REVIEW: Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

'On the third night after the day her father died, Liesl saw the ghost.' 

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice - until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone. That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable. Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey. 

I absolutely LOVE Lauren Oliver's books, and was dying to read Liesl and Po. I love middle grade fantasy, so I had really high expectations for it! And I'm glad to say, it lived up (if not exceeded!) them! 

Liesl and Po was honestly, completely different from what I thought it would be like! I wasn't too sure what to expect really, but it wasn't this! However, fortunately, it was good different :) It was quite a funny book, and it made me giggle often! I loved the way the children outwitted their rivals, I love it in books when a child makes a fool out of an adult! 


The characters were absolutely amazing! Every single one was so well though out, and given a detailed, and interesting, but not boring background story. My favourite was the kind-hearted guard Mo, and I also liked the sweet apprentice boy, Will and the cute cat-dog, Bundle. But Liesl herself... There was just something about her. She just didn't feel as real as the others, and I didn't feel like I connected to her as much as I did with the other characters. I liked her, but she didn't stand out to me. I loved all the other characters though!


The writing was of course, incredible! Lauren is one of the best YA writers out there at the moment (in my opinion) and in Liesl and Po, her first middle grade novel, she has outdone herself! The writing is beautiful and I am just in awe of the way she writes! The metaphors and comparisons she uses are wonderful. The writing was one of the book's best qualities. 


The illustrations were gorgeous! They were so pretty, and I loved looking at them. I haven't read a book with illustrations in a looong time, and they were just so nice to look at! They helped me to imagine what the characters looked like, and were a lovely, unique touch.


I finsihed reading Liesl and Po with a smile on my face. Honestly I did! It was just the cutest, loveliest book ever! I actually felt something while reading the book, an unusual feat in middle grade fiction! But of course, Lauren was able to pull it off! It was actually quite emotional, I thought :) Liesl and Po was the best middle grade novel I've read in ages, and also one of the best novels overall that I've read in a good while! It's a magical, compelling, humorous and original book - highly recommended!

Rating: 5/5

Source: For Review - a big thanks to the publisher for sending me this in exchange for an honest review.

Format: Paperback
Pages: 336

Age group: 9+
Official Publication Date: 12th April 2012
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton 

Challenges: ABC Reading Challenge


The official Liesl and Po website: www.lieslandpo.com

100 followers GIVEAWAY!

Hey everyone! This post is SO late, but it's taken me ages to organise the giveaway and everything so I've actually reached 119 followers by now! Thanks so much to everyone who follows my blog, it was amazing to reach 100 followers! So I decided to celebrate it with a giveaway, because, who doesn't love giveaways :) Without further ado, here are the prizes! Bom bom bommmmm:

Prize Pack: 
Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend by Cora Harrison
Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

Isn't it a fab prize? I have read and loved Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend (see my review) and I have the other two books in my TBR pile, and am really looking forward to reading them! Alll you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter below, and you're in with a chance to win 1 brand new shiny copy of each of the three books! Yay! Isn't it exciting?! :)

Giveaway rules:
- Open to UK entrants only - sorry international peeps!
-Prizes will be sent out by the publisher
-Neither me or Pan Macmillan are responsible for any prizes lost in the post
- Giveaway closes on 24th May 2012 at 12:01a.m. - results will be announced in the next couple of days

Good luck!

Thanks to Macmillan for donating the prize pack!

P.S. Another prize pack MAY be added if I get to 200 followers by the end of the giveaway, or just if I'm feeling nice ;) Please don't get your hopes up though, this is just a maybe! I will post more info on that when I know more.





a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Book Haul #1 - The cover obsessed one!

After all of the drama with The Story Siren, I have decided not to take part in IMM. I have nothing against Kristi herself, just her actions, and I just don't want to get involved in any of that stuff, so I'm not going to take part at all. I think there is going to be some other memes created, so I'll take a look again next week. But for now, I'm just calling it my book haul!


I didn't do an IMM last week because I only got two books, and I was feeling too lazy to get the camera, take the pictures, upload them...*snore* So this is two weeks worth of books!

