NaNoWriMo Week Two - Wrap Up

So we're halfway through November, and that means 25,000 words and hopefully the midpoint of your novel's plot. If you missed the wrap up for my first week, you can see how well I did here. If you somehow have stumbled upon this post and you have no idea what NaNoWriMo is, you should check out that post, and maybe the website as well. Here's how I did in the second week of NaNoWriMo.

Day Eight
Words Written: 2,057
Word Goal (total): 13,336
Total Word Count: 17,374

Day Nine
Words Written: 2,213
Word Goal (total): 15,00
Total Word Count: 19,587

Day Ten
Words Written: 0
Word Goal (total): 16,670
Total Word Count: 19,587

Day Eleven
Words Written: 3,537
Word Goal (total): 18,337
Total Word Count: 23,124

Day Twelve
Words Written: 0
Word Goal (total): 20,000
Total Word Count: 23,124

Day Thirteen
Words Written: 1,007
Word Goal (total): 21,671
Total Word Count: 24,131

Day Fourteen
Words Written: 413
Word Goal (total): 23,338
Total Word Count: 24,562

Day Fifteen
Words Written: 5,818
Word Goal (total): 25,000
Total Word Count: 30,380

This week had some pretty average moments, and a few really amazing moments. Currently, I'm 5,000 words over the word count goal, which I'm very happy with. I hope that your NaNoWriMo is going splendidly and you're reaching your own personal goals.

You can add me as a writing buddy here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas - Review

**A note on my notes: This review will be spoiler free if you have read Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight.**

"Queen of Traitor? Only she can decide."

Heir of Fire starts off with Celaena in Wendlyn. She's desperate to find some answers regarding the Wrydkeys and how to stop the King from using them. In order to do so, she's forced to spend several months training with a Fae warrior called Rowan, and Celaena is not very keen on this at all. The novel also follows Chaol and Dorian back in Adarlan, as well as introducing some new perspectives.

The Good
This book introduces a lot of new characters, and I loved all of them. All of their voices were different, and it was very easy to tell when the perspective changed, which is always a sign of a talented author. Heir of Fire brings a lot (and I mean a lot) more information about the world the story is set in. There's a lot more backstory and a lot of new discoveries that answered some of the many questions I had after reading Crown of Midnight. The last 100 or so pages of this book just take it to a whole new level, and I read the end section probably twice as fast as I read the beginning.

The Bad Slightly Less Than Good 
It took me a lot longer to get into this book that it did for the first two. But the ending really made up for it, so I wasn't bothered at all by the extra time it took me. This book is also a lot longer than the first two, which again, isn't a bad thing at all... It just means that it takes a little longer to get through. Other than that, I can't really fault this book at all.

The Recommendation
Obviously, if you've read the first two books, then you should 100% continue on with the series. If you haven't read the first two books, you really need to. They're amazing. I've done reviews for them here and here. I've also done video review for all three books on my YouTube channel, which is linked at the end of each post. I've you're into any kind of fantasy, then you will really love this series.

You can find out more about Heir of Fire here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free.**

"A blank canvas...has unlimited possibilities."

Isla and the Happily Ever After is the second and final companion novel in the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy. The story is once again set in the School of America in Paris; however, this time it follows Isla, her best friend Kurt and her love interest Josh, as they try to navigate through their senior years.

The Good 
I loved this book. I flew through it so quickly because it was just so adorable and easy to read. The plot was very interesting and I felt like the problems Isla and Josh faced were a lot more realistic than the problems Lola and Anna faced in the previous books. The romance is adorable. Isla as a character is going to be very relatable to some people because she has absolutely no idea what she wants to do with her life and is extremely jealous of those who are passionate about something.

The Bad
First of all, I really enjoyed this book. In saying that, I've seen a few other reviews where people haven't enjoyed this book that much at all, and it's all because of the characters. Some have said they thought the characters were a little flat, that they had no substance. On the other hand, I didn't think that at all. Isla is completely consumed in Josh; all she thinks about is him, all she wants to do is be with him, and that can get a little annoying sometimes.

The Recommendation
If you read the previous two books, then I would recommend looking into this one. The love story isn't as developed, but it's still a really good read. If you haven't read the other two books, then I strongly suggest that you read them first! While it's not critical, you will be spoiled about some major details at the end of Isla, and you'll for sure regret not reading the other books first. I've done reviews on them here and here.

Happy Reading!

You can find out more about Isla and the Happily Ever After here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas - Review

**A note on my notes: If you haven't read Throne of Glass, then you might be spoiled. If you have, there are no spoilers.**

"Before she was deadly. Now she is unstoppable." 

Crown of Midnight is the second book in the Throne of Glass series. I posted my review of the first book here, and a further discussion of my thoughts here. Crown of Midnight follows Celaena, the newly appointed King's Champion, as she does whatever she can to save the lives of those she's been ordered to kill. In doing so, she falls further and further into troubles and alliances that she never wanted to be a part of.

The Good
I loved this book a lot more than I loved Throne of Glass, which really is saying something because I gave them both five stars. Crown of Midnight really is a step up from the first book: there's a lot more action, a lot more Chaol and a lot more intensely interesting discoveries. The magic of the world and what happened to it is a lot more foregrounded in this book, which I really liked. I also loved the ending. And, Celaena is a lot more kickass in this one.

