Review: The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Name: The Rest of Us Just Live Here
Author: Patrick Ness
Publisher: Walker Books
Date published: 2016
Rating: 4/5
Spoiler warning: Major

What if you aren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you're like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

- From Goodreads.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here consists of a unique, clever and witty idea for a book that felt really refreshing and interesting. It took tired-out clichés and twisted the angle and made them new and exciting again. It was playful and thoughtful at the same time.
I think I expected it to be more humourous and satirical than it was. The humour and satire was there, but I suppose I expected to be more at the forefront, given the premise of the novel was a satire of the whole "chosen one" idea and genre, and I did not expect there to be such a serious tone and a focus on serious subjects, but I think that was a good kind of surprise, as it dealt well with the serious subjects, especially mental illness.
In terms of characters, I do not think I liked Henna as much as I should have done. I do not know what it was, but I felt like maybe she was supposed to be quite likeable, but while I certainly did not hate or even dislike her, I did not really like her too much either. Maybe it was because I felt she messed around with Mikey's feelings quite a bit and was not very considerate of them. I know she was trying to figure out her own feelings, and nobody is perfect, but she could have handled it better and thought more of how her actions might affect him and his feelings as well as her own. Mikey obviously was not perfect himself, and his jealousy was a good reason for her to be annoyed at him, and jealousy is one of the most annoying character traits (do not get me started on how much I hate love triangles), but I felt like I could understand more about why he was unhappy with her than why she was with him, and I do not think that is just because it was from Mikey's perspective. I am glad they did not end up together at the end because it would have not felt quite right between them.
Overall, I think it was a really great book that I very much enjoyed reading (I would not have read it as quickly as I did, in only a couple of days, if I did not), but I think I went in with my expectations a little too high and it did not quite reach them.

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Review: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Name: These Shallow Graves
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Date published: 2015
Rating: 4/5

Josephine Montfort is from one of New York's oldest, most respected and wealthiest families. Like most well-off girls of the Gilded Age, her future looks set - after a finishing school education, she will be favourably married off to a handsome gentleman, after which she'll want for nothing. But Jo has other dreams and desires that make her long for a very different kind of future. She wants a more meaningful and exciting life: she wants to be an investigative journalist like her heroine Nelly Bly. But when Jo's father is found dead in his study after an alleged accident, her life becomes far more exciting than even Jo would wish. Unable to accept that her father could have been so careless, she begins to investigate his death with the help of a young reporter, Eddie Gallagher. It quickly becomes clear he was murdered, and in their race against time to discover the culprit and his motive, Jo and Eddie find themselves not only battling dark characters on the violent and gritty streets of New York, but also their growing feelings for each other.

- From Goodreads.

These Shallow Graves was an exciting story and a clever mystery with some humourous moments and a wonderful romance.
Donnelly used the plot, setting and characters well to show the struggle in women's search for equality, with Jo coming up against obstacles because of her gender and learning that she believes that these obstacles should not exist, as well as to show issues with class and how the upper and lower classes feel towards each other. It appeared to be a very well-researched book, as its setting in time and place seemed very real and as a reader I was very much immersed in the story because of the thought that had gone into the background.
I did guess a couple of the small parts of the mystery, but for the most part, Donnelly had written the mystery so well that I was unravelling the answers along with Jo, and there were a couple of plot twists at the end that I definitely did not see coming, and the reveals of which I thought were really well executed. It was an exciting story that always left me wanting to know more and kept me on my feet, with intriguing and surprising characters, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys both murder mysteries and young adult novels, because this was a brilliant combination of both.

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My copy of this book was received from Maximum Pop Books as a prize from a competition.