Bought
Fab Confessions of Georgia Nicolson Volume 1 - Angus Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging & 'It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers!' by Louise Rennison
I'm like, the only girl in the UNIVERSE who hasn't read this series, and after reading and loving Louise's Tallulah Casey series, I knew I had to get this! I can't wait to read it, I'm sure it's hilarious! (this is one of last weeks's books)

For review
Kelly-Ann: My Scorching Summer Diary by Liz Rettig
I've read reviews for this series saying it's absolutely hilarious, so I'm really looking forward to reading it. The cover is so pretty too! (I got this last week) Thanks Random House1


Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby
This looks so fun, and the cover is gorgeous! Thanks to the author for sending me this.


Fire City by Bali Rai (ARC)
This looks interesting, and the ARC cover is so cool! Thanks Random House!


Burn Mark by Laura Powell
I don't know much about this one, but the cover is just amazing! (Sorry, this IMM seems to be all about covers! ;P) Thanks Bloomsbury


Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari
I have and haven't yet reading Artichoke Hearts, but I couldn't turn down this request! The two cover match so beautifully together, I just keep admiring them! Thanks Macmillan!


Dying To Know You by Aidan Chambers
This author has gotten tons of awards and amazing reviews, I can't wait to read this! I've read the first few pages and it seems promising! And, OK, the cover is AWESOME!!!! Thanks Random House!

The Vampire Blog
The Vampire Fighters
The Vampire Hunters (manuscript) by Pete Johnson
This series sounds really fun! It's a half-vampire...blogger! I'm taking part in this blog tour in June, so look out for it. Thanks Random House!


That's it for me! Quite a happy week :) What did you get in you mailbox? Let me know in the comments and I'll stop by!

Review: My Big Fat Teen Crisis by Jenny Smith

When Sam's best friend is whisked off the Outer Hebrides by her parents, Sam suddenly finds herself without any friends. Sam doesn't seem to fit in anywhere any more. She's not "cool", she's not "sophisticated" and the gorgeous new boy at school certainly won't be interested unless she has an image overhaul - fast! But as Sam experiments with new clothes and new friends, she finds herself more lost than ever! Who does she really want to be - and will she realize before it's too late?


I'm going to review My Big Fat Teen Crisis a little differently than I usually review books. Instead of writing a proper review, I'm going to do a positive and negatives list, like Sam and Gemma love to do in the books, just because I think  it will be fun :) So...

Positives

1. Characters - I loved all but one of the characters in this novel. Sam was fun and quirky, I loved her! She could be sort of self-centered at times, but I didn't mind so much :) She was funny and dramatic, a fantastic main character! David was lovely, he and Sam made such a sweet couple. Taylor was hilarious! Cat, Gemma and Lucy were fantastic friends Sam, they were all unique and kind. The character I hated was Tania. Grrrr >:( She was so horrible! I liked the ending, the bully got what she deserved :)

2. Unique bits - I  know, that title is a bit vague :) I mean the parts like  Sam and Gemma's online chats, the positives and negatives lists (which inspired the one I'm doing now!) and my personal favourite, Sam's Facebook status at the end of each chapter. All of these things really added to the book, giving it a fun and original twist. I think they make it appealing and relatable to young teens!

3. The cover - The cover is so cute, I absolutely love it! The socks are awesome :P And the yellow really stands out. While I was reading the book I was just admiring the cover the whole time!

4. The storyline - 'My Big Fat Teen Crisis' had a fun, easy storyline, and it was very enjoyable to read. However, it is actually more meaningful than the bright cover suggests. It also deals with important and relevant issues like divorce, alcoholism, relationships and bullying. I think the way these topics are dealt with will help the young teen audience it is aimed at, because I'm sure many of them are dealing with issues like that. 

Negatives

Yeah, OK, I know this is like the worst Positives and Negatives list ever, because I just realised I actually have no negative thoughts about this book! That's good though, so yay! :)

In a nutshell

My Big Fat Teen Crisis is an enjoyable, humorous and entertaining read. I loved it, and I'm sure you will too! Highly recommended.

Source: For Review - thanks to the publisher for sending me this in exchange for an honest review.

