like to say that the fantasy genre is the marmite of the book world for me. It's not often that I feel neutral towards these books, I either love the book or hate it. In this case, if you haven't already established, I freaking loved this book. Although, I found that at points it was pretty obvious what was going to happen, it doesn't draw away from the overall effect that this book has on the reader.

Celaena could possibly be the strongest female protagonist I have encountered in the YA world - she has her eye set on her freedom and she will stop at nothing to gain this and whilst she may be an assassin, she isn't emotionally detached from life like you may expect a killer to be. Not only is she an assassin, she is an avid reader and she could take you down with words in a matter of seconds. One of my favourite quotes from the entire book is one from the end, during the final fight and well, maybe you'll understand why it is my favourite once you've read it: “My name is Celaena Sardothien. But it makes no difference if my name's Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I'd still beat you, no matter what you call me.”  I cheered so hard when she said that, it definitely highlights her strength and complete bad-assery. 

The description in this book is wonderful, Maas wastes no time in plunging us into the world of Adarlan and the Glass Palace. There is one point when Celaena is stood looking out onto the city and I felt like I was stood right next to her. It's easy for writers to fall into the trap of telling rather than showing but Maas has not fallen down on this aspect, rather she has strode at least 10 ft past the trap. A well built world is one of the greatest things in literature.

Every single time I read a new book, I try desperately to not fall in love with the characters but with Dorian and Chaol it was too difficult. They are polar opposites which is why it is okay to love them both and I will not envy Celaena when it comes to choosing which of the two will be her endgame guy. Dorian is sassy, kind, hilarious and adorable that at times he seemed so much like Will Herondale that I found that I had to remind myself that I was not reading The Infernal Devices. However, I have been informed that this was written long before The Infernal Devices series so obviously this kind of guy is the archetype for YA. Chaol on the other hand is distant, strong, a warrior but there are times when his emotions slip through his cold exterior. The first time he tried to slyly smile at something Calaena had done was the point of no return for me.

Overall, I give this book a very solid 5 stars out 5. You can find the book on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Throne-Glass-Sarah-J-Maas/dp/140883233X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379884156&sr=8-2&keywords=throne+of+glass

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Now, I'm sure everybody has already heard of Angelfall- the internet phenomenon that has taken the book world by storm- but just in case you haven't or have but don't know what the hell it's about, here is a quick run down: Picture this, you're living in a world where everything is in ruins. You don't know what's going on but you do know that the Angels are more vicious than even Supernatural made them out to be. Next thing you know, they've snatched your sister away from you and you're left to help a wounded but sassy angel named Raffe whilst trying to hunt down your baby sister.

As you now have the general jist of the story line I shall proceed to review it and hopefully persuade you to read this book.

I normally avoid stories about Angels at all cost as I find them tedious and quite frankly cheesy, however Angelfall was not that kind of story. The angels are not made out to be fluffy, loving yet slightly avenging types. Oh no. These Angels will rip your throat out without a second thought, they are not nice and they actually follow the bible's lore on them. Susan Ee very clearly did her research and for that I give her all of the awards. Raffe is sassy, he is handsome but he is also quite badass and has a more humane side than the other Angels which is pretty cool as well. I know I just contradicted myself there but he still follows the general Angelic lore of being vicious when need be.

Penryn Young. She is our protagonist and she is a little bit similar to Katniss Everdeen. You know- protective over her little sister, untrusting and when she has her sights set on something she will stop at nothing to get that something. It's quite inspiring. Penryn is also different to Katniss in that she hasn't grown up in this desolate, dystopian world so she has had to be able to adapt to a lifestyle that is completely different from a first world style life. She is one of the female protagonists that I find myself actually liking as she is intelligent and is quick to adapt and survive her surroundings.

Susan Ee also built up the world pretty well. Sometimes that is where dystopian novels falter as they don't spend enough time building up the setting, but Susan has apparently found the perfect ratio between character development and location development which thus allows the reader to connect more to the story.

If you're one to normally avoid Angel novels at all costs, try to push that aside and read this book as the story is fantastically structured. The narrative gives us just enough time to get used to one part of Penryn's journey before we are yanked away by our hair and thrown into a completely new part of the journey and it works so well. What continued to be one of my favourite moments in this book was Penryn's mother turning up all over the place, she is slightly insane and it's absolutely great.

I, like thousands of others, rate this book 5 stars out of 5 just because it is so amazingly, fantastically awesome and you should check it out for the sheer amount of stupid adjectives that I have used to describe this novel. Seriously, check it out: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Angelfall-Penryn-End-Days-Susan/dp/144477851X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378072910&sr=8-1&keywords=Angelfall

Legend by Marie Lu

Taken from Wikipedia

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

After doing a quick search on Goodreads to see what other readers thought of Legend, it would seem that there are mixed reviews on how people found this. On one hand- I totally get where the people that don't like it are coming from. There are certainly some aspects of Legend that became a bit repetitive and the colloquialisms used by Day and June can become quite dreary (e.g goddy, what the hell does that mean?!) However, Marie Lu's writing style helps build a vivid depiction of the Republic in our minds and the characters are well put together. 

