Book Review #794 - Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

"My greatest thought in living is Heathcliff. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be... Nelly, I amHeathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure... but as my own being." Wuthering Heights is the only novel of Emily Bronte, who died a year after its publication, at the age of thirty. A brooding Yorkshire tale of a love that is stronger than death, it is also a fierce vision of metaphysical passion, in which heaven and hell, nature and society, are powerfully juxtaposed. Unique, mystical, with a timeless appeal, it has become a classic of English literature.

My Rating: 3/5

This is yet another book that I attempted to read before (in fact 3 or 4 times) and just was never able to get past the first chapter.

This book was massively atmospheric. Every time I picked it up it was like it instantly transported me to the Yorkshire Moors.

This was most definitely a character driven novel and a harrowing take of unrequited, forbidden love and the lifetime grief in the aftermath of it.

Heathcliff is a literary character I have heard so much about and so I never expected him to be so unlikable. He was most definitely a tortured man who in modern day could do with a lot of therapy but I really didn't like nor could see past the way he treated Hareton, Cathy and Linton.

I can definitely see how this book has remained a favourite classic some hundred or so years since its publication because the setting is amazing and there is always something happening or you feel something is about to happen all the time.

Book Review #759 - A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

My Rating: 5/5

I had no idea what this book was about before I picked it up which I am happy about because it hit me harder than I'd expected.

Conor was such a likable character and I loved his relationship with his mother.

When I picked this book up I expected a creepy, horror story and whilst there was a creepy tone to the story the overall plot is far from that and I am not even disappointed by this because I loved this book so much.

The edition I read (pictured above) didn't include any illustrations and now reading other reviews of this book makes me want to read the illustrated version.

The fact that another author had the idea for this book and gave it to Patrick Ness before she died adds to the overall feeling of the story and makes it more poignant. 

Book Review #708 - A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck

The unrequited love of the girl next door is the centerpiece of this fiercely funny, yet heart-breaking debut novel.

Fifteen-year-old Matt Wainwright is in turmoil. He can’t tell his lifelong best friend, Tabby, how he really feels about her; his promising basketball skills are being overshadowed by his attitude on the court, and the only place he feels normal is in English class, where he can express his inner thoughts in quirky poems and essays. Matt is desperately hoping that Tabby will reciprocate his feelings; but then Tabby starts dating Liam Branson, senior basketball star and all-around great guy. Losing Tabby to Branson is bad enough; but, as Matt soon discovers, he’s close to losing everything that matters most to him. 

My Rating: 9.5/10

This is a hard book for me to review. I always seem to find it harder to review the books that I really loved, which is how I felt about this book. In fact, this was most definitely my favourite read of 2017.

Matt was a fantastic narrator and protagonist. He was sensitive with an overwhelmingly good heart. 

For the most part, this book is just chronicling Matt's everyday life from his role as Black Bears high school basketball player, the best big brother to Murray and secretly pining over childhood best friend and neighbour Tabby.

I loved the family dynamics Matt has in this book and how not only his parents and brother have accepted Tabby as part of the family but his grandparents have as well. 

Tabby and Matt's relationship starts to change when Tabby starts dating an older, popular athlete at their school - the hardest part of this for Matt is that the guy Liam Branson is actually a really nice and genuine guy. 

The twist in the story comes around 160 pages in and there was absolutely no foreshadowing of it whatsoever and I had avoided spoilers so I found this twist really shocking. 

Without spoiling anything, the events that take place after this twist is the real heart of the novel. The way Matt's family (especially his grandfather) help him out of the loneliness and isolation he finds himself in.  

Book Review #683 - Torn by Cat Clarke

Four girls. One dead body. A whole lot of guilt.

Alice King isn’t expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she’s not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares… 

Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there’s Tara – queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down. 

Cass decides it’s time to teach Tara a lesson she’ll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever...

A compelling story of guilty secrets, troubled friendship and burgeoning love.

My Rating: 3/5

This book took me a considerably longer time to read than a book of this size would take on average and this was simply due to the fact that I read it over the Christmas period. 

The plot is what initially drew me into reading this book however I thought it was going to be more of a mystery novel than what was presented. 

The main theme of the book is guilt and it explores how differently people deal with it. 

The protagonist Alice was rather annoying. She let everyone just walk all over her and never stood up for herself. The relationship she commenced with her dead ex-friend's brother was all kinds of wrong. 

The other characters were all pretty stereotyped and I did not like any of them at all. 

The only thing that kept me reading this book once I started it was that I wanted to know if Alice would eventually do the right thing and tell someone the truth about what happened. 