The Bad Not as Good
If you're team Dorian, then you might not enjoy this as much because it's Choal's time to shine. This book is also a lot more emotional than Throne of Glass, which really isn't a bad thing but it really does tug on your heart strings.

The Recommendation
Obviously, if you read Throne of Glass and you loved it, then you should for sure pick of this book. If you read Throne of Glass and you didn't think it lived up to the hype, then you should still give this book a go, because I think this one really steps up.

Happy Reading!! 

You can find out more about Crown of Midnight here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

The Giver - Movie Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free**


"The worse part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared."

The Giver was originally a book published in 1993 (which I've posted a review on here). The story follows a young boy called Jonas who lives in a perfect world where everything is the same and everyone is equal. There's no war, no famine, no hunger and no hatred; yet, Jonas knows something is still missing. This film is a beautiful commentary on the importance of the freedom of choice and the value of love. 

The Good 

If you've read the book before going into this movie, then you won't be disappointed. There are several changes and a lot of things were added in, but I felt that these things only added to the story rather than taking away from it. I thought the acting was really good; even Taylor Swift did an alright job in this regard. The world building was done pretty well. The ending was so beautiful and it made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack.

The Bad 

I didn't like the beginning of this movie. I found it boring and dragged on for a little too long. The same goes for the whole black and white thing... If you go to see this movie, don't stress!! Eventually things do become in colour, but I wish that there was some illusion to this in the beginning. The only other thing I didn't like was the characterisation of the Elder. In saying this though, it didn't take away from the movie's message. 

The Recommendation

If you read this book, no matter how many years ago it was, then I think you will enjoy this adaptation. If you haven't read this book, then you're not at a disadvantage because for the most part, everything is clearly explained. If you're a dystopian fan, then this world would be really interesting for you as well! 

You can find out more about The Giver (book) here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

The Giver by Lois Lowry - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free.**

"The worse part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared."

The Giver is a young adult dystopian novel that seeks to question the importance of choice and freedom. The story follows Jonas, a young boy who lives within a perfect community, a community with no war, no hunger and no pain, and Jonas couldn't imagine it any other way. Until, of course, he can.

The Good

This world was fantastic! I was so intrigued about the world that I could read books upon books that just described it, because I'm still desperate to know more. The story was also extremely fast paced, and the book is short so I got through it very quickly. The overall concept of this novel is extremely interesting and thought-provoking. I really enjoyed this read!

The Bad

I loved this world so much that I wanted to hear more about it, and there was just so much left unexplained. I also think the ending was a little too ambiguous; however, there are two companion novels and one direct sequel which were written over a decade after The Giver's first publication. I found that the novel did jump ahead in time a lot more than I liked, especially towards the middle and ending... The first third of the novel follows almost every day of Jonas' life, but from the middle onwards chapters sometimes jumped weeks ahead, which I found annoying because I just wanted to know more.

The Recommendation 

Everyone should read this book. Absolutely everyone, because it raises important questions and values that everyone can learn from. I would especially recommend this book to someone who was new to the dystopian genre, or if you've been reading a lot of dystopians and you want something from that genre that is a lot less violent. 

Happy Reading! 

You can find out more about The Giver here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free.**

"Libraries were full of ideas - perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons."

Throne of Glass is a new(ish) young adult fantasy series that follows the life of Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old girl who was the very best assassin in the kingdom. That is, until she was captured. After spending a year in a salt-mine death camp, the Crown Prince of Adarlan, presents her with an offer she can't refuse: serve as the King's Champion for four years and she can earn her freedom. To become King's Champion, Celaena must compete for the position against twenty-three of the land's most accomplished soldiers and infamous criminals. Along the way, she forms unlikely alliances and interesting friendships and begins to notice that not everything in the castle is as it seems...

The Good
This book is absolutely fantastic! I loved the characters and thought they were all really well developed. Celaena is such a great heroine and I loved reading about her and learning about her life. I also loved this world! I've haven't been so invested in a fictional world in such a long time and I just found this world so interesting. The world-building was also really subtlety written so there aren't sections where you feel overwhelmed by the world-building. The plot is so fast paced that I could easily have read this book all in one sitting.

The Bad Not as Good
I didn't really have any problems with this book at all. The only thing that I wish I could change would be the detail that we're given about the tests that the contestants have to do to stay in the competition; however, in order for this to happen the book would have had to take place over a shorter period of time.

The Recommendation
If you're looking for a book that you know you'll love, then you should read this. I loved this book so much that I am recommending it to everyone, because I seriously think everyone will love it.

You can find out more about Throne of Glass here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

A Subjective Guide to Genre - Choosing Your Next Book

**A note on my notes: This post is of my opinion only, and I'm not an expect.**

Choosing your next book is hard. 

We've all been there - when you have so many books that you haven't read, but you have no idea how to choose which one to read next. When this happens to me, I tend to choose a genre that I'm in the mood for and pick a book from it. These are the genres that I usually feel in the mood to read.

Contemporary
If you're searching for a light, easy read, then the contemporary genre is where you need to look. Often featuring cute romances and beautiful friendships, good books from this genre can easily make you laugh and cry within a few pages. If you're in a reading slump, then contemporary is usually a good genre to dive into because they're often short, stand-alone books that you can get through quickly. Some of my favourite contemporary author's are Rainbow Rowell, Nicholas Sparks, and I'd also 100% recommend Wonder by R.J. Palacio and The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick.

