NaNoWriMo: The Inevitable Explanation

I knew this was coming, you knew this was coming, everyone knew this was coming. So I won't say I've given up, because that's not true (well it sort of is). I've chucked NaNoWriMo basically. Wow what a surprise. But let me explain.

I've never been a particularly fast writer. That's to say, when I get going I can go for thousands of words, but when I'm not feeling it, I'm not going to be able to write more than 500 words. And what with school work and hanging out with friends (because no matter how much I love and need to write I'm not sacrificing my education and social life for it), I wasn't making the word count. And the visual of being hundreds and eventually thousands of words behind became a massive deterrent for me. I don't want to force myself to do something when it's not bringing me as much happiness as I originally thought.

However, I am going to continue writing my novel. For some reason, this idea is one I've really latched on to and can see myself writing for some months to come. I'm going to continue with my mindset; of write and don't look back. But I'm not going to feel pressured into writing 1,667 words every single day because honestly I don't have the time and writing until midnight everyday was not good for my health.

So the blogging schedule should be back to normal for now. Although I've hit a bit of a reading slump (oops).

Good luck to everyone who's still going strong!

NaNoWriMo Update

Hello!

So NaNoWriMo has been going on just over a week, and well, I may be behind on my word count, but this is pretty much the longest I've been committed to writing one single piece of work and surprisingly my enthusiasm hasn't dropped. I'm pessimistic by nature, but I've taken a different approach this year that's stopped me from getting frustrated and giving up. Usually I try write the best I can all the way through, but that's exhausting and leads to me criticising my work so much so that I end up hating it. But now I'm just writing. Just typing out as much as I can in the hopes that I'll finish on time.

My current word count stands at; 8,836 words which isn't bad for someone like me who can so easily be distracted. I worked out that I need to write 1,871 words per day to finish on time which isn't astronomical especially considering that I went out last night after school so didn't write at all yesterday, nor on Tuesday.

And actually as I'm writing this I should be typing up more of my novel. If anyone would like to add me my username is; restless5oul.

Good luck my fellow writers!

Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

About the Book:
Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Age Range: 15+
Publication Date: 15th May 2014
Pages: 225 pages
Publisher: Hot Key Books

Summary:

We are liars.
We are beautiful and privileged.
We are cracked and broken.
A tale of love and romance.
A tale of tragedy.
Which are lies?
Which is truth?
You decide.

Rating:

Review:

This is going to be a fairly short review, mainly because I just do not want to spoil anything for you. I feel like anything I say will reveal something, and boy am I so glad I wasn't spoiled before I read this. It's been so long since I've been that floored by an ending (actually, I had about three possible endings that I thought might be true but I was still so shocked), but now I think back to the book it seems so obvious; the clues are everywhere. I totally get why, frustrating as it is, people tell you to go in blind. You have to. You just have to. I feel so satisfied with it, honestly I know all the details about the plot are vague but just do it. 

You should know that I give out 5 star reviews quite a lot, and I gave one for this because I feel like I would be doing the intelligence and skill in this book a disservice if I didn't. The only criticism I had was that the protagonists annoyed me some of the time, I won't say more than that. Just know that I wasn't a massive fan. It wasn't enough to stop me from reading it; the need to know what happened is just that strong. All I have to say is read this book. And read it now.

November Schedule: NaNoWriMo and More

Hello!

So November is here and we're getting closer to Christmas! Yay! However November is also National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo and this year I will be participating. I've tried in the past but I have a pretty good idea this year and a better attitude towards it too. But this means it takes up a lot of my free time, so my blogging schedule will have to change.

This month the only features on my blog will be:

Top Ten Tuesday (only if the topic grabs me)

Reviews (though I won't be reading as much)

And Let's Talks (if I have a burst of rage/enthusiasm)

I will however try to post updates on my NaNoWriMo (if I stick at it that is) when I need breaks.

Good luck to anyone else participating!

Review: The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory

About the Book:
Title: The King's Curse
Author: Philippa Gregory
Series: The Cousin's War Series
Genre: Historical, Adult
Age Range: 15+
Publication Date: 14th August 2014
Pages: 604 pages (hardback)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary:

As an heir to the Plantagenets, Margaret is seen by the King's mother as a powerful threat to the Tudor claim to the throne. She is buried in marriage to a Tudor supporter - Sir Richard Pole, governor of Wales - and becomes guardian to Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, and his beautiful bride, Katherine of Aragon.  But Margaret's destiny, as cousin to the queen, is not for a life in the shadows. Tragedy throws her into poverty and only a royal death restores her to her place at young Henry VIII's court where she becomes chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. There she watches the dominance of the Spanish queen over her husband and her tragic decline. Amid the rapid deterioration of the Tudor court, Margaret must choose whether her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical Henry VIII or to her beloved queen. Caught between the old and the new, Margaret must find her own way, concealing deep within her the knowledge that an old curse cast upon all the Tudors is slowly coming true...