Overall, I was rather disappointed by this book. I felt like so much was promised from the synopsis but the annoying characters and lack of plot development really let the book down. 

Book Review #642 - Cooper Bartholomew is Dead by Rebecca James

Cooper Bartholomew's body is found at the foot of a cliff. 

Suicide.

That's the official finding, that's what everyone believes. 

Cooper's girlfriend, Libby, has her doubts. They'd been 

happy, in love. Why would he take his own life?

As Libby searches for answers, and probes more deeply

into what really happened the day Cooper died, she and

her friends unravel a web of deception and betrayal. 

Are those friends – and enemies – what they seem? 

Who is hiding a dangerous secret? And will the truth set them all free? 

My Rating: 3/5

When I first started reading this book I thought it was going to be a YA/NA version of The Girl on the Train but whereas TGOTT left me guessing until the very end, I worked things out pretty early in this book. 

The book switches back and forth between before and after Cooper's death - this method worked extremely well in this book as Cooper became a real character and not just someone all the other characters are mourning. 

The book had a very Australian feel to it which made it much more relateable to me - and it wasn't just the setting, it was more the language and personalities of the characters. 

Overall, I felt like this book started off really well and got my interest but it fell away in the middle and never fully recovered. 

Book Review #620 - Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

My Rating: 3/5


Source: Bought


Buy: The Book Depository


Goodreads

Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. But when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget — her friends don’t worship her as attentively, teachers don’t fall for Bridget’s wide-eyed ‘who me?’ look, and the one boy she’s always loved, Liam Ward, can barely even look at her.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo — facing everyone she’s wronged. Though she might end up dead, Bridget has one last shot at redemption and to right the wrongs she’s inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

But Bridget’s about to learn that sometimes, saying you’re sorry just isn’t enough…

I really didn't expect much at all from this book. The synopsis made it sound similar to other YA books like If I Stay and Before I Fall. Whilst I wouldn't say this book is as good as those mentioned above, it does set itself apart from them with an unique and intriguing plot. 

Bridget, the protagonist is a character that grew on me. I didn't like her at first but by the end of the book I felt like she won me over. Bridget was rather selfish and insecure to begin with but emerged as a strong character by the end. 

Overall, this is a book that is not really going to stand out nor will it probably be a book that I will reread but I am glad I read it though. 

Book Review #615 - Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

My Rating: 3/5


Source: Bought


Buy: The Book Depository


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"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."

"Okay."

"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"

"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

I have been wanting to read this book for quite a while now. I first found out about this book when I wasn't into contemporary books. 

The biggest problem I had with this book was the characters Anna and Frankie. They were both irritating and immature (Frankie especially). 

Anna, the protagonist was the weaker of the two girls and so she was always overshadowed by Frankie. I felt like Frankie's voice was too strong for a secondary characters especially when the main one is as weak as Anna. 

The plot was also rather immature especially regarding Anna's virginity. It was in this regard that Frankie annoyed me the most. 

I felt like the author spent too much describing the settings of the beach rather than developing the characters. 

My favourite parts of the book were the flash backs where Matt was present. None of the characters seemed annoying when he was around and I enjoyed the obvious chemistry between him and Anna. 

Overall, this is a young adult book for young adults - probably too immature and shallow for older readers.

Book Review #599 - William the Conqueror vs King Harold by Jesse Lee Vint

My Rating: 3/5


Source: The Author


Buy: The Book Depository


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THE STORY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN TOLD! Even rarer than the appearance of Halley’s Comet in the year 1066 A.D. was the appearance of three undefeated warrior kings that same year. All three of these warrior kings felt that they had a claim to the British crown, and all three were intrepid fighters who were well known for never taking a step backward. For this reason 1066 was a historical year unlike any other. 

Normandy’s William the Conqueror is one of the most dashing, powerful, and massively influential figures in all of world history. Equally fascinating is Harold Godwinson, crowned King Harold II of England in January of 1066. Norway’s Haarald (Hard Rule) Hardrada, the incomparable Viking warrior king, also played a central role in the destiny of the world in that amazing year. 

These two historical giants, William and Harold, became the greatest of friends -- and the worst of enemies. Caught in the middle of this raging storm that resulted in The Battle of Hastings was Princess Adelize, the young and beautiful daughter of William, and the devoted fiancé of King Harold II. 

Humor! Heart! History! These are the three words that define this historical saga that is written in the style of an Arthurian adventure novel.

I am always looking for interesting books in genres I don't normally read and this book really hit that mark for me. 

William the Conqueror is a historical figure that I have heard of, but just didn't know that much about. I loved that this book blended the historical elements with an interesting and likable plot. 