Review: Ctrl, Alt; Delete: How I Grew Up Online by Emma Gannon

Name: Ctrl, Alt; Delete: How I Grew Up Online
Author: Emma Gannon
Publisher: Ebury Press
Date published: 2016
Rating: 4/5

Emma Gannon was born  in 1989, the year the World Wide Web was conceived, so she's literally grown up alongside the Internet. There've been late night chat room experiments, sexting from a Nokia and dubious webcam exchanges. And let's not forget catfishing, MSN, digital friendships and #feminism. She was basically social networking before it was a thing - and she's even made a successful career from it.

- From Goodreads.

How I Grew Up Online is an interesting discussion of difficult issues that can affect young people, such as self-image and how society today makes us very aware of how we look, especially with the media, and is written from a female perspective that shows how girls and women can be both negatively and positively affected by the online world.
I liked the sense of humour that Emma tells her stories with, when the story was not too serious in nature she made light fun of it, which I found quite entertaining. The book as a whole was not incredibly gripping in that it did not have me unable to put it down, but it was still an enjoyable read that brought forward some interesting points about intriguing topics.
I think Emma made a good point about how we have a big problem with abuse on the internet and how that makes it difficult, when people are determined to make hateful comments at you rather than become involved in a conversation, to discuss important and controversial topics, some of which she also discusses in the book, such as feminism and the difficulty in learning to be a feminist when the internet makes it difficult to make mistakes. The book also makes a good point about how, while it is not the be-all and end-all, the internet is still important and can be used for good.

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My copy of this book was received from Maximum Pop Books as a prize from a giveaway.

Review: Cruel Heart Broken by Emma Haughton

Name: Cruel Heart Broken
Author: Emma Haughton
Publisher: Usborne
Date published: 2016
Rating: 4/5

Laurie is a good girl - so everyone thinks. But seven months ago she did something that she can't undo and it's tearing her apart. 

Charlie used to be her best friend. He's done something he regrets too... and now someone has died.

Two impulsive decisions. Two toxic secrets. Too many hearts broken.

- From Goodreads.

Cruel Heart Broken has the kind of drama, mystery and emotion that keeps you reading, that is addictive because it makes you always want to know and uncover everything that has happened and that is going to happen. 

The structure of the novel worked well, with the narrative focusing on the present, and then looking at the past, and then back to the present. It meant that suspense was built because information was released slowly, and it showed how important the past was in this story and how much it influenced the characters.

The book dealt well with some serious and difficult issues, and showed the effects that topics such as depression, suicide, pregnancy and abortion can have on individuals and society, and showed how the negative way in which these subjects are dealt with currently can be disastrous and affect people dangerously. I was glad that it ended, not exactly happily, but in a somewhat uplifting way, because that showed that there is a way to get through tough times, your problems can be solved and there is a chance for things to get better. It presents a good message of needing to be aware of yourself and your actions, as well as what is happening with the people around you.

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My copy of this book was received from Maximum Pop Books as a prize from a giveaway.

Review: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Name: This Raging Light
Author: Estelle Laure
Publisher: Orchard Books
Date published: 2016
Rating: 4/5
Spoiler warning: Major

How is it that one day Digby was my best friend's cute twin brother, and then the next he stole air, gave jitters, twisted my insides up?

And with Mom gone, bills to pay and Wren to look after... Why does the best thing happen at the worst time?

- From Goodreads.

The language of This Raging Light was a combination of wonderful and beautiful descriptions and everyday, conversational and blunt narration. It was quite a unique style to use and it really showed how Lucille was a complex character in a confusing world. The plot was also compelling and pulled you in right from the beginning, I was never bored by it and was always wanting to know what would happen next and where the story would be going.
I loved the dynamic between Digby and Lucille, how they bounced off each other in conversation, and how they both cared so deeply for each other and about how they acted towards each other. I was not sure how I felt about the two of them kissing each other while Digby was still with Elaine, although I understood that it was done to show how they were pulled towards each other. I was just not quite happy about it, and while I really enjoyed reading the story, this one thing just niggled at me a little.
Finally, I have to mention that ending, or rather the suddenness of it. I did not see it coming. How did it just end there? It cannot just stop like that. I thought I had a lot more pages left! Seriously, I needed more of this book. There is no way I am not reading the next book because I am far too attached to these characters now to stop myself from following them and their stories as long as Laure keeps writing them.

