The Knife of Never Letting Go
WHY I WANTED TO READ THIS NOVEL: I'd heard good things about The Knife of Never Letting Go from fellow bloggers and it seemed to be in everyone's mailboxes for a while. I just couldn't resist seeing what all the hype was about.
WHAT I LOVED:
The Relationship between Todd and Viola: It wasn't a love relationship, but the relationship they did have was just as strong.
Pacing: I felt the pacing was just right. The action was fast paced and had your heart racing but in other scenes, where it was needed, the pacing slowed so the characters could be built upon.
Hildy and Wilf: These are the two most memorable characters apart from the two main ones. I loved them both; they are both strong, unyielding and willing to help both Todd and Viola.
WHAT I WASN'T TOO FOND OF:
Aaron: I'm not sure I've hated a fictional character as much as I hated Aaron. Just reading the scenes he was in made my skin crawl.
The Ending: I understand that there's two more books in the series, but the ending of The Knife of Never Letting Go was so anticlimactic. I, at least, expected something major to happen to tide us over until The Ask and the Answer, but no such luck.
CONCLUSION:
What a fast paced, exciting and engrossing read The Knife of Never Letting Go is! Why did it take me so long to actually pick this up!? I've already gobbled up its sequel, The Ask and the Answer, and I'm now I'm desperate to know how this story concludes in Monsters of Men.
Model Misfit
After reading Geek Girl earlier this year and thoroughly enjoying it, I was overjoyed to hear that Holy Smale was releasing a sequel. I had high hopes for Model Misfit and the early reviews that I read sounded promising. The thing is, after reading Model Misfit for myself, I didn’t necessarily agree with what others said. Sure, I still found Harriet a likable character; easy to relate to, smart and funny. As in Geek Girl, she's still uncomfortable in her own skin and she also still has a love/hate relationship with modelling. But she's matured. So when she's invited to Japan to spend the summer modelling, she jumps at the chance for an adventure.
In Japan, Smale introduces us once again to a whole cast of characters both old and new. Wilbur, Harriet's agent, is still as cute as ever with his pet names; Yuka, the designer, is still as cold and distant. Then there's the new characters; new models who befriend Harriet in Japan. These new characters add so much to Model Misfit as they slot in nicely among the cast of characters we already know.
My main problem with Model Misfit is that I just couldn't seem to connect to the story in the way I did when I first read Geek Girl. I didn't find Harriet's geekiness as refreshing as I did previously nor did I enjoy the modelling hiccoughs that happened throughout. For me, Model Misfit seemed forced in comparison to its predecessor which is a huge shame as I was eagerly anticipating its release.
Overall Model Misfit is a cute, contemporary read that is a reasonable sequel to Geek Girl, though personally I would have kept it as a standalone.
The Transfer (Divergent, #0.1)
The first of four short stories told from the perspective of Tobias 'Four' Eaton, The Transfer tells the story of Tobias's Choosing Ceremony and his first night in his new faction, Dauntless. I really enjoyed seeing things from Four's perspective. It was refreshing as both Divergent and Insurgent are told from the point of Tris, with very little input from Four except when the two are interacting.
Overall, The Transfer was a lovely short story that fits in well to the Divergent series and made me very excited for the release of Allegiant, which should be out by the time this review is posted.
Beautiful Disaster
There are some books that will stay in your mind for eternity. They have memorable characters and an enthralling plot line; a story you can return to time and time again. Beautiful Disaster is one of these. For Abby Abernathy, college is a new start. A chance to erase her childhood and begin again - or so she thought. Enter Travis Maddox, bad boy extraordinaire; and perhaps Abby's downfall.
I really enjoyed Abby and Travis as characters. They are both strong people, each trying their best to get away from situations out of their control. Though far too much alike, they are instantly drawn to one another, and soon find they cannot live without the other person.
The secondary characters, Abby's best friend America and her boyfriend Shepley, were just as interesting to read as the main two characters. They, along with other secondary characters, give sprinklings of humour and light heartedness that worked well alongside the main story line which was definitely needed throughout Beautiful Disaster.
Overall, I devoured Beautiful Disaster; I loved everything from the characters to the plot to the ending. The intensity of Beautiful Disaster was extreme and I totally understand now what all the hype was about when the novel was first released. In short, Beautiful Disaster is a novel that no-one should miss.