Fantasy
Fantasy books are often a commitment because they usually come in a huge series. Fantasy is split into two sections (that I read, anyway): urban fantasy and epic fantasy. If you're new to the fantasy genre or if you don't really feel like learning a whole new world, stick to urban fantasy (which is set in the world as we know it, but with fantastical elements, while epic fantasy is in an entirely different world). Some fantasy series that I love are the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the Obernewtyn chronicles by Isobelle Carmody and the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. If you're looking for some fantasy stand-alones, then I would recommend Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta or Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

Dystopian 
This is one of my favourite genres, and I think that it always is the most enjoyable when you hate the world. If you're feeling depressed about something that's happening in the world that you can't change it, or if you're reflecting on how shit people are or how nothing is fair, then you need a dystopian book. These books often come in trilogies, although there are several classic dystopian stand-alones that I really enjoyed. Of this genre, I would recommend The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth and any dystopian I mention in the classics section.

Science Fiction
I love science fiction a lot, but it's not a genre that I read that often. I often find that sci-fi is a good cross between fantasy and dystopian, so if you're feeling like one of those genres but can't quick pick something, try looking in the science fiction genre. Some of my favourites include Ender's Game and Pathfinder, both by Orson Scott-Card, as well as The Host by Stephanie Meyer. 

Classics
It's not often that I'm in the mood for a classic, but when I'm feeling really smart (or that I need to be more well-read), I usually quite enjoy them. Most classics are a challenge, so don't pick them up when you're looking for something to read quickly. For me, classic dystopians are my favourite, and I'd recommend reading Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm by George Orwell, as well as A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Other classics that I've enjoyed have been Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (although don't expect to get through this quickly), To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Historical Fiction
I don't read much of this genre either, but the books that I have read from it have been really good. Books from this genre often tug at your heart strings, so if you want an emotional book, something from this genre will give you that (especially some World War II fiction). My favourite historical fiction books are The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Hopefully, the next time you're stuck trying to choose your next book, you can come back to this list and make an informed decision. Happy reading!

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - Review

First of all, I'm sorry that I didn't post anything on Monday, and I'm sorry there haven't been any YouTube videos up lately... I've just been super busy with university and I had some other stuff going on so I just needed to take a break. But hopefully, within the next couple of weeks I'll be back on track.

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free.**

"There are some people in life that you can't get over."

Lola and the Boy Next Door is the first of two companion novels to Anna and the French Kiss, which I posted a review for here. The story follows Lola, a budding fashion designer who likes to express herself through her outrageous clothes. Lola thinks her life is pretty good: she has a hot boyfriend, a great bestfriend and an amazing job at the movie theatre. Things are going well, that is, until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, move back in next door. Lola finds herself flooded with old feelings that she has to deal with before her perfect world comes crashing down around her.

The Good
Like Anna and the French Kiss, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot moves fairly quickly and is pretty engaging, making the novel very easy to read. The characters were extremely unique, and I had never read anything like them before. I loved how Lola was a fashion designer and this made her a more interesting character. Cricket was the perfect love interest and I enjoyed his little quirks. I think Calliope was an interesting character as well. Lola's dads (yes, plural) were also great characters. I also loved the small appearances of Anna and her boyfriend.

The Bad
I didn't enjoy this story as much as Anna and the French Kiss; however, that has nothing to do with the actual book, I just personally connected with Anna more than I did with Lola. The only problem I had with this book is that it's very predictable, but that just comes with reading a Stephanie Perkins novel - you're not reading it for the surprises, you're reading it because you know exactly what's going to happen.

The Recommendation
If you're looking for a cute and easy read, then you will enjoy Lola and the Boy Next Door. If you haven't read Anna and the French Kiss, then I would suggest you do actually read that one first; it just makes seeing Anna in this book more satisfying.

You can find out more about Lola and the Boy Next Door here. 

You can find out more about Anna and the French Kiss here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stehpanie Perkins - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free.**

"The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you." 

Anna and the French Kiss follows Anna, a 17-year-old girl who is about to enter her senior year in high school. She's very excited to spend the year with her best friend and potential boyfriend. Instead, however, her father decides that Anna will finish out her schooling at The School of America, a boarding school in Paris. The novel follows Anna throughout the year as her relationships with all those close to her develop for the better of the worse.

The Good
I absolutely adored this book. It's so easy to read and I flew through it so quickly. As the main character, Anna is pretty interesting and her values, ideas and beliefs are pretty relatable to the average female reader. The other characters are fairly interesting as well and they all function nicely together as a group of friends. The plot moves along fairly quickly and is very easy to follow. The romantic relationships that develop between various characters are also pretty believable, as are the issues they all face.

The Bad
At the beginning of the book, it's possible to get quite frustrated at Anna because she's presented with an incredible opportunity and she can only see the negatives for a short period of time; however, I think Anna's reactions were quite realistic because no teenage girl wants to be isolated from her life and friends during high school, let alone her senior year. Another thing that some readers might find frustrating is that every single romantic near-miss that occurs focuses on the same issue every single time and there is a lack of depth behind the reasoning.

The Recommendation
If you love contemporary novels, then you will love this book. I would recommend Anna and the French Kiss to anyone who is looking for a quick and easy read. I would also recommend reading this book if you're in a reading slump, because the ease of reading this book will probably help you get out of it.