The book had a very cinematic feel to it so it was not surprising that soon after finishing it I discovered it had originally been written as a screenplay. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I loved the time period that it was set in. 

I would recommend this book to readers of all genres as it blends a wide variety of genres really well and everyone is bound to find something they like with this book. 

Book Review #598 - All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

My Rating: 4/5


Source: Bought


Buy: The Book Depository


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Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. 

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.

I had heard nothing but good things about this book prior to reading it so I had relatively high expectations. It was for this reason that I had put off reading it for so long. 

This book has quite a dark tone to it throughout. I found there always seemed to be a sense of impending doom. 

Violet and Finch are two broken, lonely, heavily flawed characters who meet when they both finally hit rock bottom. 

Family is a big theme in this book and Finch's family made me grateful my own family is more like Violet's than his. It also angered and annoyed me to think that families like his do exist in real life. 

The relationship between Finch and Violet was short but meaningful. 

I have read some reviews of this book that feel like the book glamorized mental illness due to Finch's personality. I felt however that the book showed that mental illness does not discriminate and that some sufferers get very, very good at concealing their symptoms. 

SPOILER BELOW

Before reading this book I believed that suicide was selfish but this book has opened my eyes to the truth and that it clear sign of a remarkable book. 

Book Review #597 - The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

My Rating: 3.5/5


Source: Bought



Buy: The Book Depository


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Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane?

Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...

Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

This was a super quick and easy book to read and I read it in one sitting. 

The book was mostly light-hearted but it did have its heavier, serious moments especially regarding family. 

The relationship between Hadley and Oliver develops throughout the book so the title of the book is somewhat misleading - although the true reason for the title is revealed on the last page of the book. 

The book is full of English culture and as a bit of an Anglophile I loved it. I found that the slang used was similar to that used here in Australia. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book but I didn't feel like it will be very memorable as it didn't do enough to set itself above those in a similar genre. 

Book Review #596 - The Dog, Ray by Linda Coggin

My Rating: 4/5

Source: The Five Mile Press

Buy: Booktopia

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A girl, a dog, a boy, a journey

'When my death came, it was swift. Swift as a racing horse.'

Twelve-year-old Daisy has just died in a car crash. But in a twist of fate, and through a heavenly bureaucratic mistake Daisy ends up, not where she is supposed to be - but in the body of a dog. Daisy may now be inhabiting a dog's body, but inside she is still very much Daisy, and is as bouncy, loyal, positive, energetic as she ever was. 

Daisy's only thought is to somehow be reunited with her parents, who she knows will be missing her. And this is how she meets Pip, a boy who is homeless and on his own journey, and a lasting, tender and very moving friendship between boy and dog/girl is formed.

I love dogs and so this book appealed to me as it is told from the perspective of a dog. 

The book begins with the death of a 12 year old girl. I know this sounds a little dark for a children's book, but where there is death there is also life which is where this fantastic little adventure begins. 

There is a mix-up in the afterlife and 12 year old Daisy gets reincarnated as a dog! At first she is adamant on tracking down her parents but being a dog communication is impossible. 

The portrayal of life as a dog was realistic. The voice as a dog was the best thing about this book. I loved how excitable, loyal and likable she was. 

When Daisy meets Pip, a boy who has problems of his own, and her memories of her previous life as a human start to fade she finally finds happiness in her new life as The Dog, Ray. 

Book Review #559 - A Storm of Swords, Part Two: Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire #3.2) by George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin's superb and highly acclaimed epic fantasy A 

Song of Ice and Fire continues with the third in the series A Storm 

of Swords. There is passion here, and misery and charm, grandeur

and squalor, tragedy, nobility and courage. Unabridged and split

into two parts. The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and 

blood feud, and winter approaches like an angry beast. Beyond the

Northern borders, wildlings leave their villages to gather in the ice 

and stone wasteland of the Frostfangs. From there, the renegade 

Brother Mance Rayder will lead them South towards the Wall.

The men of the Night's Watch are ready for the coming of a great

 cold and the walking corpses that travel with it. But now they face

 a horde of wildlings twenty-thousand strong - hungry savage

 people steeped in the dark magic of the haunted wilderness - 

poised to invade the Kingdom of the North where Robb Stark 

wears his new-forged crown. But Robb's defences are ranged

 against attack from the South, the land of House Stark's enemies

 the Lannisters. His sisters are trapped there, dead or likely yet to 

die, at the whim of the Lannister boy-king Joffrey or his depraved 

mother Cersei, regent of the Iron Throne. Cersei's ambition is 

unfettered while the dwarf Tyrion Lannister fights for his life, a 

victim of treachery. And on the other side of the ocean, the last of 

the Targaryens rears the dragons she hatched from her husband's 

funeral pyre. Daenerys Stormborn will return to the land of her 

birth to avenge the murder of her father, the last Dragon King on

 the Iron Throne.

