Novels I’m Taking on Holiday

As everyone knows, the Easter Holidays are fast approaching and since I am going abroad, I had to limit the number of books I carried with me. So without further ado, the 5 novels I am travelling with are:

• Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell – This is a World Book Day novella all about Star Wars fans. Although I know little to nothing about Star Wars, I know that I am going to fall in love with Rowell’s newest characters.

 

• Beautiful broken things by Sara Barnard- This is the first novel that Barnard has written and I can’t wait to follow Caddy’s story as she comes to terms with all that’s going on around her and as she finds out more about her new friend.

 

• Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin- You should know that I really do not like to read book set in any war period, however after reading the blurb and hearing so many stellar reviews about this book I had to pick it up form the library. Fingers crossed that this will be an exception to my aversion for war books, for me.

 

• How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne- I really enjoyed reading the first book in the Normals series and I definitely need to read Amber’s story to see where she goes and sees and learns while spending her holidays in America.

 

• Ten Things We Shouldn’t Have Done by Sarah Mlynowski- I’ve been meaning to read this for a while and with the holidays here I don’t have excuses.

 

 

 

What books are you reading this holiday? Do you have any plans for Easter?

Changers

Changers (Drew) by T Cooper & Allison Glock Cooper

Where did I get it? The local library

Summary: Drew opens on the eve of Ethan Miller’s freshman year of high school in a brand-new town. He’s finally sporting a haircut he doesn’t hate, has grown two inches since middle school, and can’t wait to try out for the soccer team. At last, everything is looking up in life.

Until the next morning. When Ethan awakens as a girl.

Ethan is a Changer, a little-known, ancient race of humans who live out each of their four years of high school as a different person. After graduation, Changers choose which version of themselves they will be forever–and no, they cannot go back to who they were before the changes began.

Ethan must now live as Drew Bohner–a petite blonde with an unfortunate last name–and navigate the treacherous waters of freshman year while also following the rules: Never tell anyone what you are. Never disobey the Changers Council. And never, ever fall in love with another Changer. Oh, and Drew also has to battle a creepy underground syndicate called “Abiders” (as well as the sadistic school queen bee, Chloe). And she can’t even confide in her best friend Audrey, who can never know the real her, without risking both of their lives.

My Thoughts:

This is one of those books that shows you that your first impressions can sometimes be totally wrong. After reading the blurb I was skeptical about picking up this book as it didn’t really sound like a story I would normally enjoy. However this was not the case and I ended up finishing this novel in no time at all.

Drew is the main character and we only really meet Ethan for a few pages, though we learn a little of what he was like through Drew’s thoughts. The plot flowed along naturally and I laughed out loud at several moments.

One point that wasn’t really a problem, more like an observation, was that the whole changer race and organisation keeping everyone in check was not really explained in depth. Considering, though, that this is the first novel in a series there will be space to  delve into the history and aims of the ‘RaChas’ ‘Abiders’ and ‘Changers Council’.

All of the characters were well developed and Audrey has become one of my favourite book best friends. Chase, however I could not really bring myself to care about and with the decisions he made I don’t feel sad that he may not feature in future books in this series.

Rating:4/5

What Lies Within

What Lies Within by James Morris

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Summary: Shelley Marano is an ordinary, unexceptional high school senior…until the day she receives a cryptic text message, and her world tilts sideways. Now she’s in real danger, although she doesn’t know who would want her dead, or why. As she starts to unravel the mystery, the truth about who she really is proves to be more frightening than she ever imagined. With the lives of her and her friends hanging in the balance, one thing is certain:

Nothing will ever be the same.

 

 

My Thoughts:

Right from the beginning, when I first set eyes on this book I was intrigued. The cover is truly a work of art and I wanted to know more after reading the blurb.

Nothing could have prepared me for what followed. There was pot twist after plot twist just thrown at you an I could not stop myself turning the pages to find out what happened next.

Shelley was a very determined lead and an excellent narrator; I really felt her angst and confusion about her true identity. Had I been in her position I would not have been half as brave, that much I can certainly attest to. Winston, too was a great character and I couldn’t have wished for a more faithful or loyal best friend. Their relationship, especially the platonic parts consisted of some of my favourite scenes in this book an Shelley would not have got as far as she did without Winston’s help.

As I read further and further in, I was shocked by all the revelations that came to light and I was constantly at the edge of my seat. By the time I had reached the end of ‘What Lies Within’ I was emotionally exhausted but still wanting more.

I really hope that a sequel is published as I would love to see what happen to Shelley next.

Rating: 4/5

 

Illuminae

Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Where did I get it? I bought it.

Summary: This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

My Thoughts:

I actually originally borrowed this books from the library, but around half-way in I just knew that this was a book that I needed to own. Luckily,  I managed to convince my friend who was also my Secret Santa (she is not the best secret keeper) to buy it for me.

Illuminae is not told through the point of the main character, rather through different accounts and messages and video surveillances and This originality was one of the many aspects I loved abut this book.

We open the book just a little after the attack on the MC’s home planet and from then on I was hooked. The detail put in was amazing and the plot was so full of twists and turns I had just about recovered before I was gasping for breath all over again!

I loved the characters, both Kady and Ezra were extremely brave in the face of all the horrible events going on and I felt my heart break for everything they had to go through. There was a particular scene when they were messaging and Ezra sent Kady a flower made out of words that has my heart threatening to burst out of my chest. I want to say more but I really can’t without giving away spoilers…

I could probably ramble on about this book for ages and ages, but I will let you read it yourself if you want to know more. Please read this book!

My Rating: 5/5

 

 

We All Looked Up

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Where did I get it? The school library

Synopsis: Before the asteroid we let ourselves be defined by labels:
The athlete, the outcast, the slacker, the overachiever.

But then we all looked up and everything changed.

They said it would be here in two months. That gave us two months to leave our labels behind. Two months to become something bigger than what we’d been, something that would last even after the end.

Two months to really live.

 

My Thoughts:

For me, this book had its ups and downs.

Told from the perspective of four characters; Peter, Eliza, Anita and Andy, we are shown how they react when there are only two months left to live.

I thought this book was a packed read with a lot going on at once. There was also a very philosophical-ish element to the book which was interesting (references to Kurt Vonnegut and his ideas on ‘karass’ .

I enjoyed experiencing the novel from those different points of view (some more than others)  However towards the end I was starting to lose interest in the plot.

All in all, I would probably recommend this book for lovers of sci-fi/ dystopia books.

Rating: 3.5/5