 Rating:

Review:

Anyone that knows me will know that I am a huge Philippa Gregory fan, so really it's no surprise that I loved this book. I know she's not popular with everyone because of the liberties she takes with history, but who on earth reads historical fiction for facts? I don't take her word as gospel truth by any means, I just think she has a remarkable gift for quite literally bringing history to life; her style of writing means I can visualise everything so perfectly in my mind. Of course not everyone will feel this way, her style just happens to suit me very well.

Lady Margaret Pole is an historical figure who's point of view is simply fascinating to read from; not just because of her character but also because she sees so much. Albeit from the sidelines mostly, it's still refreshing to get yet another point of view on events such as the break with Rome, the fall of Anne Boleyn and the rise of Jane Seymour. Margaret herself is a great character, she's a lot older than most of the protagonists I read about but that hardly mattered, she's ambitious (though she'd never admit it), shrewd and stubbornly loyal. Loyal to the point of almost recklessness that threatens to destroy her whole family. Other characters in this book quickly became some of my favourites; Mary Tudor (who Gregory hasn't written an awful lot on) has a prominent role in this book and is written in exactly the way I expect and love, her son; Henry/Montague Pole was one of my favourites of the entire novel (though weirdly Margaret preferred Geoffrey, for reasons I will never understand) and of course my old favourite; Katherine of Aragon. I also liked the little snippet of Elizabeth of York we got, though she isn't in it much I like her despite her perhaps meek portrayal in The White Princess.

The overlap with the other books is one of my favourite things about this novel, it really bridges the gap between her Cousin's War series and the Tudor Court novels. The events of The Constant Princess were just as painful this time around, and I found it really interesting to read the events of The Other Boleyn Girl from someone quite removed from the story and on the opposing side. Once again I am quite disappointed with Gregory's portrayal of Jane Seymour who is possibly my favourite of the six wives, of course it could be Margaret's biased opinion but if I had to pick a fault that would definitely be it. But overall the plot in this book is really quite good. There's a strong sense of intrigue and danger to her position that is only really brought to the forefront because Margaret is so aware of how delicate her position is, and the later portion of the book really is quite heartbreaking, though it has it's tragic moments throughout.

I'm not really surprised that I absolutely loved this book. Margaret perhaps isn't my favourite protagonist of Gregory but the way this book has written really outshines a couple of her others; it's well paced and exciting, and I've always loved the way that she explores the possibilities of certain historical rumours/legends were they true (such as the curse of the Tudors, funnily enough). Although it doesn't make for the most accurate book it definitely gets the reader thinking. Another solid effort from my queen of historical fiction!

This is a new feature I want to try out on my blog where each Friday (more or less) I talk about some of my favourite book related things. I'll decide the topic each week and tell you about my favourites.

This week's topic is: Favourite Male Characters

1. Harry Potter He had the be in there, didn't he? But really he is (in my eyes) a truly great character. He's so well rounded it's almost unbelievable. He's smart, but not over-the-top-intelligent, he's brave something to the point of stupidity, and he gets angry, jealous and is sarcastic - just like any other teenage boy. He feels extremely real to me.

2. Percy Jackson Another one of those great three dimensional characters. Well actually I just think he's absolutely hilarious - like seriously funny. I enjoy reading from his perspective so much, I could read his POV forever I think.

3. Richard Gansey III He's a relatively new favourite of mine and since I've only read two books with him in it's hard to pin down exactly what I like about him. It might just be the way Maggie Stiefvater translates his charm onto the pages but it's very hard not to like him.

4. Dominic Courtenay Perhaps a lesser known fictional character but wow do I love him. He seems to be a bit of a typical nice guy at first but he's passionate, tragically loyal and refreshingly honest. I'm so sad the Boleyn Trilogy is over and I'll only have rereads to visit him again.

5. Gideon Lightwood I could see this being an odd choice especially against the likes of Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs, and considering that he's only in Clockwork Princess. But I just instantly fell in love with him; he's awkward and a little bit uptight but pretty god damn adorable.