The synopsis paints a picture of the Republic that looks awfully similar to The Hunger Games' Panem. Well, yes it does. They do share similarities- a large nation bounded together by a government that are awfully corrupt but really, that's a relatively common feature of YA dystopia novels. Or at least quite a few of the dystopia novels that I have read. The setting of Legend actually takes place in a city familiar to most people; Los Angeles. It isn't an undisclosed location that the readers have to take a stab at placing or picturing rather a place a hefty majority of the readers will have at least seen pictures of. Granted, it has changed quite a bit from the glamorous city we know it to be. The way Marie Lu has formed the LA of the Republic as both beautiful and so run down that the stark contrasts of how June and Day live helps you understand their characters and how they have been sculpted.

As for the characters themselves, they are everything you would expect from the stereotypical YA characters. An intelligent heroine with an intelligent, sassy hero at her side. But something about these two protagonists seem different. With many heroines, they have a special skill set but with June she is an all round intelligent character. She is quick to assess the situation around her and whilst some readers have criticised this because it is unrealistic, you have to remember that stupidity is being bred out of the humans in this novel. People need to be intelligent and athletic because it's the only way to survive and live a good life. Personally, I found June to be a strong independent character that held herself well in a way that would make her a strong asset to the Republic. And as for Day. He is what many love interests and heroes in YA novels are; sassy, attractive, stealthy, troubled and strong. Although that's not to say his character is a copy of many before him. Day is ridiculously intelligent (ignore the negative adjective, I mean it in a good way) and even though he consciously mentions this, it seems like he underestimates just how intelligent he is. He is the victim and the criminal. I could sit here and tell you that he is a misunderstood victim, which he is, but he is a criminal- albeit he is a criminal with good intentions but there is really no avoiding this. Some ridicule Day, much like they ridicule June and it is difficult to put across how different they are from what you may expect.

Now for the plot, if you have read this far then I assume you have a basic grasp of what happens in Legend. Sure, there are resemblances to other novels but this really is a page turner and honestly, it's difficult to put down. The one thing that I would've appreciated was June's time at school being extended so that we could understand her and the way she works more. But this fits in very well with the fast pace of the book, Marie Lu throws us into disequilibrium and almost as soon as the new equilibrium is established another disequilibrium is thrown at us and really, it works well considering the nature of Legend. The use of alternating perspectives is also a strong point for this novel as we get to experience the events through two sets of eyes and two completely different sets of views towards the Republic. 

I think Legend deserves a strong 4.5 stars for a good build up of suspense  and for setting up what looks to be a great series. I will definitely be reading the sequel Prodigy to find out how the pair will survive and evolve as characters. Check out the trailer for Legend below;

Immortal City by Scott Speer

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest Angel in a city obsessed with Immortals. Everyone loves him. Everyone except Maddy Montgomery, that is. She's not interested in shallow celebrities... Until Jackson takes refuge in the diner where Maddy works and an irresistible connection pulls them together. But as Maddy is drawn into Jackson's glamorous world, shes exposed to more than the paparazzi. A serial killer is murdering Angels. Maddy and Jackson could lose each other forever.

Immortal City is the first in a new YA series, they're written by Scott Speer who is both a film director and a music video director. The synopsis of this book makes the book sound quite generic and through the use of the adjective 'hottest' does little to give it a unique selling point. Yet, it still draws you in. Perhaps this has something to with the cover, sometimes it can be quite difficult to resist an tanned, brooding, muscular male and I know it certainly helped me want to buy it.

The plot of this book is everything you'd expect it to be from the synopsis, although that's not a necessarily a bad thing. The plot follows Jacks, the most loved angel in the City of Angels, and Maddy, an ordinary human who seems to be the only person immune to the charm of the Angels. It switches between their point of views so the readers get aspects from both of their lives which helps us connect more with the characters. I'm not going to lie, it is pretty predictable what is going to happen throughout the narrative which makes it a little difficult to be gripped in the claws of the plot. The action scenes in the book were well written, especially the end fight scene which had me shouting angry remarks at one point.

Jacks and Maddy's dynamic was interesting. I really did like the way that Maddy stayed true to herself and didn't immediately fall for Jacks charm from the very beginning and the way Speer gradually built up their relationship. It was hard to not fall for Jacks, even though he has a very stereotypical teenage view on life; I'm misunderstood, nobody understands me. You get the picture. Jackson Godspeed is the most famous Angel and to be fair to him, a lot is demanded of him and he is also having to protect himself from an Angel serial killer so of course he is going to be feeling misunderstood. But don't get me wrong, he does have some redeeming qualities, he is handsome, interesting, charming and has a lot of heart.

The one thing that stood out the most about Immortal City was the social comment. Ignoring the romance and murder, if you were to change the names of the Angels to celebrities in our society then there would be little difference in the way the public in the book acts. Speer delivers a comment that forces us to think about how ignorant and ridiculous it is to act this way to a group of elite strangers, and really it's quite interesting. I have no idea whether he intended for the book to come across in this light, but I congratulate you sir because it was brilliant.

Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. It's a fun, easy read, at times it'll make you laugh and you'll be charmed by Jacks. I'm not sure whether I will read the sequel; Natural Born Angel but this book is worth a read if you have the chance.