My Rating: 5/5

I read this book immediately after finishing part one and I would recommend that as the best way as they really compliment each other very well. 

Unlike part one, this book is full of action and death. 

Dany is a character that I have enjoyed so far throughout the series especially due to her dragons but in this book I found her chapters too full of speech and nowhere near enough action. 

The story lines are slowly starting to merge and a feel of the real grand scheme plot is beginning to develop. 

I would have really loved a chapter or two from Cersei's persective especially during the middle portion of the book. 

The more I read of this series the more I can feel myself being swallowed up by the shear magnitude of this world.   

This was by far my favourite book so far in this series and I am already reading the next one. 

Book Review #557 - Existence (Existence #1) by Abbi Glines

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

My Rating: 3/5

I read this book on my iPad in less than a day. The main reason why I finished it so quickly was because it had long chapters and I hate stopping mid-chapter. 

I loved the paranormal element in this book. Even though I have read plenty of books about the ability to see spirits this book presented that idea in a totally unique way. This is the aspect I am most interested in seeing developing throughout the rest of the series. 

The biggest problem I had with this book was the characters. They were all bland and without real personalities. The relationships between them were too rushed especially the romantic ones. 

Dank was the character that I felt the least connected to. Next to nothing about him is known until the end of the book and it felt unrealistic that Pagan would be completely in love with a guy she knows nothing about. 

I loved that this book was quite short as I was able to read it very quickly but I also feel like the length is the reason why I found so many flaws with it. Had it been longer then characters and their relationships could have been developed further. 

Given the way the book ended I am definitely going to be looking out for the sequel. 

Book Review #554 - Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell

We're waiting for you to come and play. Dunvegan School for Girls has been closed for many years. Converted into a family home, the teachers and students are long gone. But they left something behind...Sophie arrives at the old schoolhouse to spend the summer with her cousins. Brooding Cameron with his scarred hand, strange Lilias with a fear of bones and Piper, who seems just a bit too good to be true. And then there's her other cousin. The girl with a room full of antique dolls. The girl that shouldn't be there. The girl that died.

My Rating: 4/5

I read this book on my iPad and it took me about a month to read. If I had read this in physical format I probably would have finished it in an hour or so. 

This book was very engaging, suspenseful and had a cliff-hanger at the end of just about every chapter making it a quick and easy read. 

The descriptions of settings, characters and the Frozen Charlotte dolls themselves were a little vague and I would have loved some more depth in this area. 

Book Review #553 - I Was Here by Gayle Forman

From the bestselling author of If I Stay - this summer's YA blockbuster film.

This characteristically powerful novel follows eighteen-year-old Cody Reynolds in the months following her best friend's shocking suicide.

As Cody numbly searches for answers as to why Meg took her own life, she begins a journey of self-discovery which takes her to a terrifying precipice, and forces her to question not only her relationship with the Meg she thought she knew, but her own understanding of life, love, death and forgiveness.

A phenomenally moving story, I Was Here explores the sadly all-too-familiar issue of suicide and self-harm, addressing it in an authentic way with sensitivity and honesty.

My Rating: 3.5/5

I received this book for review from **

Like with her previous novel If I Stay, Gayle Forman writes about death in an unique way. 

My favourite aspect of this book was the mystery. Why did she kill herself? Who knew about her plans? It was for that reason the ending fell a little flat for me. 

The romance between Cody and Ben was nothing but distracting. I have never been as disinterested in the romantic element in a book than I was with this one. 

I really liked the development of character relationships particularly between Cody and her mother. 

Overall, this is a book about serious and sensitive issues that are a common threat in today's society but in a honest and smart way. 

I also found this book really informative as I now feel better educated on these topics that I previously didn't know too much about or had stereotypical views about. 

Book Review #542 - A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin

Kings and queens, Knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men. All will play the Game of Thrones.

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plot, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond.

The Game of Thrones. You win, or you die.

My Rating: 4/5

This is a book that I have had sitting on my bookshelf unread for a while and I was too intimidated to read it. I had also never watched the TV show at all before reading it. 

This book took me exactly one month to read which is an excessive amount of time for me with it being nearly 800 pages in length. 

I absolutely loved the setting of the story instantly although the multitude of characters made it hard for me at first to distinguish one from the other. 

Once the characters and plot settled and I finally was able to grasp it all I couldn't put the book down and flew through the last portion of the book. 

My favourite characters at this stage are Jon Snow, Robb, Bran and Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister. 

I am now looking forward to finally watching the TV show!!