Do you agree with my picks? Or not? Who are your favourite male characters from books?

Movie Review: Fury

About the Film:
Title: Fury
Director: David Ayer
Screenwriter: David Ayer
Starring: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman
Genre: War, Action, Drama
Release Date: 22nd October 2014 (UK)

Trailer:

Rating:

Review:

In the past I haven't been a massive fan of war films, but something about this film caught my attention. So I managed to convince my sister to come see it with me and off we went. Now firstly I didn't go into this film thinking it was going to be awesome and one of my favourites of the year, I got exactly what I thought I would. A better than average war film, with pretty stellar acting and well paced action sequences.

The performances in this film really were superb. Logan Lerman definitely impressed me most, his character goes through a massive change over the course of the film and he does so without losing any of his original essence or making it look too sudden. Brad Pitt leads the film really well also; his character isn't the most likeable out there but even from an audience perspective you respect him the way his soldiers do and Pitt makes his courage quite admirable. Unfortunately the rest of the five leads are restricted to basic archetypes that are less than memorable. And beyond Lerman's character no time is spared for any of them to undergo any real development, which really disappointed me. 

One thing I was wary about going into this film was the action sequences. I have a tendency to get really bored during them unless they're really well shot and paced. Luckily they did really well with these. They were exciting enough to keep the tension running, yet they didn't get ahead of themselves so it dragged on and felt like a never ending parade of gunfire and explosions. I mean if you ignore the weird bullets that looked suspiciously like they were taken straight from Star Wars. But moving on, I genuinely did love the fight scenes especially the last one which was so perfectly played out with the right tone and the music to boot which really amped up the atmosphere.

And while the pacing in the action scenes was unusually on par, the scenes in between...well not so much. They dragged on to the point where they felt pretty useless, despite the small role they did play in the advancement of the plot. Normally when I watch films in cinemas I get absorbed to the point where I forget I'm actually in a cinema. But during this 'in between' scenes I found myself looking around, completely disinterested and distracted. Not at all what I wanted.

Still these lows were evened out by the highs; the excellent performances and well choreographed action scenes. It was a highly entertaining watch, and during the later half an emotionally charged piece that made me almost forget about the previously boring moments. It's not a masterpiece but it's decent and if you're into war films then it's definitely something you'll like. But beyond that I would recommend it but I wouldn't call it a must-see.

Life of a Blogger: Halloween

Life of a Blogger is a weekly meme held over on novelheartbeat, where each week participants are given a new topic to discuss in order to help their audience get to know the blogger better, and also fellow participants.

This week's topic is: Halloween

Okay, okay I'm just going to put this out there now; I don't really celebrate Halloween. Yeah I know. Admittedly over here in the UK it is definitely not as big a deal as it is in the US, it only really started to catch on when I was growing up. My parents didn't celebrate it at all so they never passed on the tradition to me. At primary (or elementary school for you Americans! Or whatever the equivalent is in your country) school we started having Halloween discos and I'd dress up and everything but I wasn't really that into it. I'm not even right now. The idea of trick or treating is really odd to me as well, the thought of having to go round people's houses and ask for things from them seems...a little well rude. But that might just be the British in me. However that isn't to say that there aren't some things about Halloween that I do like. As a kid I used to adore watching films like Halloweentown and Hocus Pocus, but then again, what kid doesn't? Even watching them now gives me a lovely sense of nostalgia.

I expect most of you celebrate Halloween a little more enthusiastically than me? Do you have any traditions? Or a favourite costume you've worn?

Top Ten Tuesday: Whatever, I still like to dress up.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted over on brokeandbookish. This week we had a choice of two options and since in England we don't really celebrate Halloween, and I've never really been that into it; I picked the second option. Because secretly I am five years old and love pretending to be people I'm not.

The topic is: Top Ten Characters Who I Would Totally Want To Be For Halloween

1. Isabelle Lightwood A black dress, thigh high boots and an electrum whip? Um yes please. Seriously though Halloween is perfect for pretending to be a shadowhunter.

2. Scarlett O'Hara I adore clothing from different time periods and really I would look a little mental if I dressed as her any other time. 

3. Bellatrix Lestrange Hands down best Halloween costume ever. Like she's scary but also looks damn fine in a corset. Also I'd really like to know if I could make my hair look like hers.

4. The White Witch from the Chronicles of Narnia. She must have like the coolest outfits ever. And plus the fur would keep you really warm since it's freezing in October (I'm a wuss when it comes to the cold).