Format: Paperback
Pages: 208

Age group: 11+
Official Publication Date: 1st March 2012
Publisher: Scholastic

Challenges: ABC Reading Challenge, British Books Challenge

The Hunger Games movie review

Director: Gary Ross

Writers: Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark) and Liam Hensworth (Gale) Woody Harrelson (Haymitch) and Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket)

Based on the novel 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins

OK, most of you know what The Hunger Games is aboutm, but for those of you who have been living under a ROCK for the past two years, here's a short synopsis:

Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match.

OK, OMG. I wasn't expected to be blown away by The Hunger Games, having disliked the book, but I sort of HAD to see it anyway, cause, y'know, it's The Hunger Games! And as I said already, OMG. It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, there is no other word to describe it! It was SO MUCH better than the books! It didn't make me cry, to be fair, but it was really emotional! Rue. :( It had everything I could have asked for, an amazing cast, brilliant acting, fantastic special effects, loads of action and general all-round EPICNESS!!! I am DEFINITELY going to have another crack at reading the book now!

Jennifer Lawrence made a wonderful Katniss. She was so convincing in her role. I just loved her!  When I first heard about the casting of Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth, I didn't like it AT ALL. I thought the roles should be switched, Liam as Peeta and vice versa. But while I still think they would have been good in their opposite roles, they were both brilliant. All of the actors were! I'm sorry, I don't know what else to say, they were just all fab :)

The Hunger Games is a superb, exciting movie, one of my absolute favourites! Possibly the best I've seen all year! It's an action packed thrill fest, and I would have no problem recommending it! Please go see it - you are missing out otherwise! 

I hope you liked my first ever movie review! Have you seen The Hunger Games? Did you like it as much as I did? And speaking of movies, HOW excited am I for Now Is Good next month!!!! Click to see the awesome trailer here.

REVIEW: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Wendy Everly knew she was different the day her mother tried to kill her and accused her of having been switched at birth. Although certain she’s not the monster her mother claimed she is, she does feel that she doesn’t quite fit in. The new girl in High School, Wendy is bored and frustrated by her small-town life – and then there’s her secret, her mysterious ability – she can influence people’s decisions, without knowing how, or why . . . When the intense and darkly handsome newcomer Finn suddenly turns up at her bedroom window one night, her world is turned upside down. He holds the key to her past, the answers to her strange powers and is the doorway to a place she never imagined could exist: Förening, the home of the Trylle. Among the Trylle she is not just different, but special. But what marks her out as chosen for greatness in this world also places her in grave danger. With everything around her changing, Finn is the only person she can trust. But dark forces are conspiring – not only to separate them, but to see the downfall of everything that Wendy cares about. . .

I hadn't heard much about Switched before I received it, but from reading the reviews on the back cover and inside pages, I was dying to get started. And while it didn't quite blow me away, I still very much enjoyed it! Switched was more about world-building and character-building, rather than the story itself, and I think it is supposed to be sort of a set-up for the rest of the series. It was quite slow-paced and the plot wasn't the strongest element of the book. But even though there wasn't a huge amount of action, there wasn't a dull moment and I was never bored! There was always something going on, usually not overly exciting things, -  but stuff that was interesting enough to keep my attention.


As I mentioned above, the plot of Switched wasn't the books best part. Most of the way through, I wasn't sure what direction the story was going in, and what was supposed to be happening. Switched is completely unpredictable, because when there's not much of a story, there's nothing to predict! That was one of the book's only downside, although it was a big one! I did say before that I didn't get bored at all, and I didn't, but it still would have been nice to have a little more excitement!


On a more positive note, the characters were fantastic! They were my absolute favourite part of the book. The author developed every single one so well. It was really the characters that made the book for me. I loved Wendy, she is just the type of protagonist that I love. Witty and sarcastic, yet kind. Finn is a brilliant love interest, mysterious and caring. I really enjoyed watching their relationship blossom, and I thought they were so good together. *SPOILER. HIGHLIGHT TO READ* I was heartbroken at the end :( *SPOILER OVER* I can't wait to see where it goes in the next book, Torn, which is currently top of my wishlist!


The supporting cast were also surprisingly complex and all had different and intriguing personalities. Elora, Rhys, Willa, Tove, and more, every one contributed to the book, and if they weren't in the book, I don't think I would have liked it as much! It's hard to pick a 
favourite, they were all wonderful! (Well - Elora wasn't, but everyone else was!)