You can find out more about Anna and the French Kiss here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

Top 5 Book Casts

Character development is essential for a novel to be successful. Often, I'll continue reading a book that I think is weak in terms of plot in order to discover what happens to the characters. As a reader, I love when a book has characters that I can invest emotionally in, because it only adds to the story. This post lists the books or series of books that have my favourite cast of characters.

5. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
This book is one that I've read in 2014 and I absolutely loved it. The characters in this book are just so perfectly developed and they are so realistic. If you haven't read this book, I would definitely read it (and I've done a review of it here if you're interested). This book has multiple perspectives, which enhances each character so much and hearing a different perspective on certain issues always manages to change your opinions somehow.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Not only is this book narrated by an interesting character (Death), but it's filled with so many more complex characters that interact so well with each other. Mama and Papa are just beautiful human beings that are so realistically described and Liesel and Rudy are both incredibly accurate characters in terms of them both being children. These characters are just beautiful and I would read this book if you haven't already (and I've done a review of it here).

3. The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare
If you haven't read this series, you really should (I haven't done a review, but Google these books and you'll fall in love). It contains some of the most brilliant characters I've ever read. Magnus Bane is a hilarious gay warlock (which definitely makes him sound as awesome as he is) who brings a unique perspective to life due to his insane age (he's very, very old.). Then there's Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs, who have the most beautiful friendship and interact so well together. And of course, Tessa, who isn't my favourite character, but she works so well in this trilogy.

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
This book is easily one  of my all-time favourites (review), and the incredible characters play a huge part in this. Cath is so easy to relate to and has a million qualities that so many people can identify with. The same goes for all of the characters. The issues and struggles that each character has to overcome are so realistic. They all feel so personal. And they're all so loveable.

1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
(If you haven't read these books... what are you doing with your life?). I believe that part of the reason for the success of these books is the characters. Although they're all so unreal in that they are witches/wizards that are from a world that we know we can never visit or relate to, they are so easy to understand as human beings. Children from all over the world were able to identify with these characters because not only do they have to save the world, but they also have to deal with real-world issues, like being outshone by your best friend, falling in love and growing up.

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

Delirium Trilogy - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free. If you don't agree with me, that's okay too!**

"What if love was a disease?"

"Life can change in an instant."

"Can the truth set you free?"

The Delirium trilogy is a YA dystopian series written by Lauren Oliver that is set in America somewhere in the future. In this world, love has been classed as a disease and at the age of 18, all citizens are forced to get a 'cure'. This cure stops allowing them to feel any significantly strong emotion, such as love or hate. Those who disagree with the cure illegally live within and outside the major cities borders.

While I did enjoy this series, I didn't love it. I had a few of problems with it, particularly with the second and third books. In saying that though, I enjoyed all three books and I was compelled and invested in them enough to complete the trilogy easily.

Delirium
Delirium is a solid start to the trilogy and I obviously liked it enough to finish the rest of the series. The story moves along at a good pace, making the novel super easy to get into and to get through. The characters are established well and are pretty interesting; however, sometimes Lena, the protagonist, makes stupid decisions. And the cliffhanger is really exciting, and by exciting I mean makes you want to read more.
Like most dystopian series, the first book is bigger because it has a lot of world building, which is something that I also really enjoy. However, the world building in Delirium leaves a lot to be desired, and this goes for the trilogy as a whole. There is so much information that you're not told, and I think this is something that really let me down as a reader.

Pandemonium
I enjoyed the second book, but no where near as much as the first one. The second book isn't told in chronological order and it switches from the past to present, which I think worked really well in terms of the plot.
Pandemonium introduces a lot of new characters, and really the only character from the first book that is prominently featured in this one is Lena. I found the new characters a lot more interesting and I was able to connect with them a lot more. The cliffhanger at the end of this book is incredible... It's probably the most adrenaline-pumping cliffhanger in the history of cliffhangers.

No matter how many issues I have with this series, one thing Lauren Oliver did right was cliffhangers, and these books have the most cliffhangery cliffhangers I've ever read in my entire life. 

Requiem
As soon as I finished the second novel, I knew I had to read the final one just because of the cliffhanger. I enjoyed this book as well, but it's definitely my least favourite of the trilogy.
This book is told from the dual perspective of both Lena and Hana, Lena's best friend from the first book, and I also think this style worked well with the plot. The only thing that I really didn't like about Requiem was the ending! It's extremely ambiguous, which I know would be something that a lot of other readers would really enjoy.

Recommendation
If you mostly read contemporary fiction and are new to dystopian books, then this trilogy is for you. I would also recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of dystopian series' and trilogies, because while these books are not my favourites, I did enjoy them and I think the concept and ideas they raise are important ones.

You can find out more about the first book here. 

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here.

More Than This - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free. Also, you should read this book.**

"Haven't you ever felt like there has to be more? Like there's more out there somewhere, just beyond your grasp, if you could only get to it?"

More Than This by Patrick Ness follows a young boy who drowns and wakes up somewhere completely different. But it's so much more than that. And I know, what a sneaky pun. But seriously, that blurb only describes about the first third of the book. If you're interested in reading this book, you should go into not knowing anything about it, because you'll appreciate it so much more that way. (I know, I did it again).  