5. Aphrodite Any of her appearances in the Percy Jackson series. Especially her civil war era one. She's the goddess of beauty for god's sake who wouldn't want to dress as her?

6. Daisy Buchanan How I love 1920s clothing. Everything about dressing up as Daisy appeals to me. Even if I don't like her as a character.

7. Dorothy Gale A bit of a Halloween favourite but I love the cute little outfit and she's one of my favourite fictional characters ever.

8.  Tessa Gray As you might be able to tell I really love period dress (bit of a history nerd not going to lie), so the idea of dressing in Victorian clothes appeals to me immensely. Mental I know considering how uncomfortable they are.

9. Hermione Granger I would pretty much use this as an excuse to go out and buy a uniform and wand, which I crave but have no real need for. Of course I should dress up as one of the best female fictional characters of all time.

10. Black Widow Okay, okay I know this is supposed to be a book meme so I'm cheating but the topic is technically only fictional characters. And I long to don a red wig and a black jumpsuit. 

Are any of you actually dressing up as an fictional characters for Halloween? Or who would you like to dress as?

Let's Talk About: Strong Female Characters

Everyone wants to see a strong female lead in books. In fact I would even go so far to say as though we need them. Little girls who read books need characters they can look up to, genuinely inspirational women. Books are usually great examples of this, most (and I really do mean most) authors won't write a two dimensional protagonist. But sometimes people get confused with what makes a strong female lead.

A lot of people turn to the weapon-wielding, butt-kicking bad ass. Of course it's great to see women taking on these roles usually reserved for men. But sometimes people think that that is the only example of a strong women. And by God that isn't true. By restricting the definition people are once again limiting what women can do and what defines a strong woman. Great character such as; Mara Dyer, Liesel Meminger and America Singer. These characters all have admirable qualities and to label them as 'weak' or any other word synonymous with that is unfair. 

Personally I find it a lot harder to relate to characters like Tris Prior and Katniss Everdeen, sure they're brave and are awesome in there own way. But they're so far removed from some girls (and certainly their situations). I find it a lot easier to look up to characters like Annabeth Chace (I mean sure she's a freakin' demigod but she's a lot more like me) and June Iparis (admittedly she kicks some butt). And while I do love a women who can fight for herself, sometimes their cold, and occasionally sociopathic personalities mean they're not the kind of people I'd want to hang out with...at all. But then again, that isn't to say I don't wish I was a little bit more like Katniss and a little bit less like Bella Swan.

Review: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

About The Book:
Title: The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Age Range: 13+
Publication Date: 17th September 2013
Pages: 439 pages (hardback)
Publisher: Scholastic

Summary:

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Blue and Gansey will be the same. Ronan is falling more and more deeply into his dreams ... and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Gansey is needed at home, and is struggling to stay in Aglionby. And Adam? He's made some new friends. Friends that are looking for some of the same pieces of the puzzle that Gansey, Blue, and Ronan are after. Great power is at stake, and someone must be willing to wield it.

Rating:

Review:

It's official; I am in love with The Raven Cycle series. The Raven Boys was mainly focused on world building and introducing us to the characters, but in The Dream Thieves it's full steam ahead with character development and thickening the plot. Honesty is one of my favourite things in books, authors who romanticise and sugar coat thoughts and feelings just end up with a book that feels fake. But Maggie Stiefvater does no such thing; all the internal monologues are brutally honest and often I find myself imaging thinking the exact same thing. She writes people so well; each character has their own charm and appeal but also their ugly secrets and not so pleasant attributes, but it's this kind of reality that makes them all so likeable. The whole cast of characters feels like they could really exist, their dynamics, their speech, their whole existence. 

Ronan takes the spotlight in this book, which at first I wasn't too excited about as I wasn't a fan of him in The Raven Boys, but once we dug deeper into his story I actually started to like him. Without giving too much away I think it's safe to say that he's a lot more than the token bad boy. Although it we only get glimpses of it in this book it's easy to see how his individual character arc is going to tie into the overarching storyline. Gansey still remained my favourite in this book, I especially loved how his relationship with Adam and Blue shifted and that we got to see more of his home life. I've never been a fan of Noah, though I hope (like with Ronan) we get to know more about him (though I doubt it because of the whole you know...thing), and he feels kind of secondary compared to the other raven boys. I love Blue, she's so...well normal. And she hates it. And that's the best thing - that feeling of not quite belonging (similar to Adam) is something I connect with so well and Maggie executes it in a way so that it doesn't come off as self pitying.