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My copy of this book was received from Maximum Pop Books as a prize from a giveaway.

Review: Harry Potter and the Curse Child by Jack Thorne

Name: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Authors: Jack Thorne, with J.K. Rowling and John Tiffany
Publisher: Little Brown
Date published: 2016
Rating: 4.5/5
Spoiler warning: Moderate

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. 

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

- From Goodreads.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child feels quite weird and bonkers to read, but then Harry Potter has always been that way and I am glad it has managed to keep its sense of humour and fun. Additionally, I think it felt a little strange to read because in the past when I have read Harry Potter it has mainly been from Harry's perspective, with insight into his mind. So, this being a play, meaning the structure is a little different to how it would be with a book, and with Harry not being as much at the centre of it as he used to be, makes it a little more distanced and leaves you with a different feeling, but that is not a bad thing, it is just different.
In terms of characters, first I have to say that Scorpius Malfoy was a surprise but definitely a good one as he was so brilliant. There was also, of course, the surprise of the trolley witch, which was actually quite fantastic. The part with Hagrid broke my heart, it was only the smallest moment but it was so emotional and true to Hagrid's character. I think it was the part of the play that got to me the most. I have to admit that I found the idea that Bellatrix and Voldemort had a daughter a little strange, but then I suppose you could not call either of them normal, and if J.K Rowling thought it was plausible then I should think it was, seeing as she came up with the characters in the first place.
I felt like the original characters were portrayed well and it was true to how they would be, except perhaps Harry's character felt a little off at times, although I suspect he was meant to be that way as he was supposed to be under a lot of stress in the story. I am glad Ginny was written the way she was, because she has always been a favourite of mine, and the play managed to show that while at times she may be quick to temper and say the wrong things, she makes up for it in her strength, understanding and intelligence. I also liked the moments between Ron and Hermione for the same reason, that I felt it was true to them and showed the strength in their relationship. As well as that, I am glad that Draco and Harry had a chance to come to some sort of understanding, because after everything that happened, especially in the last book, I always thought that they would.
Overall, while I would not say that it was absolutely perfect, I would say that I still very much enjoyed reading it, and now I want to watch it on stage even more than I did before, especially since I want to see how they staged all the magic and how all the sets work because it definitely sounds amazing!

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Review: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Name: Passenger
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Quercus Children's Books
Date published: 2016
Rating: 5/5

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she's inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she's never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods - a powerful family in the colonies - and the servitude he's known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes an insistent pull of the past that he can't escape and the family that won't let go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas' passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them - whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods' grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.

- From Goodreads.

I love learning about history so I found it really interesting that Passenger took place in different eras, and it all seemed really well researched too, so the story, although it had its fantasy elements, still felt real. I would definitely recommend this for reading while on holiday, there was just so much passion for travelling and learning about different cultures and countries and the language was so wonderfully crafted that I felt like I was travelling along with Nicholas and Etta.
The language was also beautiful when describing the feelings between the two of them, it made my heart wrench with how bittersweet it was. I loved the relationship between Etta and Nicholas and the fact that they slowly became closer over time, and I think this was portrayed well because of how both of their perspectives were shown throughout the narrative. Both characters really worked their way into my heart and now I do not want to let them go.
The story was so exciting and the ending was so absorbing that I cannot believe I have to wait until next year to find out what happens in the next book! I thought this book ended at the right point of the story though because while it does leave you in suspense it also gives you enough information to have a vague idea of what might be happening next. This book has latched its way onto my heart in a way that had me caring about what happened with every character, so that I was even invested in the lives of the minor characters. I just cannot stop thinking about how much I love this story and how wonderful it is.

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My copy of this book was received from Maximum Pop Books as a prize from a giveaway.