The Good
I loved this book. The concept of the novel is an interesting one, and it definitely lived up to my high expectations. It made me think so much, about anything from life to technology to depression to friendship and probably close to a thousand other things. It's almost definitely the most thought-provoking book that I've read this year. I love Ness' writing style; it's short and to the point, with a lot of short sentences to emphasise certain events, which makes the book incredibly easy to read. Seth is an excellent protagonist - he's well-developed and I found it so easy to sympathise with him.

The Bad The Not-as-Good
There isn't much I can fault with this book... However, I found the beginning to be a little slow. I don't know what it was, but it took me just as long to get through the first 100 pages as it did to get through the rest of the 200+ pages. After that section though, I flew through it. There are a few times when I thought it was a little repetitive, but that wasn't a major issue for me at all.

The Recommendation 
If you're looking for a thought-provoking book that really makes you think about life and all that jazz, then this book is 100% for you. If you're looking for an unique book, something unlike anything you've every read, then this book is also for you. If you've never read a Patrick Ness book, I think you should definitely try More Than This because the writing style is for sure something I'd read again.

You can find out more about this book here.

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can follow me on Instagram here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to me on YouTube here. 

Favourite Book to Movie Adaptations

**A note on my notes: These are my opinions only and I'm not an expert on this subject (although I wish I was). Accept that perception is a real thing that exists and don't claim that I'm wrong or you're more right.**

I love books. I also love movies. I don't always love book-to-movie adaptations. So when one of my favourite books is about to be turned into a movie, you could understand why I get a little nervous. I mean, you saw The Hunger Games (or didn't see, with all the shaky camera...) or Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief (yes I know I haven't read the book, but the adaptation was still terrible) so you probably all know exactly what I'm talking about.

While book-to-movie adaptations definitely make me nervous, and I do end up hating a lot of them, there are some that just get everything right. Here is a short list of all the book-to-movie adaptations that I am truly grateful for. (Note: the list is in no particular order.)

1. Catching Fire
The Hunger Games movie was bitterly disappointing. Granted, it had a few moments where I was happy, but overall, the entire movie was a let down. Because of that, I really wasn't that excited for Catching Fire to be released, because I was preparing myself for a re-emergence of the bitter disappointment I'd felt with its predecessor. However, I didn't need to prepare for that at all! Catching Fire was such a beautiful movie, because it so accurately portrayed the book. I was completely happy with this movie. Johanna. That's all I'm going to say.

2. The Book Thief
Now I read this book after I saw the movie, so my opinion of the movie might be a little different had I read the book first... But I also highly doubt that, because I read the book straight after and noticed hardly any differences between the book and movie. I think the casting for this movie was perfection. The acting was just beautiful. I also thought the portrayal of Death as the narrator was done well, which would have probably been the thing I was most worried about if I read the book first. But I didn't need to worry because it was done right.

3. Harry Potter in general
This is kind of a hard one to judge for me, because the time between when I read the books and when I watched the movies was so huge that I mostly didn't even remember what was going to happen. Because of that, it's hard to judge whether the movies were accurate adaptations, but they're on the list because I do remember that when I watched the movies I loved them just as much as I loved reading the books. The whole Harry Potter universe is just incredible, so I would love anything that is a part of the Wizarding World.

4. Water for Elephants
This is another one where I read the book after seeing the movie, but in this instance it was a couple of years after. However, I remember that I loved the movie when I first watched it, and then I loved the book when I read it in July of this year. I can't say whether it was an accurate adaptation, but from what I gathered, the major details were the same and I did really enjoy both the movie and the book, which is why it's on the this list.

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
This book was brilliant, and so was the movie. It was such a faithful adaptation and the movie really captured the essence and tone of the book and its story. I think the acting in Perks was perfect, and the casting was so accurate. I was extremely happy with the way this movie turned out.

6. Divergent
I really enjoyed the Divergent book series, but to be completely honest, I wasn't expecting the movie to amount to much. I thought that there were a lot of emotional scenes that just wouldn't work on screen as well as they did in the book. But I was pretty impressed with the adaptation! It's not my favourite movie and there were a few things that I wasn't happy with, but overall, the movie just made me so pumped. There was so much adrenaline running through me after seeing it, which is why I'm putting it on my list of favourites, because it captured the tone of the book.

Those are six book to move adaptations that I think were extremely successful. Let me know what your favourite adaptations are. Happy Reading!

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can follow me on Instagram here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to my on YouTube here. 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free.**

"I thought about all the things that everyone ever says to each other, and how everyone is going to die, whether it's in a millisecond, or days, or months, or 76.5 years, if you were just born. Everything that's born has to die, which means our lives are like skyscrapers. The smoke rises at different speeds, but they're all on fire, and we're all trapped."

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a very interesting piece of fiction. The novel is told in an experimental style and involves sections of pictures, letters and pages that are symbolic of the protagonist's thoughts. The novel is told from the perspective of Oskar, a nine-year-old boy who sits somewhere on the Autism Spectrum, as he embarks on a journey to discover any kind of information about his father.

The Good
I thought the experimental way in which this book was written was perfectly suited to the way Oskar narrated the story. The book deals with a lot of emotionally heavy topic, such as 9/11 and the finite nature of life, but in my opinion, these topics were dealt with in such a beautiful way. I found the writing style to be unique and interesting and I loved the characterisation of Oskar. I loved Oskar's perspective on life, and I love the way that the author dealt with a  lot of heavy issues in such an innocent way, and there are so many quotes that I've highlighted because of this. This book made me laugh and cry so many different times, which usually tells me that I loved the book, which is certainly true in this case.

