Book Review #667 - Library of Souls (Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children #3) by Ransom Riggs

The adventures that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued with Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls.

As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all. 

Like its predecessors, Library of Souls blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography.

My Rating: 4/5

Given the way Hollow City ended, I can't believe I managed to wait a week before picking up the third and final book in this exhilarating trilogy. 

This book wasn't as action packed as Hollow City nor did it have the tone I loved so much in the first book, but I think that this book is probably my favourite in the series just because of the serious plot developments. 

Addison the talking dog plays a bigger role in this book which I loved because who doesn't want an incredibly brave, talking dog constantly saving the day? (better than a cat anyway). 

I still had issues with the romance in that I still don't feel the connection between Jacob and Emma. I think that maybe this is because Emma used to be Jacob's grandfathers girlfriend and that creeps me out a little. 

I loved the way all the peculiar children worked together in Hollow City and so I was a little disappointed that they were all separated for the large majority of this installment.

The ending was completely unexpected (in a good way) and I think this series could not possibly have ended in a better way. The only question that I have now is what really happened to Fiona?    

Book Review #661 - Hollow City (Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011—an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike. Publishers Weekly called it “an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.”

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

My Rating: 4.5/5

This book follows on straight from where the first book ended and wastes no time before setting forth with Jacob and the peculiars on the next exciting adventure. 

I loved the idea of a book within a book - The Tales of the Peculiar and the stories within.

The character development in this book was substantial with not only the the characters themselves but their peculiar abilities. 

The pictures in this book were always included in the most perfect moments and really complimented the story. I didn't like the pictures as much as the ones in the first book though. 

There were also numerous plot twists late in the book that I never saw coming and now I can't wait to read book 3. 

Book Review #657 - Passenger (Passenger #1) by Alexandra Bracken

This journey is only the beginning...

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Pulled back through time to 1776 in the midst of a fierce sea battle, she has travelled not only miles, but years from home. 

With the arrival of this unusual passenger on his ship, privateer Nicholas Carter has to confront a past that he can't escape and the powerful Ironwood family who won't let him go without a fight. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value; one they believe only Etta can find. 

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by an enigmatic traveler. 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 from Nicholas, and her way home, forever.

My Rating: 4/5

This was my first Alexandra Bracken book and given how much I have heard about her books, and Passenger in particular, I had relatively high expectations for it. 

For a book that is almost 500 pages, Passenger was rather overly detailed and very slow to get moving. 

There was so much back story in this book regarding the families and their abilities to transport through time. Arguably, that amount of depth was needed to make the story coherent, but it really did slow down the pacing of the book immensely. 

It was refreshing to have an African American as the love interest as YA literature seriously lacks cultural and racial diversity. 

This book over its journey is set in a lot of different countries in a lot of different eras. My favourite of these was war time London as it seemed like a very terrifying yet intriguing time. 

Book Review #593 - Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon

My Rating: 4.5/5

Source: Bought

Buy: The Book Depository

Goodreads

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord . . . 1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

I was curious how I was going to see this book as on one hand I'm not the biggest fan of time travel book or romance books but on the other hand I love historical fiction (especially in the British era). 

The historical element was my favourite aspect of the book of the book. Like the characters, it was very realistic and reading it was like being transported to that time period not unlike Claire. 

The men of that era, although savage like and thinking very little of women were accurately portrayed for that time period. 

The book alludes to a lot of historical moments such as the Irish Potato Famine and the Jacobite Risings and I am looking forward to hopefully seeing these and more develop. 

I had mixed feelings towards the protagonist Claire as I found her rather annoying at times but for the most part I did like her. 

The differences between Claire's era (1946) and the era she magically transports herself to (1746) are endless and for that reason I didn't think that enough was explained illustrating that point. I also didn't think it was very accurate how quickly Claire adjusts herself to her new world. 

There are so many graphic moments in this book (especially at the end) that if I had not become so heavily invested in the book I would definitely stopped reading. It was more the non-romantic graphic scenes that I didn't particularly care for. 

The pacing of this book was all over the place. There were times where I just wondered where the plot was going and other times when I simply couldn't put the book down. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and hope to read the sequel soon. 

Book Review #570 - No True Echo by Gareth P. Jones

My Rating: 3/5

Source: The Five Mile Press

Buy: From the publisher

Goodreads

Eddie is pretty certain nowhere could be more small-town, more boring, and more inconsequential than his home town of the Wellcome Valley. Unfortunately, he is about to be proved spectacularly wrong. 

Eddie's problems start when he sees his teacher getting shot (possibly with an elastic band) and then promptly vanish into thin air. Or maybe they start just a little bit before then, with the arrival of Scarlett, a new girl in town who seems rather too confident and mysterious for your average schoolgirl. She attracts trouble (and Eddie) like a magnet, and she's apparently only interested in two very strange things - protecting the local crackpot scientist, Dr Wolf, and telling Eddie absolutely nothing about what on earth is going on. Because things quickly go from weird to worse for Eddie, and he's about to find himself in the middle of a dangerous battle for the fate of not just himself, Scarlett and the town - but Time itself.