In this book the plot deviates away from the Glendower arc a little, though it's always there in the background, and kind of comes back into it at the end. I enjoyed the change and the whole concept of dreams was so cool. I could imagine it would be quite hard to pull the weirdness of dreams off without it creeping into down right trippy territory but it was done so well. Admittedly at times I did get a little confused with everything linking in together and for pages at a time I was lost. It may have been the linking together of the two plots but in the end I was clear on what was happening, and I loved how the ending set up for the next book.

The only massive problem I had was the Grey Man. Honestly I just didn't get the point of him, apart from maybe adding a little dept to Ronan's story. But honestly it seemed like a needless diversion from the main character's points of view, and because the air of mystery is so key to him, his chapters didn't really help my connect or understand his character. I would've preferred the book without him I think, although I did like his relationship with Maura.

But overall I really did love this book, the complexity of the plot and the introduction of the Grey Man did ruin it a little for me which is why I can only give it four stars but on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's an intricately woven story where (almost) everything ties in so neatly. The hints at what are to come are so subtle yet I'm able to pick up on them mostly and the speculation which comes from them just makes it an even more interesting read. I cannot wait for the next one.

Buy The Book

Amazon

Book Depository

Waterstones

Favourites on Friday: Feeling Nostalgic

This is a new feature I want to try out on my blog where each Friday (more or less) I talk about some of my favourite book related things. I'll decide the topic each week and tell you about my favourites.

This week's topic is: Favourite Books From My Childhood

1. The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling I think this kind of goes without saying for anyone between the ages of eleven and twenty five. This series got me completely hooked on reading and literally no other book series in the world means as much to be as this.
2. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder My mother read these books when she was a child so naturally she forced me to read them. Luckily I loved them. They're not quite like anything I've read, and honestly not the most exciting books ever. I just love the insight it gave into someone's life and a time and culture I knew nothing about.
3. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman I was about eight or nine when I read these and besides from the Harry Potter books they were the first real fantasy books I read. It was my first real experience of really relating with a main character. Also shipping. Will and Lyra were my original otp.
4. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild I read this after watching a BBC film of it starring Emma Watson. Again it's one of those books were I can't quite work out why I loved it so much. Again it was probably the insight into a time and way of life I hadn't experienced. And the relationship between the three sisters.
5. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett This book shaped quite a lot of how I write now. The description and characterisation just made me fall in love; it was so honest and real to me. I considered Sara pretty inspirational as a little girl, this was the only story that really taught me that any girl can be a princess and that perseverance could get you through anything.

Quotes

'You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.' - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

'There's no great loss without some small gain.' - Little House on the Prairie.

'Every atom of me and every atom of you... We'll live in birds and flowers and dragonflies and pine trees and in clouds and in those little specks of light you see floating in sunbeams... And when they use our atoms to make new lives, they wont' just be able to take one, they'll have to take two, one of you and one of me, we'll be joined so tight...' - The Amber Spyglass

'It might have all the same; you never can tell what's magic.' - Ballet Shoes

'If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.' - A Little Princess

What were your favourite books growing up? Have you read any of these before?

Life of a Blogger: Origin of Your Name

Life of a Blogger is a weekly meme hosted by novelheartbeat. The idea is that each week there will be a new topic (non-bookish) to give people a chance to get to know the blogger better, and others that participate!

This week's topic is: Origin of Your Name

So as you can see from the bottom of every post I've ever written my name is Georgia. Not a super interesting name I know. And I wish I had a super cool story behind it but sadly not. Basically my parent's whose names are John and Jane think that it sounds like a combination of theirs (it doesn't and I have told them this many times). Also all the females of my generation names end in 'a' so I guess that's kind of like a tradition like; Laura, Emma, Georgia and Olivia. But apart from that it's pretty dull, so yeah.

Do any of you guys have slightly more interesting stories behind your name? I certainly hope so.

Book Haul: Temptation Kicks In

For some reason my brain thinks that just because I'm away visiting somewhere; that's an excuse to buy a shed load of books. It's really not. However here is the damage. 

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan This isn't the kind of book I would usually pick up but I have heard some very good things about it and when I went to buy it the woman in the shop said she really enjoyed it too. So I consider fate to have played a hand in this one.

The Jewel by Amy Ewing I haven't heard terrific things about this book. It is the sort I would typically read but reviews haven't been great. I think I will probably still read it, but it maybe be pushed down near the bottom of my to-read list. 