The Bad
The novel deals with two generations, Oskar's and his grandparents'. While I think this definitely added some much-needed depth to the story, there were a couple of times that I was so completely confused about who was narrating a particular chapter. This was especially true of the letter writing aspects - and even when I knew it was from the grandparent generation, I was sometimes then confused about which grandparent was writing the letter... However, once I got into the story more it became easy to distinguish each perspective.

The Recommendation
If you have never read any experimental fiction before, then I would definitely recommend this book to you, because while the experimental aspects are very prominent, they're also easy to understand and follow. If you've never read a book in which the main character suffers from some form of Autism, please read this book! It's such an eye-opening experience and can really help people to gain a better understanding of why people like Oskar do what they do. At the same time, if you've read a book that ticks both of those boxes, I would still recommend Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close to you, because I thought it was an excellent book.

If you're interested in this book, you can read more information here.

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can follow me on Instagram here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to my on YouTube here. 

BookTubeAThon Reads - Quick Reviews!

**A note on my notes: these reviews are spoiler free.**

BookTubeAThon is finally over, which is both a relief and a little sad. If you're interested in how I did, you can read my wrap up post here. Because I did read a lot more than I usually would during the week, I've decided to do one post that does a brief review of all the books I finished rather than full, individual reviews.

Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carol
I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it. If you know anything about Alice in Wonderland then you'll know that the story isn't supposed to make sense and is complete nonsense most of the time. While this means that the story ultimately lacks plot (intentionally, though), it is still a fun read. This book was quite short and had some really interesting illustrations which made it perfect for BookTubeAThon. I would recommend that you read this book regardless of who you are - it's a classic that can be read across several sittings or all at once, depending on how you feel.

Unwind - Neil Shusterman
I flew through this book because the plot was so intriguing. I thought the entire concept and idea of the story was really interesting and unique, which really added to the books appeal. I thin k the characters were pretty well developed; however, the book really lacked in terms of word building. There was hardly any background information about the wars that are constantly referenced in the book, and the concept of Unwinding - like how it first came about and the original reactions - weren't explained in much depth. Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I just really wish there was more world building.

The Romeo and Juliet Code - Phoebe Stone
This book was definitely not what I expected. I went into this book knowing nothing about it, and from the picture on the cover I assumed it was a cutesy romance, which it wasn't at all. I did like this book, but it took me longer to read because I didn't really care that much for the story. It's narrated by an eleven year old girl, so I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I was a few years younger than what I am. The plot was kind of slow paced as well, so there wasn't really anything that made me want to constantly keep reading.

Pathfinder - Orson Scott Card
I loved this book! I thought the overall concept and ideas were super cool, which I why I picked up the book in the first place. Not only that, but these ideas and concepts were explained really well. However, this book is science fiction, and there were some sciency bits that flew right over my head, but I was able to understand the general gist of things, which is enough to follow the story. I think the characters were developed nicely and the plot is a good pace. I would definitely recommend this book to any science fiction reader.

Those are my quick reviews for the four books I finished during the week of the BookTubeAThon. Let me know what you thought about any of the books I read! Happy Reading!

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can follow me on Instagram here.

You can add me as a friend of Goodreads here.

You can subscribe to my on YouTube here. 

Breathe by Sarah Crossan - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free.**

"Oxygen is essential for most living things. For 2.5 billion years, it was the most abundant chemical element of Earth. Until the Switch."

Synopsis 

Breathe by Sarah Crossan is a young adult novel of the dystopian and science-fiction genre. It's told from multiple perspectives of teenagers living in a post-apocalyptic Earth where the planet no longer has enough oxygen to sustain its populations. In this world, the human race is confined to a large area that is 'domed'-off from the rest of the planet in which air is manufactured for them. In order to be able to breathe, everyone must pay a tax, and therefore there are strict rules that govern how much oxygen each citizen is allowed to consume, and these rules heavily limit the activities that people of different demographics can perform. 

The Good
First of all, I thought the concept of this book was brilliant. I've never read a book that dealt with the issues of deforestation and overpopulation in this way, so I really loved that. The setting complimented these major themes nicely and the world-building description was fluid and well-written. As with the majority of dystopian novels, a corrupt government was a major part of this world. While in some novels, the focus is too much on this corruption and takes away from the actual story, in Breathe, it only adds depth to the narrative.

The Bad
While overall, I enjoyed this book, I did have a few issues with it. I found that towards the middle, the story became a bit slow; however, that could just be me not finding enough time to read for a decent period. I also found that the characters relationships to be unbelievable at times, particularly between Quinn and Bea. I didn't really like Petra as a character at all, through she was necessary to the story and played an important role.

The Recommendation 
I gave this book a 3.5 star rating on Goodreads, which is pretty close to the average rating. While I did enjoy it, I didn't love it. I would recommend it to everyone because I think the themes and concept of the novel are really important for the people living in our world today. However, the plot isn't for everyone, so if you don't usually enjoy dystopian stories or young adult novels/main characters, then this book probably isn't for you.

You can follow me on Twitter here.