Switched had quite an original concept - trolls. There's no hot vampires or werewolves in this book, oh no! This supernatural creature is an unusual one to find in books, but it was an interesting idea! What made it different was that these trolls weren't big ugly beasts, they were quite attractive people! It was fun to read about something different, and I think people who are sick of the same old supernatural creatures would appreciate these trolls, or as they are known, 'Trylle'.


Just a little about the writing - it was good, but at times it felt a little unprofessional! I don't mean to be mean to the author, but I think parts weren't written (or edited?) as well as they should have been. However, most of the time I liked it, and it was easy and light to read. I thought Switched was going to be a much darker book, but it's actually surprisingly light! (not literally of course, like lightweight, but you know I mean!)


For me, Switched didn't quite live up to all of the hype surrounding it, but I still enjoyed it. It was a fun, interesting, different book that I would recommend. I am looking forward read more of this series!

Rating: 4/5

Source: For Review - thanks to the publisher for sending me this in exchange for an honest review.

Format: Paperback, Young Adult Edition
Pages: 356

Age group: 11+
Official Publication Date: 5th January 2012
Publisher: Tor
Challenges: ABC Reading Challenge

REVIEW:The Killables by Gemma Malley

Evil has been eradicated. The City has been established. And citizens may only enter after having the 'evil' part of their brain removed. They are labelled on the System according to how 'good' they are. If they show signs of the evil emerging, they are labelled a K . . . But no one knows quite what that means. Only that they disappear, never to be seen again ...

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Killables. The blurb didn't explain much, but I had pretty high expectations, from the reviews I had read. Unfortunately, although did enjoy it, it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. 

The story centers around Evie and Raffy, who both live in the City. They are in love, but their relationship is 'evil' and against the law, according to The System, which controls everything. I didn't like either of the main characters, which, obviously, is not a good thing in a book! They were both quite selfish, and Evie was always thinking of herself. She had no mind of her own and just did whatever the horrible Raffy told her to. Oh my goodness, RAFFY. He was possibly the worst character I've ever come across. He was so BORING.All he wanted to do was boss people around all the time, and he always had to get his own way. He was really mean too. He had no personality other than that. He and Evie continued to irritate me all the way throughout the book. I didn't warm to either of them, even at the end! The only character I liked was Lucas. He had some personality at least, and I think he was a much better love interest for Evie. Even though she didn't deserve him!

And I found Evie and Raffys relationship ridiculous! There was no explanation or building up of their relationship, it was just: they love each other. Accept it. I didn't like it at all, I would have much preferred at least a little bit of build-up.

However, apart from the characters, most of the rest of the book was great! It was written so well, the world-building was fantastic. It was so detailed and the history the author created was so interesting, I loved reading about it. It was a very original and creative concept too, and the author really made it work. I am now eager to read more of Gemma Malley's books, to get more of her brilliant writing. As long as the characters were nicer in her other books!

I liked how there was always something happening. The action scenes were exciting and frequent, and although they didn't feel 'unputdownable' I still enjoyed them! Especially towards the end, those were my favourite. 

The ending felt a bit rushed to me. It all seemed so easy! *SPOLIER. HIGHLIGHT TO READ.* They just went into the City, infiltrated the System, taking it down, and got out again, so easily! I wish there had been more conflict. * SPOILER OVER* It was quite a satisfying ending though, I don't see why it needs to be a series! I don't think I'll be reading the next book, I'm happy enough with this ending!

I know this seems like quite a negative review, but really, I did like it! There was a fair bit of bad and not so much of good, but the good news is that the good was very good, so it makes the bad not so bad! If that makes any sense :) Would I recommend it? Welllll... It wouldn't be top of my list, but I would to fans of dystopia or Gemma Malley's other books. I will be looking out for more of this authors books!

Rating: 3/5

Source: For Review - thanks to Luisa Plaja for sending me this to review!

Format: Proof Copy (ARC)
Pages: 384

Age group: 12+
Official Publication Date: March 29th 2012
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Challenges: British Books Challenge, ABC Reading Challenge