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban I had never heard of this book until I saw it in a bookshop. But the cover was so pretty and the synopsis sounded really interesting. For some reason I adore books set in boarding schools and it sounds like it could be a little sad; and I love sad books.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Everywhere I look people are reviewing and raving about this book. I have no clue what it's about apart from a group of affluent kids. Oh! And that there's a twist at the end! (or something like that). It's a lot shorter than I thought it would be actually, especially the way people had been talking about it.  But do I care? Nope. I love jumping on bandwagons.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer This is another one of those books that I'm really late to the party about. Originally I wasn't too keen on the idea; a cyborg Cinderella in a Beijing set somewhere in the future (I'm sorry what?). But everyone's next door neighbour and their dog seems to have read this book. So I'm giving it a go.

Top Ten Tuesday: There isn't enough time in the world.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blogging meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week we have a new top ten to list. Because who doesn't love lists?! This is my first week doing this even though I've been wanting to for a while. 

And the topic is; Top Ten New Series I Want To Start.

Okay I am notoriously lazy and procrastinate way too much so this list was not at all hard for me to compile.

1. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken I have the first book in this series sitting on my kindle waiting to be read but I just haven't got round to it.

2. The Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray There's nothing about the sound of this series I don't like (except maybe the slightly low Goodreads score).

3. The Young Elites by Marie Lu I devoured the Legend series; I loved the simplicity of it and the plot was killer. This one sounds slightly similar but I still think I'll love it.

4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon This series seems to have popped up out of nowhere since the TV show started (yes I know it was published ages ago but it's new to me). It's set in the past, in Scotland (my Dad's Scottish so it feels like I have to read it) and everyone raves about it.

5. Thomas Cromwell series by Hilary Mantell I want to cry every time I remember I am yet to start reading this, it sounds perfect (again I know this is slightly older but I feel guilty about not reading this).

6. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas My sister goes on and on about these all the time. Like for reals. I may just read them to shut her up; although they do sound good.

7. The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo I've almost bought this book so many times. The cover is gorgeous and the plot sounds intriguing. Plus it's set in Russia (I think...) and I'm obsessed with Russia.

8. The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski I have a bit of an on/off relationship with forbidden love stories (I'm pretty sure this is what this book has) but the whole premise of this one sounds super cool and again the cover is to die for.

9. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins This is one of those books that I really want a physical copy of and it is so hard to find in England (I don't think it's released in paperback yet). So that's my excuse for not having bought it yet.

10. The Mortality Doctrine by James Dashner Just read that title and tell me it doens't sound cool. I'm a massive fan of The Maze Runner series but I haven't got round to this one yet although the plot once again sounds freaking awesome.

I find it really hard to keep up with series that aren't complete yet but I'm sure in the near future I will read these. And when I say near I mean like within 1-2 years.

Let's Talk About: Romance in YA Books

I'm not going to lie, I pretty much live for a good romance in an awesome YA series. Back when I started reading YA books (I must have been around ten and had no idea what YA meant) I didn't give much thought to the romantic relationship the main character had; I just saw it as another part of the plot. In fact it wasn't until around two years ago when I really got into YA that I paid attention to it. And then I realised. How bloody hard it is to get right. Seriously. more periods = more serious.

Here are a few issues I have with YA romance:

1. Instalove. You know what I'm talking about. Where our two love interests meet and bam! they're hopelessly, desperately in love. And they haven't said more than four sentences to each other. I get that it's more enjoyable if we get to see a relationship progress rather than most of the development having started before the book. And I know a lot of YA books happen over a short space of time. But god this annoys me. And people do get it right (somtimes), and unless it's horrendously instantaneous I can usually still enjoy and finish the book.
2. 'Love/Hate' relationships. Because let's face it; most of the time it's not. It's; 'wow I'm super attracted to you but I'm a jerk' or 'meaningless hatred than can turn to obsessive love in two seconds flat'. Admittedly I could never write a love/hate relationship because they're really difficult to portray, and usually you need a little background to get it going. Which could work, but right now good examples are severely lacking.
3. Creepy love interests. Okay so this is aimed at one book in particular; The 5th Wave. Nothing could possibly bring me to like Evan and Cassie relationship. Everything about him screams; stay away. There are other examples too; following protagonists around, overly aggressive behaviour, staring at them so intensely I feel uncomfortable, and refusing to let up when the protagonist clearly states she/he isn't interested. Obviously they're not written to be creepy. They just come across this way.

