Review of The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

This is the book that C.S. Lewis intended to be the first in his landmark series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Here we are introduced to Polly and Digory, who are tricked by Digory's uncle Andrew into becoming part of an experiment that transports them into the adventure of a lifetime. After being hurled into the Wood Between the Worlds, the children encounter the evil queen Jadis, who accidently accompanies the children back to England and wrecks havoc on the streets of London. When Polly and Digory finally take the queen away from London, they find themselves lost in a place that will soon be known as Narnia. In this unforgettable story, C.S. Lewis shows us how the adventure began - the glorious birth of the land of Narnia at the hand of its mysterious King.

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As a lot of kids did, I read the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first. You'd be surprised at how many people don't know that this is the first book of Narnia, not LWW. I'm going to assume everyone knows the LWW story and say that if you read this after it, it clears up a lot of confusion, like who the Witch is and where she comes from, where the Wardrobe comes from and why on Earth there's a solitary lamppost.
We meet Diggory, who is living with his Aunt and Uncle due to his mother being sick, Polly, who meets Diggory in the Garden and they decide to explore the attic together, Uncle Andrew, a very unpleasant character and of course, Aslan himself. Even though this is an old book (technically a classic), it's never boring and isn't written in a confusing way. I'd recommend this to any fantasy lovers.

5/5

Review of Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Welcome to Morganville, Texas. Just don't stay out after dark. College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

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I avoided this book for a while, thinking it was going to be just another rubbish money grabber that came out after Twilight. Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised, this book is awesome! Claire is an instantly likeable character, which many reader's can relate to - she leaves home for the first time experiences life in a dorm room and mucks up, leading to her being viciously attacked by Monica, the psycho Queen Bee. No pushing and shoving - Claire gets black eyes, knives are drawn, acid is poured...
I've read a few reviews that say that the violence is too much. I never once even thought this when reading the book. I even saw one review that said the Vampires were too evil (don't be scared readers, the Vampires do bite people in this. Although there isn't an description of it)!
The world of Morganville is very believable, having a Vampiric government may seem a little unbelievable ('why doesn't the rest of the world know about this?') but there is an explanation given. The Vampires seem to have a food chain - each have their own master, right to the top. Obviously, the oldest Vampire has no master and owns the Town. Michael was my favourite character in this, he has his own secret which is very unique and a brilliant addition to this amazing story.

5/5

Review of Reaper by Rachel Vincent

Tod Hudson was a typical teenager. He liked girls, sports, food and tolerated his younger brother, Nash. In fact, he had his whole life in front of him - and due to his bean sidhe heritage, it was going to be a very long life indeed. And then the car accident occurred.
Suddenly Tod's future wasn't so sure, and he had to make a choice. Life... Death... or something Between....

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If I ignore my hatred of Rachel Vincent's obsession with repeating everything I already know about the book ('The female of our species was better known, historically and mythologically, by her iconic wail for the dying. What most of the human race didn’t know was that where they heard a head-splitting scream, male bean sidhes—like me and Nash—heard an eerie, compelling song calling out to disembodied souls, keeping them from moving on.' Yes I know I read it in the last book and the one before that and the one before that too!) it's a very good book, an excellent book in fact. But it's short (yes, I know it's a short story), so short in fact it stops dead. I found myself looking on other people's blogs to see if I had less of the book than they did (it is a 72 page PDF right?). Very strange cliffhanger ending.
It is beautifully written though! We see Tod just before his death, right past his recruitment as a Reaper and there's even a few surprises along the way (and did I see Kaylee make a cameo appearance?). 

~ The cover is my idea of Nash, not Tod. He's too young.

4/5

Review of Premonitions by Jude Watson

They weren't the ones who could have stopped her. I could have done that. I was the one who saw the future. I was the one who let her go. Grace has premonitions. They've haunted her since before her mother's death. She never knows whether she's seeing the past, the present, or the future. She doesn't know how to deal with them, and she doesn't want to - but the terrifying visions keep coming. Then Grace's best friend Emily disappears. And suddenly the premonitions she's so scared of are the only way Grace might be able to save her friend before it's too late...

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I thought that this book was good but lacking something. Gracie is a character that grows on you slowly, at the beginning I disliked her and only started properly liking her at the end of the book. The idea that see has premonitions is a clever idea, except she sees the past more than the future. She sees her visions rather like Phoebe in Charmed, by touching an object. 
The conclusion to this story and the discovery of where Emily really is was a shocking and original idea, one I would have liked to have read more of. The suspense leading up to the discovery of the Kidnapper was definitely worth the read and not someone I would have guessed.

4/5

Review of Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

The small town of Cryer's Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasn’t that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD - addled brain.
When a second student goes missing - someone close to Kendall’s heart - the community is in an uproar. Caught in a downward spiral of fear and anxiety, Kendall’s not sure she can hold it together. When she starts hearing the voices of the missing, calling out to her and pleading for help, she fears she’s losing her grip on reality. But when she finds messages scratched in a desk at school - messages that could only be from the missing student who used to sit there - Kendall decides that crazy or not, she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t act on her suspicions.