I didn't really know what to expect from this book as I hadn't heard anything about it and was pleasantly surprised by how fun it was to read. 

This book references Frankenstein a lot and as I have yet to read it (it is on my TBR though) many of these references went over my head. It did help though however that many of them were explained. 

This book is first and foremost about time travel, but it was the mystery element that I was most interested in. Eddie's mother died when he was younger in a car accident but information comes to light that suggests that it wasn't really an accident. 

The characters were all likable and fun and they really brought the story to life. 

The time travelling aspect was unique although a little confusing at times although overall I really enjoyed it. 

The short chapters and the smooth nature of the writing made this an absolute page turner and I finished it in next to no time. 

Book Review #549 - Lifespan of Starlight by Thalia Kalkipsakis

The first in a thrilling new trilogy of epic proportions from best-selling children's author Thalia Kalkipsakis. A fresh take on the time tripping genre, The Lifespan of Starlight is Gattacameets The Time Traveler's Wife. 

It already lies dormant within you: the ability to move within time.

In 2084, three teenagers discover the secret to time travel. At first their jumps cover only a few seconds, but soon they master the technique and combat their fear of jumping into the unknown. 

It's dangerous. It's illegal. And it's utterly worth it for the full-body bliss of each return. 

As their ability to time jump grows into days and weeks, the group begins to push beyond their limits, with terrifying consequences. Could they travel as far as ten years, to escape the authorities? They are desperate enough to find out. 

But before they jump they must be sure, because it only works in one direction. 

Once you trip forwards, there's no coming back.

My Rating: 4/5

I received this book for review from Hardie Grant Egmont. 

I think I have stated on here before that time travel is far from my favourite genre so I was beyond surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. 


I found this book engaging, fast paced and I was really captivated by it. 


I really enjoyed the world building and the setting especially as it is set in a dystopian Australia. 


Scout (the protagonist) felt older than 14 which was not necessarily a negative thing but I wouldn't pass on this book because of her age - she seems much older. 


The structure of the plot was pretty straight forward. It was definitely interesting but I felt there possibly could have been some more twists along the way. 


The secondary characters especially Mason and Boc could have had a little more depth to them. 


Whilst the concept of time travel is far from unique, this book did offer some interesting theories of the concept. 


The ending whilst dramatic and surprising could have been even more so if not for the fact that the book's blurb somewhat spoils it. I did read an advanced readers edition so hopefully this can be fixed by the time it is published. 

Book Review #541 - The Door that Led to Where by Sally Gardner

AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his GCSEs, and his future is looking far from rosy. So when he is offered a junior position at a London law firm he hopes his life is about to change - but he could never have imagined by how much.

Tidying up the archive one day, AJ finds an old key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth - and he becomes determined to find the door that fits the key. And so begins an amazing journey to a very real and tangible past - 1830, to be precise - where the streets of modern Clerkenwell are replaced with cobbles and carts, and the law can be twisted to suit a villain's means. Although life in 1830 is cheap, AJ and his friends quickly find that their own lives have much more value. They've gone from sad youth statistics to young men with purpose - and at the heart of everything lies a crime that only they can solve. But with enemies all around, can they unravel the mysteries of the past, before it unravels them?

My Rating: 3/5

I received this book for review from The Five Mile Press. 

Time Travel is a genre that I don't really like as they seem to always contain a lot of plot holes. For that reason I didn't go into this book with the highest expectations. 

I really liked the past more than the present. This was largely because I felt like the characters and settings were more developed than the ones in the present world. 

There were a few things I would have liked to have been explained  little deeper. 

I found this book fast paced and I practically breezed through it. 

Book Review #532 - Through to You by Emily Hainsworth

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv.

The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all.

My Rating: 3/5

This was an interesting concept. A guy who loses his girlfriend in a car accident finds a portal into an alternate world where he was the one that died. 

As interesting as that concept was I didn't feel like it reached anywhere near the potential it could have. 

I found that as a whole, the book just felt a little flat. The characters didn't get fleshed out enough and the love the two main characters felt for one another felt less and less genuine as the book progressed. 

This was the last book I read in 2014.

Book Review #503 - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children #1) by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Based on the cover of this book I had expected it to be more in the horror genre than the mystery/fantasy that it was. 

I also found this book extremely slow paced which impacted my overall enjoyment of it. I really enjoyed the concept though but it just needed a bit more with the execution. 

I really loved the picture aspect of the book. I loved how they were actually in relation to the story and weren't just random like I had thought they were going to be. 

I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters and for this reason I would have liked more character development. 

I will definitely be reading the sequel as I really enjoyed the fantasy aspect and want to see how that develops. 

Book Review #390 - The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

It's 1996 and very few high school students have ever used the internet. Facebook will not be invented until several years in the future. Emma just got a computer and an America Online CD. She and her best friend Josh power it up and log on - and discover themselves on Facebook in 2011. Everybody wonders what they'll be like fifteen years in the future. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

 

 

My Rating: 3/5

 

 

This book has been on my bookshelf unread for a few years. I had been putting off reading it because the reviews I read about it were all mainly negative. Whilst I didn't think this book was perfect, I did find more positives than negatives with it.