That isn't to say all YA books are like this. In fact there are several relationships in YA novels that I love. They're (nearly always) well paced, have great chemistry and involve two three dimensional characters who are not defined by said relationship.

Review: Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

About The Book:
Title: Blood of Olympus
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Heroes of Olympus
Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology
Age Range: 12+
Publication Date: 7th October 2014 (UK)
Pages: 528 pages (Hardcover)
Publisher: Puffin

Summary:

Though the Greek and Roman crew members of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen - all of them - and they're stronger than ever.
The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over...

Rating:

Review:

It's been five days since I finished this book and my brain still refuses to believe that this is over. I can't possibly comprehend that I will never read a Percy Jackson book again. This could take some time for me to come to terms with.

For the non-spoiler part of my review I am going to say that I didn't love this book with all of my being. In fact if this wasn't as Percy Jackson book and I didn't have a such an emotional connection to it I probably would've given it a lower score of maybe 3.5 stars. But alas! I couldn't do that. I just love the characters and the writing style too much to do that. It had the same exciting feel to it that all the other books did, and there were certain new parts that I loved to death but it didn't feel epic enough to be the last book in the series.

(SPOILERS AHEAD!)

And now where I get into the real details.

Number one; Reyna and Nico. They are officially my new brotp of this series. I loved having their POVs in the book too as they might possibly be my favourite characters after Percy and Annabeth. Their personalities meshed really well together and it was really nice that they both found someone they could confide in. Reyna's backstory was super interesting and I kind of wished we had got even some hint at the resolution of her prophecy. 

But with every good thing, there seemed to be a negative. I was pretty annoyed that there was no Percy or Annabeth chapters. The tagline to the book is; Percy Jackson's final battle begins. Yet we didn't get anything from him. Perhaps I'm biased as he is my favourite character but this did ruin it slightly for me. Although the scene in the cave was compensation slightly.

I really enjoyed the scene with Nike and the battle where all the demigods fought with their parents. The dialogue was hilarious, especially the Adidas line. And the whole idea of the seven fighting with their parents was great.

Although I was a little bummed no one died (weird I know, but it just seems unrealistic) and the final battle just seemed too smooth. I did enjoy it and I certainly didn't hate it. All of me just wishes there was more.

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Movie Review: The Maze Runner

 About The Film:

 Title: The Maze Runner
 Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya  Scodelario, Will Poulter
 Director: Wes Ball
 Release Date: October 10th 2014  (UK)

Rating:

Review:

I feel like I've been waiting for this movie for far too long. And as I live in the UK I had to wait almost a month after (what seemed like) everyone else to see it. But finally! It was released! I went with three of my friends who had also read the books and I can happily (and with an air of relief) say that I wasn't disappointed.

I was fully prepared for changes - one of the few things I have learnt from watching many book adaptations - and there were a lot. But surprisingly; I hardly noticed. It was really well made, and I had that usual feeling of being absolutely submersed in the story; which is my favourite thing about films. I thought that, especially the first half, was really well paced and cut together. Wes didn't over do the visual effects and the maze looked really realistic. As I expected the acting really was great, especially Dylan in that certain scene towards the end of the film (*cough*youknowwhatimtalkingabout*cough*). Thomas Brodie Sangster as Newt really did my favourite character justice and I just wanted to squish Blake Cooper to death.

Of course, like most films, it was not perfect. I thought the second half of the film was a little too action-y. It was pretty full on and left little room for characters. Visually, it was really pleasing but story telling wise I didn't love it. I can also imagine that as someone who hadn't read the books the ending would be extremely unsatisfying. Leaving people wanting to know what happens next but in an annoyed way rather than an excited way. Even I was a little irritated and I know what happens next.

However overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and it really did do one of my favourite books justice. 

I love making up unoriginal content (this was meant to be a joke) and talking about myself (not so much a joke) so to appease my mind numbing boredom I stumbled across this tag and thought I would just give it a go. I haven't been tagged, nor am I tagging anyone else. So if you read this and want to have a go then by all means do so.

I found this tag here.

1. What are your top three book hates?

Hmm let's see.

Oh! I know;

1. When people use words that don't fit with the tone of the specific section (especially to do with body parts). This is a weird one for me to explain but I just cringe when this happens. It's like a writer pumps out this amazingly emotionally charged scene and right in the middle of it throw in the word 'ass' or 'pimple' (I ran out of examples). But you get my point right?