Heist Society
I’ve been meaning to read Heist Society for quite some time, but with all the other books on my shelves it just wasn’t a priority. Fast forward to September 2013, and I was looking for a light, contemporary read that would be fun and entertaining. Hello, Heist Society.Katarina Bishop is from a family of top class spies. She's spent her life stealing objects of value but, when she tires of the life, she cons her way into a top boarding school, leaving her life of thievery behind. However, her new life is not for long; soon she's being framed for a crime she did not commit and being pulled back into the world she fought so hard to leave behind.
Though I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, I have to admit that 'Kat' was a strong protagonist for Heist Society. Unlike some main characters, she was strong and fiercely independent. Yes, she had her flaws, but what main character doesn't?
The plot and pacing of Heist Society is engaging and fast paced. The story went from one scene to another pretty quickly, so sometimes you have to stop and retrace what you've already read to understand what's happening, which was a little annoying at times.
I'm not a huge fan of the romance that is underlying in this book. It was so plain obvious, yet the characters refuse to acknowledge that it's even there. After a while, it just became frustrating and cringe worthy, making it tedious and, in places, hard to read without rolling your eyes.
Overall, Heist Society is a quick and fun read; but one that leaves you wanting more.
Burn for Burn
3.5/5*On initially picking up Burn for Burn, I was slightly hesitant. The premise was different from anything I'd previously read and I'd also not read anything by the two authors previously. In the end though, I'm so glad I gave Burn for Burn a chance as it turned out to be a riveting read.
Burn for Burn follows three main characters; Lillia, Kat and Mary. Mary is the shy one, and she's very ambiguous throughout most of the book. In many ways, she reminded me of myself. Kat is the kick-ass one, who won't take bull from no one. Lastly, there's Lillia. Miss Popularity, who seems to have it all. Each character is intent on getting revenge and, really, they don't care how they get it.
I really liked all the three main characters. They each have their own distinct personality, which makes them easy to separate, so you can tell which protagonist you're following, as the chapters alternate between the three girls. The supporting cast of characters are just as well rounded and fleshed out as the three main roles are, so you don't feel as if you're reading yet another generic character with no back story or back bone.
Throughout the book, I loved reading how the three girls plotted their revenge. At first, the way the three protagonists went about their revenge was pretty petty; switching face creams so a guy gets acne etc, but as the plot developed, the girls become more and more daring. By the end of the book, the days of face cream are long gone, replaced by things much more sinister.
Overall, Burn for Burn was an enjoyable, fun read, which was very light and just what I needed. I'll definitely be picking up the sequels and reading them, but maybe just not yet.
Delirium (Delirium #1)
3.5/5My heart is pounding. My body is full of adrenaline. I feel like I’ve just finished a race. I’ve just finished Delirium.
Honestly, I have idea why it took me so long to begin the Delirium series. It has favourable reviews on Goodreads, and has been sat on my shelves for some time. However, now I have and I’m so glad!
As a whole, I enjoyed Lena as a main character, although it did take me a while to warm to her. She is fiercely loyal to those she loves and very strong, which shows more and more as the story progresses and expands. I really enjoyed how Lena grew as a character throughout the novel; from a scared, introverted girl, who fears the world she lives in to a ballsy, fiery and strong protagonist who will do anything to find the truth out about her world.
Lena’s love interest, Alex is... interesting, to say the least. He didn’t grow up in Lena’s world, so he’s practically the opposite of Lena when we first meet him in the pages of this book. Like Lena, he’s strong, but in a total different way. He exudes confidence which, in some parts, made Lena look weak. However, he is a nice love interest for Lena and a great help when it comes to changing how she sees the world she’s lived in her entire life.
The story didn’t really get going until about half way through for me, though the first half was still good enough to keep me reading up until that point. Then... BANG! From there, I was desperate to know what happened, as the pace of the story picks up and all the exciting things begin to happen! And, the ending... was heartbreaking, to say the least.
Overall Delirium was a good start to the trilogy, though it lacks pace and excitement thorugh the first half or so. If you can get past that, you’re in for a heart renching, and possibly, mindbloing second half.
Impostor (Slide #2)
Imposter is the sequel to the debut novel Slide, which was relased last year. I really enjoyed Slide when I read it, so I was really excited to pick Imposter and see where the story lead to.One of my favourite parts of this novel was that, like its predecessor, there was so much intrigue and mystery woven throughout the storyline; it had me hooked from beginning to end. Once again, the voice of Vee is entertaining and likable, though I found Vee’s lack of emotion throughout the book a tad annoying.
Overall, an enjoyable sequel to Slide; a must read for anyone who wants a quick read.