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Lisa McMann doesn't waste time laying the story out - as soon as you start reading the small town of Cryer's Cross are searching for Tiffany, the first person who goes missing. Soon after another person goes missing and Kendall is left devastated and alone. After this, the book slows right down, concentrating more on Kendall and Jacián's relationship. I didn't mind this, I thought it tied in well with the story and gave you a chance to see how the small town was coping with the loss of two teenagers. Kendall's OCD is wonderfully well written and a great opportunity to see what it is like for someone with it to cope with loss. Every few chapters gives you mysterious messages that are impossible to understand until you reach the book's thrilling conclusion.

5/5 

Received free from Simon and Schuster Galley Grab in exchange for an honest review

Review of Troubadour by Mary Hoffman

Elinor is in love with Bertran, a troubadour. But her parents will not hear of the match and Elinor is to be married to an elderly nobleman. Fearing the prospect of an unhappy and loveless marriage, she flees her castle to find Bertran, unaware that southern France is on the eve of a terrible war...

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This is one of the most incredibly boring stories I have ever read. Essentially it’s a history lesson with a very clichéd plot that is barely mentioned due to every other paragraph just going on about the war. I love history but I nearly fell asleep, ended up skim reading the last 100 pages (didn’t miss anything important, story ended exactly how I expected).
Elinor is a very spoilt character, naturally I can understand why a 13 year old girl wouldn't want to marry a guy in his forties but the way she tries (unsuccessfully) to commit suicide was rather hilarious.
The role of a Joglar, or a Joglaresa was one of the most interesting parts of the book but unfortunately even this failed to entertain me.

2/5

Review of The Last Full Measure by Ann Rinaldi

In the heart of Gettysburg in 1863, Tacy is learning to cope with the effects of war. She sees soldiers wounded every day and at only 14 she has already lost people. As two of her brothers and her Father are away fighting with the Union, she looks up to her older brother David, who is not allowed to fight due to a bad leg. David is bitter that he cannot fight and takes his anger out on Tacy often, wishing she was less spoilt so he could control her better until their Father returns. Close friends are killed, the free black community is captured as spoils of war and Tacy has to learn to grow up - fast.

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This is a cute little book, quite a quick read. Tacy, at the beginning, is an extremely likeable character but as the book progresses, instead of growing up like I'd expect her to, she seemed to grow more spoilt. Near the end of it I actually disliked her. David is an intensely dislikeable character for me, I hated him throughout most of the book. I would have liked Tacy to meet a soldier and fallen in love with him (properly, not the quick kiss that does happen, although I'm not asking them to like, have sex with each other) but that doesn't happen. Probably because she has such a young mind at times.
The Last Full Measure is an excellent piece of historical literature and I found myself learning a lot about Gettysburg, although I had never learnt about it before.

4/5 

Received free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Review of Alchemy And Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman

Meggy Swann arrives in London with her only friend, a goose named Louise, from the country village where she was raised. Meggy’s mother was glad to be rid of her; her father, who sent for her, apparently doesn’t want her after all. The city is awash in dirt and muck, teeming with thieves and rogues, and very wearying to walk around in—especially for Meggy.
She is the alchemist’s daughter, though, and just as her father seeks to transform base metal into gold, Meggy sets out to change her condition for the better. In doing so, she finds herself to be braver and stronger and friendlier than she ever thought possible.

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This book is good but it doesn't stand out. It's a quick story, written as if for children in the Seventies, rather than now. However Karen's writing style is vivid and descriptive and Meggy is an engaging character. The idea of her being a cripple is certainly a unique one and I enjoyed learning how she got around London (slowly). It would be easy to sum this entire story up in one sentence: Meggy Swann moves to London and makes friends. 
Later on she discovers that her Father is making a potion to kill the Baron. Finally, some action! Eh, not really. The book ends with a happy childish ending with everyone singing and dancing around a table. Yes, really.

4/5 

Received free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Review of Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Andi's little brother died last year and since then she has buried herself in her music, not caring about much else as she blames herself for his death. Trying to cope with her brother's death and trying to look after her mentally ill mother takes it's toll on Andi but she's determined to look after her. So when her father shows up out of the blue, puts her Mother in a Mental Facility and drags her kicking and screaming to France with him, she's understandably peeved. Searching through a friend's attic she discovers an old guitar and a journal, from Alex, a girl who lived through the French Revolution. Reading it, Andi discovers the story of another little boy - the Prince of France - who is locked in a Tower and will die at the age of ten unless Alex can do something about it. Drawn to Alex's story, Andi's heart slowly begins to heal.

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The story started a little slow and finished with a killer ending. Of all the endings I could have guessed, I wasn't expecting one quite like that. At over 400 pages long this story isn't a quick afternoon read but a really riveting story that I didn't want to put down - or finish! With two strong female lead characters with equally fascinating and mysterious stories, this book should be a hit with Young Adults. I didn't really enjoy A Gathering Light, I found it quite dull, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. Thankfully it's written better and with a much better storyline.