2. When books happen over a surprisingly short time scale, sometimes so well hidden you don't really realise how small, and by the end of it the two lovers are so madly, deeply in love with each other. And it's been what? A week? (yes I'm looking at you 'The Mortal Instruments').

3. Creepy love interests. These pop up way to much for my liking, especially in YA books. Why would anyone who's sane want to date someone who's been following them around? Or tall dark, mysterious lovers who have a weird habit of threatening them or being unnecessarily violent/aggressive. Mmm yeah, really romantic.

2. Describe your perfect reading spot.

I like reading in bed actually, with just my lamp on. Dark and quiet. I just like having very limited distractions so I can really get lost in the book. Sometimes that's why I prefer reading on my kindle, because I only have one small light on. I can read like in the car and in public, but I just prefer it that way.

3. Tell us three book confessions.

Rereading is something I love to do. Like really love to do. Especially with my favourites. I just adore reliving something I've enjoyed so much. I think I must have read each Harry Potter book maybe twenty plus times each (I almost wish I was exaggerating here).

4. When was the last time you cried at a book?

Definitely The Boleyn Reckoning by Laura Andersen. I was a mess. In some weird, twisted way I enjoy books that make me cry.

5. How many books are on your bedside table?

None. That's a habit I never picked up as a child; I used to share a room with my sister when I was younger and I had the top bunk so there was no where for me to put my book apart from on the bookshelf. Generally after I finish reading for the night I'll just put it back in its place on my shelf. Also I use my bedside table for ornaments and precious things (it's a large beside table; well technically it s a chest of drawers that's beside my bed and happens to be bed height) so knowing me I'd probably break them all if I put books down.

6. What is your favourite snack while you're reading?

I don't generally eat while I'm reading. Like I said before I usually read in bed so I've usually brushed my teeth and it's late so I don't want to eat. Also sticky fingers + paper = no fun.

7.Name three books you'd recommend to everyone.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I could talk about that book forever.

Legend by Marie Lu. I think this would appeal to literally everyone.

The Harry Potter series. If they haven't read it they can come back when they have.

8. Show us a picture of your favourite shelf on your bookcase.

I'm too lazy for that and my shelf is pretty ugly.

9. Write how much books mean to you in three words.

Far too much.

10. What is your biggest reading secret?

I dunno. I would never really consider any of my reading habits secrets. 

Review: A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow by George R R Martin

About The Book:
Title: A Storm of Swords 1: Steel and Snow
Author: George R R Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Medieval, Adult
Age Range: 16+
Publication Date: 2nd June 2011
Pages: 688 pages (paperback)
Publisher: Harper Collins

Summary:

Winter approaches Westeros like an angry beast. The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud. In the northern wastes, a horde of hungry, savage people steeped in the dark magic of the wilderness is poised to invade the Kingdom of the North where Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown. And Robb’s defences are ranged against the South, the land of the cunning and cruel Lannisters, who have his younger sisters in their power. Throughout Westeros, the war for the Iron Throne rages more fiercely than ever, but if the Wall is breached, no king will live to claim it.

Rating:

Review:

I think epic fantasy is now listed as one of my new favourite genres, purely off the back of this series and even though I probably won't be able to read any other ones without comparing them to A Song of Ice and Fire.
I feel like, honestly, if I compare this book to others on my bookshelf this deserves five stars for sure. But somehow because I already know the plot (okay, okay there are a few deviations, but pretty much!) there is a certain element I don't experience and therefore I can't give it top marks. But in all other respects I adored this so much. I was actually surprised at certain ways they changed this book when they made it into a show.
(SPOILERS AHEAD!) 
Since this book is pretty much all of season 3 I was expecting the Red Wedding in this book, but it became apparent that it wouldn't be. And it was a lot closer to the Purple Wedding than I thought it was, which I think to readers it would've been an even bigger shock factor than watchers of the show.
I particularly enjoyed the introduction of Jaime's POV in this book; he's quickly become one of my favourite characters, his dynamics with everyone are just great and I'm really hoping we get some of his POV when he's interacting with Cersei and Tyrion later on. Arya's storyline in this book was actually really good, especially compared to the show (don't hate me but I think she's only going to get interesting in season 5). But the highlight for me had to be the Queen of Thorns or Olenna Redwyne/Tyrell, although we only really saw her properly in one chapter, she was god damn amazing! I really hope we see a little more of her soon.
For me it was this book where the story really started to pick up and spread out in its many directions and depths. I think for the most part Martin has completed the majority of his world building and can really pull out all the stops in terms of his plot.

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