Review on 'War Horse'

Joey is a beautiful red horse who is taken from his mother at a young age and sold to a farmer. Although the farmer is unkind to Joey, the farmers son takes kindly to Joey and trains him how to be a work horse. However, when the army arrives in town looking for horses, Joey is sold. As Albert, Joeys owner, is too young to join the army, the two are separated and Joeys life changes forever. Faced with the terrors of war, Joey has to get through this alive so that he can be reunited with Albert.

I thought this book was beautifully written and found the narrative style interesting, as it is wrote from the point of view of Joey. Although many of the characters in the book think that horses are dumb and can't understand them, we know this is not true, as Joey explains his thoughts and feelings, letting the reader sympathize with him. We are rooting for Joey throughout the book, and although he meets many kind people, such as a little french girl called  Emilie, we are always wanting him to find Albert again. Although there are no major plot twists, there is plenty of action and there is never a dull moment. The copy that I have is also beautifully illustrated, which helps in telling the story and giving a visual image to the reader. Although this is a childrens book, I would recommend it to people of all ages.

Review on 'Beautiful Creatures'

Ethan Wate lives in a small, boring village where nothing ever happens. That is until Lena Duchannes moves into town. When Lena inexplainably smashes a window in class, she is immediately shunned by her peers, all except for Ethan. Although Lena lives with Macon Ravenwood, a man who no one has seen leave his house in years, Ethan has a connection with Lena. But why has Ethan been dreaming about this girl for months, and why is she so worried about her upcoming birthday? Ethan soon finds out that Lena is more than just a normal teenage girl

As I love supernatural young adult novels, I thought that I would try this one. The plot is interesting, and it keeps you wanting to find out why Lena and Ethan have such a strong connection. I thought it was well written, and the back story of their ancestors helped explain the characters, and how they are connected through their family. However after the initial reveal of what Lena is, I felt that the subplots were not enough to keep you from wondering what was going to happen to Lena on her birthday, and it felt as if the novel was dragged along until this point. I loved the climax of the novel, as there are a few plot twists, but also some disappointments, as the book seems to be leading up to a big reveal, but then it does not happen, and it seems as if we have to read the sequels to find out Lena's fate. It is a good read overall, but not the best YA novel I have read recently.

Review on 'The Fault in Our Stars'

"It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.”

Hazel Grace wants nothing more than the ability to be a normal teenager. However, being diagnosed with cancer at the age of thirteen changed her life forever. Although the cancer is kept at bay with a drug called Phalanxifor, her life is constantly at risk. As Hazel needs to be constantly hooked up to an oxygen tank, this makes it difficult for her to do normal day to day activities. Hazel is depressed about her situation, that is until she meets Augustus Waters, a gorgeous boy who she meets at cancer support group. As Augustus was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at a young age, causing him to loose his right leg, Hazel finally has someone in her life who understands her. However, Hazel discovers that not all is as it seems, and her relationship with this perfect boy may be in jeopardy.

As I’d heard many positive reviews about this book,and consider myself a nerd fighter,  I decided to give it a go. John Green does not disappoint, as I instantly loved this novel and connected with the characters of Hazel and Augustus. The novel had me both laughing and sobbing, and I felt great empathy for these characters. Green brings Hazel and Augustus to life, showing a variety of emotions from humour to pain. Although the book is centered around teenagers, they seem advanced for their age, knowing that life is never perfect. I think that adults as well as teenagers would enjoy this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone. As long as you are ok with having your heart ripped out towards the conclusion, you should definitely read this book. In other words, it will be a privilege to have your heart broken by it.

Cover Reveal

Sorry I haven't updated this in a long time I have a lot of University work to do right now as I have three exams at the start of May. I've just finished reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and am currently working on a book review to post. In the meantime I thought I would share the cover of the sequel to Chris Colfer's childrens novel The Land of Stories.

I think this is a beautiful and exciting cover. There's so much to look at and it makes you wonder what Alex and Conner will get up to in their next adventure. We can see some of the old characters, such as Froggy and the harp, but there also seems to be some new and exciting enemies for the twins to face. I thought the first book was brilliant so I am looking forward to getting to read this one.

After Sebastian’s body inexplicably vanishes from the rooftop, it is clear that Lilith's plan to bring him back has worked.  Clary is left with the major problem that Valentine’s son is once again on the loose, and is intent on creating an army of dark Shadowhunters. However, this is only one of their problems, as Sebastian has seemingly kidnapped Jace, who is now bound to Sebastian’s life force. Cut Sebastian and Jace bleeds. Clary and her friends must find a way to break this bond before it is too late. Will they be able to get back the Jace they all know and love, or will he be lost to Sebastian forever?


The fifth installment of this series does not disappoint, as we follow the characters we have come to know and love, such as Clary, Simon and the Lightwoods as they try to figure out how to destroy Sebastian without hurting Jace. The book is heart wrenching, so if you do not want to be sobbing your eyes out by the end of it then I don’t recommend reading it. We see the relationships of the characters develop, some for the better and some for the worse. However we also get the full on action scenes we have come to expect in this series, and there is never a dull moment.

As I have probably mentioned before, I adore Magnus Bane and he definitely does not disappoint in the book, as he is just as fabulous as ever. I adore how his relationship with Alec develops, although we see a darker side to both the characters, and discover that their relationship is just as flawed as any of the other couples. The relationship between Clary and Jace is also heartbreaking, as even though Clary is still in love with Jace, she has to accept the fact that this is not her Jace, as he is being manipulated by Sebastian.

Overall this is a great addition to the series. My only problem is that the last book in this series does not come out until 2014, and I don’t know how I am going to cope having to wait that long to find out what happens next. I have fallen in love with these characters [particularly Jace, Magnus and Alec] and am looking forward to finding out how their adventure concludes.

Review on The Mortal Instruments #4 City of Fallen Angels

Although the war against Valentine is over, Clary and her friends problems are not over yet. After Simon is approached by Camille, one of the oldest vampires in the world, Simon’s life changes for the worst. Shadowhunters are getting murdered all over New York, and strange men in grey tracksuits are following him round. What they don’t know is that Simon now has the mark of Cain, meaning that anyone who tries to harm him would have the damage come back at them seven-fold  Simon, Clary, Jace and the Lightwoods must figure out who is killing the Shadowhunters and why Simon is receiving continuous threats to his life. But what they find out is not pleasant, and they must stop the person behind it before it is too late.

As the author originally intended to stop this series at book three, I was interested to find out what was going to happen next, as the previous story line had already been concluded, meaning that Clare needed to come up with a completely new problem for the characters to face. Although I loved this book, I felt as if the story line in the previous books was stronger. I also thought there should have been more issues needing to be resolved to go into the next book with, as at the end there is only one problem left. I also felt that some of the characters needed development. For example, near the start of the book, Camille is seen to be one of the most powerful and oldest Downworlders in existence, but as the novel progresses she seems to become weaker and less important. As there are only two bad characters who has survived at the end, I felt as if her character should have been developed further, as I am sure it will be continued into the next book.

Overall I enjoyed this book and will continue to read this series. I have enjoyed seeing how the characters have grown and changed through the course of the series, and how relationships have progressed.  It is nice to see how there are both gay and straight relationships, as in the majority of novels, all the relationships are between a heterosexual couple, and gay relationships are seen in a negative light, whereas the relationship between Alec and Magnus is seen to be no different to the one between Jace and Clary. The book is continuously exciting with lots of action scenes, and there is never a dull moment, as even the slower parts are interesting, as you get to learn more about the characters and the plot. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.