The two lead characters that I mentioned are both very different and very similar. Andi is a talented, rich Goth girl with a heavy passion for music and lost her brother a year ago. Alex however is poor but smart - she's gained a reputation and all of the newspapers are calling for 'The Green Man' - as Alex sets off Fireworks every night for her lost friend, Louis - the Prince that is locked in a tower.
After taking a little while to really get going, Andi finds herself in Paris and so do you as the life in France is richly described. I felt almost claustrophobic when Andi went down into the Catacombs. I hadn't learnt much about the French Revolution before this book, I found it to be both brutal and shocking.
This book has so many strong emotions and feelings - love, hate, passion, life, death and pain. An outstanding novel.

5/5

Review of The Maze Runner by James Dashner

When he wakes up in a small box the only thing he can remember is his name - Thomas. When the doors of the box open Thomas finds himself surrounded by a lot of curious boys in the Glade, a giant square encampment where they all live which is enclosed in a giant maze. Thomas has a strange feeling of being there before and before he is told what it is he decides he wants to become a Runner, one of the boys who try to discover a way out of the Maze or a pattern in the Maze, as the Maze shifts and changes. Being a Runner isn't as simple as it sounds though, as there are the deadly Grievers - part monster, part machine creatures that lurk in the Maze. Will Thomas ever find a way home, if home even exists? 

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I picked this book up not knowing quite what to expect, all I knew of it was that a boy with no memory finds himself in a maze. What I wasn't expecting was a story quite as amazing as this one. Everything is vividly described, from the camp to the Grievers themselves, I found myself almost believing I was there. Thomas is a brilliant character to follow as he tries to remember why he feels like he's been there before. The Grievers, quite frankly, sound utterly disgusting and terrifying, naturally there's a lot of action and oh-my-god moments in this. It's not a pretty storyline at times, I'd recommend a readers aged fifteen plus read this but not lower. Younger reader's wouldn't understand it. An amazing, thought provoking storyline that fans of books such as Louis Sachar's Holes or Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games will enjoy.

5/5 

Review of The Dead Of Winter by Chris Priestly

Michael Vyner recalls a terrible story, one that happened to him. One that would be unbelievable if it weren't true! Michael's parents are dead and he imagines that he will stay with the kindly lawyer, executor of his parents' will ...Until he is invited to spend Christmas with his guardian in a large and desolate country house. His arrival on the first night suggests something is not quite right when he sees a woman out in the frozen mists, standing alone in the marshes. But little can prepare him for the solitude of the house itself as he is kept from his guardian and finds himself spending the Christmas holiday wandering the silent corridors of the house seeking distraction. But lonely doesn't mean alone, as Michael soon realises that the house and its grounds harbour many secrets, dead and alive, and Michael is set the task of unravelling some of the darkest secrets of all.

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As long as you don't expect any more than a simple Gothic ghost story from this book then you'll get exactly that. It wasn't brilliantly thought out but it was well written and pulls you straight into the story. It's a quick afternoon read, only took me about an hour to read it. There's no mention of a year or of Michael's age on this, which I found annoying. I'd prefer to know. The idea that Michael was a child so no-one believed him when he said he saw someone in the road (amongst other things) felt really overdone and was rather annoying too.
Parts of this book reminded me of Jane Eyre (big spooky house in the middle of nowhere and strange sounds coming from the walls?) and it certainly has the feel of it. The writing is very rich, Gothic and old fashioned with complimented this story perfectly. The cover screams cute however, with it's cartoon skull and shiny border. I love it, mostly for the shiny!

4/5

Review of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Tally Youngblood is an Ugly, kept on a separate side of Town from the Pretties, until she turns 16 and gets an operation to turn her Pretty too. Peris, Tally's old friend has already been turned pretty and she isn't allowed to see him until then. Bored and lonely, Tally sneaks into New Pretty Town to meet Peris. After nearly getting caught she meets Shay, who talks her into sneaking into the old ruins. Once there, Shea tells Tally that she wants to run away, then tells Tally about a the Smoke, a place where everyone has chosen to stay Ugly. Shea leaves Tally alone with instructions on how to get to The Smoke if she changes her mind.
After waiting for her operation, Tally is told she cannot have it - unless she betrays her friend and tells Special Circumstances where the Smoke is. Tally has to make a choice - stay Ugly forever or betray her friend?

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I loved this book, I thought the idea was brilliant. I'm a huge fan of dystopian novels and this is one of the best. The characters, settings, futuristic machines and ideas where all really easy to imagine, so I felt like I was really there.
Tally is an excellent main character, although she's been brainwashed along with everyone else she's still fighting for what she truly knows is right and has a great sense of adventure. She reminded me of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games trilogy.
The machines of futuristic aspects where equally awesome with flying hoverboards as the main futuristic aspect. They were used LOADS. There were also stuff like Talking bridges, rooms etc. A few giant robots too.
The story also tells you what happened to the Rusties, who are essentially us before something almost completely wiped us out and we evolved. Tally talk about the Rusties as if they are a completely different species, not her ancestors, which I find amusing.
Finishing with a 'must read the next book' cliff hanger ending, this book is a must read for Young Adults and adults alike.

5/5