You can find Breathe on Goodreads here.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - Review

**A note of my notes: This review is spoiler free. Please remember that this is my opinion of the book and that not everyone will agree with me.**

Time to fangirl about Fangirl.

I don't even know where to begin. I flew through this book and I can now say that it's definitely one of my all-time favourite novels and has helped to cement Rainbow Rowell as one of my favourite authors.

Summary
Fangirl follows Cath and her twin sister Wren as they start their Freshmen year at college. After sharing a room their entire lives, Wren decides that she wants to become more independent from Cath and doesn't want to be roommates, so Cath is left to fend for herself. The story follows Cath as she tires to find her feet in a completely new world and struggles to find the balance between her old life and the new one unfolding right in front of her.

The Good Excellent 
The characters in the novel are fantastic. Rowell developed them perfectly and they each had their own unique quirks and habits that made their voices really distinguishable. The thing I loved the most about the characters was that they were real; each of them were familiar in so many ways which made it easier for me to identify to the story.
The plot moves along at a good pace; there are no boring parts throughout the entire story. The situations that the characters are put in are also extremely realistic and really spoke to my heart because a lot of them were things that I've been through during my first year at university.
Cath writes fanfiction, and at the end of every chapter was an except from either Cath's writing or from the original world that Cath writes in. I loved these excepts, because I found that they were really relevant to the events that had just occurred in the chapter. Also, if you've grown up with Harry Potter, then you will absolutely adore the elements of Simon Snow in this novel.

The Bad Not-As-Good
I had almost no problems with this book, in fact, only two. The first being that I wish the book ended a little later than it did, or that there was an epilogue just so we could see where the characters were at after or during the Summer and especially what happens with Cath's fanfiction novel.
The other thing that I didn't like was the reference to Harry Potter about halfway through the book. The whole time, the Simon Snow series is paralleling Harry Potter, and then referencing actual Harry Potter made me feel very confused. I wish that the reference to Harry Potter wasn't there at all.

The Recommendation
I recommend this book to everyone, but I think you'll particularly enjoy it if you're about to start university. If you grew up reading Harry Potter, then I would doubly recommend this book to you, because you'll really understand the emotions Cath feels for the Simon Snow series. Fangirl is a fun story that's super engaging and easy to read, so if you're looking for a book like that, read this one.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is spoiler free. If you've read the book and disagree with me, I don't care.**

I loved this book! I went into this book as my rebound right after finishing City of Heavenly Fire, which would normally mean I wouldn't give it a fair chance. But I flew through it and finished it in just over a day.

The novel follows two teenagers who are completely different people. Eleanor, who's somewhat new to the town, has crazy red hair, is overweight and loves listening to her music. Park loves comic books and despite living in the town his entire life, still doesn't really fit in. The pair meet on the school bus and after a while, they begin to form an unlikely relationship. As their stories progress, we see how they grow and change as people and how the rest of their lives impact on their friendship.

Young Adult Contemporary isn't my favourite genre because I find that authors try and comment on ideas and social situations that aren't really relevant to their lives so they get it wrong. And let's be honest, teenagers find other teenagers complicated, so trying to create realistic teenage characters when you're no longer a teenager is a mammoth task. However, I think that Rowell managed to successfully steer clear of the typical clichés of the genre and produced characters and a plot that was very believable. The novel deals with situations that are relevant to many teenager's lives today, such as bullying and unstable families.

The story is told through the dual perspectives of both Eleanor and Park. Normally, I am not a fan of dual perspectives because it's hard to really distinguish the character's sense of voice. However, I think that Rowell wrote the two characters parts beautifully. It was easy to tell the difference between the two perspectives unlike other books (Allegiant, anyone?) and it really enhanced the way the story was told.

The characters were just beautiful. They seriously could have been real people, that's how realistic this story felt to me. Their thoughts and reactions to their situations were believable and the way that Rowell expressed each character's opinions was spot on.

Overall, I loved this book. It was beautiful. If you're looking for a fun, easy but emotional read, I would definitely recommend this book to you. If you're like me and you tend to stay away from romantic contemporary novels, I would also recommend this book to you.

"Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice. It was supposed to make you feel something."

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare - Booktalk

**A note of my notes: If you haven't read this book, or the Infernal Devices trilogy, you're going to be spoiled. So don't be silly. Also, this is more of a rant of my feelings, not so much a review. If you want a review: it's good, read it.**

Words cannot even describe how much this book made me feel. Seriously, I'm sitting down to write this review right after I've finished reading the book - my face is still wet with tears - and I just don't even know where to start.

The beginning of this book introduces a whole heap of new characters of the Carstairs and Blackthorn variety. I fell in love with all the children instantly; they all had really distinct personalities, yet were all so similar in their short-lived sense of innocence and inexperience. I saw the name Carstairs and I got so excited, and then Emma was introduced and she was just awesome! I loved her strength and independence and her relationship with Julian was written perfectly. Although, there were some aspects of their characters that I thought were too old for their ages and I kept picturing them as a lot older than twelve in my head, but I'm not complaining because I loved them both. I also loved the twins, Livvy and Ty, because they were so close and had their own special connection that couldn't be matched by anyone else, which I thought was really nice.

All of that stuff, basically the entire prologue and all the other parts with Emma and Julian, has made me so excited for The Dark Artifices series because I'm really interested to see how their story pans out and whether they start to date or become parabati. Their chemistry is so complicated already and they're only twelve years old. Hectic.