 

 

The main negative point was the characters. They were all one dimensional. I had a hard time believing the relationships between them. Emma and Josh lacked personality to the point where they could have been the same character.

 

 

The plot is interesting and entirely unique. Although it is predictable most of the time and straightforward as there are no real plot twists I don't think this book would have worked any other way.

 

 

I thought that the two writing styles were quite similar and so they blended well together. The short styled chapters helped with this.

 

 

Being a 90's kid I really enjoyed the nostalgic 90's feel to it and the non-stop references to it.

Book Review #346 - Haunters by Thomas Taylor

Eddie, Adam and David have the same gift. They can time-travel, appearing in the past as ghosts. But each of them wants something different...

 

 

Eddie is sworn to protect the course of history. Adam wants to change it for his own ends. And David must find a way to keep them apart - and save the future of the world.

 

 

My Rating: 3.5/5

 

 

I received this book for review from Scholastic Australia. I am seriously late in reviewing this, but am catching up on review copies now.

 

 

This book has a very interesting premise. I would describe it as a bit of a mixture of Back to the Future and Inception.

 

 

I am not really a fan of time travel books as I find them really confusing, but this book didn't have that problem. The only problem I had with this book was that it had the potential to be so much better that what it was.

 

 

I didn't really care for any of the characters as I felt like they weren't fleshed out enough, and just couldn't feel any connection with any of them.

Book Review #250 - The Eyes of the Desert Sand (The Chrysalis Chronicles #1) by Edwin Wolfe

How many parents would believe their thirteen year old son who told them that two vampires and a hooded stranger had tried to abduct him? Strange thing is, young Ethan Fox is convinced his parents, George and Betsy do believe him. Could it have something to do with the mysterious poem he wrote in his sleep? Or maybe it has something to do with his past, the past he cannot remember before his eighth birthday. Something strange is afoot, and it is about to turn Ethan’s world upside down.While vacationing with his parents, to get away from the crazy events of the previous two weeks, Ethan encounters a young girl named Haley Hunt who he is strongly drawn to… and the feeling is mutual. Together, Ethan and Haley are lured to The Residence, home of the Caretakers, an organization of intelligent beings sent to earth to nurture the human race and protect them from un-earthly influences.Armed with special abilities, including the power to evolve any earthly creature, the Caretakers take in their unexpected guests. They have been watching young Ethan Fox, and are curious as to why the Grimleavers, their mortal enemy on earth, would want to abduct a young human child. Together, Ethan and Haley journey to magical worlds, make new friends, and help the Caretakers unravel the stories greatest mysteries. Along the way, they learn that the Caretakers have been here since the beginning of human history and have played a key role in shaping human lore. In their world, vampires, werewolves, trolls, and even Medusa herself really do exist but have been kept hidden from the human world around them. Ethan is the key as they ultimately discover the Grimleavers true intentions, to unlock the four portals to the elemental worlds of the Chrysalis.

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

I received this book for review from the author. The author's Goodreads page is here.

 

 

This book starts off slow but once the world building is over it really accelerates in pace.

 

 

I could definitely see the influence that Harry Potter had on the author. This was evident throughout the entire book.

 

 

I really liked the friendship between Ethan and Haley. I thought their personalities worked well together.

 

 

 

This book was a great platform to set up the rest of the series. It blends the science fiction and fantasy genres really well.

 

 

I would have liked more character development especially Ethan and Haley. There were some interesting secondary characters that stood out, but a few of them did blend together.

Book Review #143 - Hourglass (Hourglass #1) by Myra McEntire

One hour to rewrite the past . . . 

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

My Rating: 5/5

 

I really like the cover of this book, it is definitely one of my favourite covers.

Prior to reading this book I knew absolutely nothing about it. I think had I known it was about time travel I probably would have been hesitant to read it and thus wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did.

This book had so many awesome characters. Emerson was by far my favourite. She was a very strong, fearless female protagonist. Michael, although seemed too perfect at times was also a great secondary character.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Emerson and Michael and at times it reminded me of Rose and Dimitri from Vampire Academy.

The time travel aspect in books usually confuses me but in this book I actually understood and enjoyed that aspect.

Towards the end of the book I was not able to put it down and got really frustrated when someone would interupt me from reading.

This is the best book I have read so far in 2012.

Book Review #119 -The Emerald Atlas (The Books of Beginning #1) by John Stephens

Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage.

Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about.

Until now.

Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey to dangerous and secret corners of the world...a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And—if an ancient prophesy is correct—what they do can change history, and it is up to them to set things right.

The Emerald Atlas brims with humor and action as it charts Kate, Michael, and Emma's extraordinary adventures through an unforgettable, enchanted world.

My Rating: 4/5

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I was hooked.

I didn't like Kate as I thought she was too bossy and manipulative.

I liked Michael at times and other times I wanted to punch him.

Emma was my favourite character by far. She was well written and had all the good lines.

I had trouble picturing the settings sometimes which is where a map or something could have been handy.

This is by far the best, captivating adventure novel I have read in a long time.

I really like the prospects of this series, and am really intrigued to see where the author takes it.