So we move right along to Jace and Jordan trying to meditate outside. When Jace said weapons bring him peace, I laughed so much. I love the way the Clare implements some humour into her books, because she often is dealing with some pretty dark content, yet she always finds time for the odd sarcastic comment and funny moments.

When Simon was kidnapped, I hated Maureen so much. I already hated her because she was crazy, but when she kidnapped Simon and put him in those tights, I was so frustrated by her. Her immaturity and nativity and just plain stupidity was so frustrating, so I was extremely happy when Maia killed her later on.

Maia really stepped up in this book, and she was already on such a high level. Throughout her life, Maia had been through a lot and was already a really strong character. So they way she dealt with Jordan's death and didn't let it stop her from saving the world was really admirable. I was a little mystified as to why she was breaking up with Jordan though; I mean I know he had treated her like rubbish before, but I though she was past that and they were going well... There wasn't really much foreshadowing of their relationship breakdown, but I suppose that was kind of the point; Maia was keeping it all hidden.

So Jordan's death... I was shocked. When we went to the Praetor and saw the destruction, I was devastated; Sebastian and his stupid Endarkened warriors had wiped out an entire community of werewolves that were so committed to making things easier for people who were struggling. And that was such a shock (good planning by Sebastian though, trying to get the Downworlders to turn against the Shadowhunters), and then Jordan is killed. I don't know how else to describe it other than saying I was shocked because there was so much death in that section! And then I felt so sorry for Maia, who not only just watched her boyfriend die and discovered the bodies of her own kind dead, but then had to play messenger for Sebastian and tell her story over and over again.

When Sebastian was in the Seelie Court with the Seelie Queen, I wasn't as surprised as I know other people were when they read it. The Queen has sided with Sebastian before, and I don't blame her for feeling like she had chosen the winning side for her people. But at the same time, I thought she would have been smart enough to realise that Sebastian was just using her, and that he would have killed her and all the Fair Folk when it suited him anyway. I was frustrated because if the Fair Folk had sided with the Shadowhunters in the first place, defeating Sebastian would have been much easier. And the Queen is just so manipulative and annoying because she tricks everyone.

The first huge battle scene at the Citadel of the Iron Sisters was frustrating for me. Again, the Clave just didn't listen to Clary and Jace, despite them being the only people who really understood the entire situation. The Clave was just too proud and arrogant and stubborn and if they had just listened, then they wouldn't have lost so many of their own. Seriously, how many times does the Clave have to make the same mistake before they realise? The same thing frustrated me in the end, when the Clave was voting on what to do with the Fair Folk, and Magnus said they were being too harsh and that this would lead to another war, but no. The Clave can't think of the future, they can only think of right now. And no, they can't see past Helen and Mark's bloodlines to see how loyal Helen has been. They're just stupid. People are stupid. The Clave are idiots.

I thought Edom was described nicely, well, as nicely as a barren and ugly dessert can be described. Clare wrote the scenes well so that the realm could be visualised easily, which was important because it was a completely new setting for the series. Seeing how the realm was actually a parallel world to the one described in the books was an interesting twist, which I really enjoyed.

The Clace sex seen. I don't even need to say anything else about it. Clace. Finally. But also, did Jace seriously bring a condom into the demon realms? Really, Jace? But good job, Clare, for promoting safe sex!

Clary killing Sebastian was a good way for Sebastian to die. We all knew he had to, right? Ever since we found out he had demon blood in his body, we knew he had to die in order to solve all the problems he had created. But him turning back into Jonathan... I was not expecting that! And I think it worked really well - it was a nice ending without being cheesy or too neat.

Finally finding out who Magnus' father was was interesting. I'm so glad that Magnus didn't die, because he's been alive for so long and I really hope that he's an important character in The Dark Artifices series like he was in this one and The Infernal Devices trilogy. But Simon... I was devastated when he volunteered. Tears literally were pouring down my face as I read that section. His memories... I didn't think that Clary or even Izzy would be able to take it - not after everything they've both been through. I thought that would have broken them.

And while it was incredibly depressing and I was hoping Magnus was able to fix it somehow, I was annoyed when Clare allowed Magnus to let Simon remember things. I thought that ending was too clean. Seriously, how could a Prince of Hell not be powerful enough to wipe all the memories... Simon shouldn't have been able to have any flashes at all, and Magnus definitely shouldn't have the power to bring back Simon's memory like that. But I was happy that Clary and Izzy could start to rebuild their lives in that regard with a little bit of closure. I just think that the pain and torment Clare caused by removing Simon's memories would have been more effective if it was forever.

Seeing Magnus and Alec finally make up and get back together was great. I was so proud of Alec when Magnus offered himself to Alec and Alec said no, you need to change first. I thought that would have taken so much maturity from him and I was so proud because he's really grown a lot over the course of the series, even though it takes place across a short six months.

Having Tessa, Jem and Clary all be talking at the same time was incredible. Jem stealing Church was hilarious and was such a perfect plot aspect. Hearing that Te
ssa and Jem were headed to LA made me super excited, because it means that they're most likely going to play a part in The Dark Artifices!!!!!

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. I thought it was a great ending to the series and I was mostly happy with where my favourite characters ended up. I thought Clare has done an excellent job in her planning the writing the intricate details of all of her books and I can't wait to read more!!