Samantha Cook's Blog, page 14
October 30, 2015
Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green
5 Stars
Verdict: For a book about dying cancer kids, it didn't half make me laugh. (I'm a terrible person...)
Two kids with cancer meet at a support group. We all know where this one is heading. If you don't then perhaps skim past this review for now.
It was good the Green decided to inject humour into this one. If he hadn't, it wouldn't have...
5 Stars
Verdict: For a book about dying cancer kids, it didn't half make me laugh. (I'm a terrible person...)
Two kids with cancer meet at a support group. We all know where this one is heading. If you don't then perhaps skim past this review for now.
It was good the Green decided to inject humour into this one. If he hadn't, it wouldn't have...
October 27, 2015
Book Review: Stardust
STARDUST by Neil Gaiman
5 Stars
Verdict: A gritty fairytale for adults.
A star falls. Tristran proclaims he will fetch that star to prove his love to a woman who frankly isn’t bothered. Witches, dead princes, magic and a little gore, STARDUST is a fantastic modern fairytale that still feels traditional.
This is a book for anyone who loves gritty fairytales.
I loved the film, and now I
5 Stars
Verdict: A gritty fairytale for adults.
A star falls. Tristran proclaims he will fetch that star to prove his love to a woman who frankly isn’t bothered. Witches, dead princes, magic and a little gore, STARDUST is a fantastic modern fairytale that still feels traditional.
This is a book for anyone who loves gritty fairytales.
I loved the film, and now I
October 24, 2015
Self-Publishing Fest Returns!
Do you know what time it is?
My birthday!
Okay, but what else is it?
It’s the time where I start to plan my self-publishing fest.
If you’re self-published then come on over and get involved.
Last year was amazing. We had a vast mixture of posts: author
interviews, guest articles, book reviews, giveaways. If you're interesting in taking part in any of these things, let me know and
My birthday!
Okay, but what else is it?
It’s the time where I start to plan my self-publishing fest.
If you’re self-published then come on over and get involved.
Last year was amazing. We had a vast mixture of posts: author
interviews, guest articles, book reviews, giveaways. If you're interesting in taking part in any of these things, let me know and
October 22, 2015
Book Review: The Knife Of Never Letting Go
THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness
5 Stars
Verdict: If you can adjust to the style, this is the book of never putting down.
At first, I didn’t like this book at all. I struggled with the unconventional spelling, I found the voice a disconnected ramble, and nothing seemed to happen in the first four chapters.
Then, all of a sudden, I could barely put it down. The voice and
5 Stars
Verdict: If you can adjust to the style, this is the book of never putting down.
At first, I didn’t like this book at all. I struggled with the unconventional spelling, I found the voice a disconnected ramble, and nothing seemed to happen in the first four chapters.
Then, all of a sudden, I could barely put it down. The voice and
October 18, 2015
Book Review: The 100
THE 100 by Kass Morgan
4 Stars
Verdict: You can't go wrong with a concept like that.
100 juvenile delinquents sent to earth to see if it’s inhabitable. No adults. You know this will be angst ridden and full of peril. This is my kind of book!The writing itself is fairly perfunctory, but sometimes it’s not even that. Chunks of detail were skipped, events were missed, and I found myself
4 Stars
Verdict: You can't go wrong with a concept like that.
100 juvenile delinquents sent to earth to see if it’s inhabitable. No adults. You know this will be angst ridden and full of peril. This is my kind of book!The writing itself is fairly perfunctory, but sometimes it’s not even that. Chunks of detail were skipped, events were missed, and I found myself
September 27, 2015
Book Review: We Were Liars
WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart
5 Stars
Verdict: Unconventional and thought provoking
I’m glad this was a short story because the writing style was poetically, erm, you know... Pretentious. It was pretentious. Phew. Glad to get that word out of me.
Okay, so sometimes it was beautiful. I decided at the beginning to not let that bother me because when it worked, it worked damn well. For every...
5 Stars
Verdict: Unconventional and thought provoking
I’m glad this was a short story because the writing style was poetically, erm, you know... Pretentious. It was pretentious. Phew. Glad to get that word out of me.
Okay, so sometimes it was beautiful. I decided at the beginning to not let that bother me because when it worked, it worked damn well. For every...
September 18, 2015
Book Review: Allegiant
ALLEGIANT by Veronica Roth
5 Stars
Verdict: Ouch.
I can’t review this book in detail without spoilers, so I’m keeping it short and sharp - which is fitting, as this book felt like a knife to the heart.
No, not a knife.
This book is Roth’s warning: Enter my imagination at your own peril.
What I will say, is that this book is very different from the others. It had to. The end of book...
5 Stars
Verdict: Ouch.
I can’t review this book in detail without spoilers, so I’m keeping it short and sharp - which is fitting, as this book felt like a knife to the heart.
No, not a knife.
This book is Roth’s warning: Enter my imagination at your own peril.
What I will say, is that this book is very different from the others. It had to. The end of book...
September 14, 2015
Book Review: Insurgent
INSURGENT by Veronica Roth
5 Stars
Verdict: Gradual twisting plot with a prose that kept me entwined.
I love the way Roth writes. One sentence slips into the next, punching you in the gut or sending shivers down your spine depending on what the situation calls for. I lingered over several lines when reading them, soaking up the impact. Not one of those lines overstep the boundary into
5 Stars
Verdict: Gradual twisting plot with a prose that kept me entwined.
I love the way Roth writes. One sentence slips into the next, punching you in the gut or sending shivers down your spine depending on what the situation calls for. I lingered over several lines when reading them, soaking up the impact. Not one of those lines overstep the boundary into
September 6, 2015
Book Review: Talon
TALON by Julie Kagawa
3 Stars
Verdict: A romance novel with the slightest touch of dragon.
I haven’t read a book on dragons before, I somehow I still don’t feel like I have after this one. The reasons that drew me in to the book didn’t transpire on the page. That said, Kagawa has a way with words that melts descriptions off the page to form images right there in front of you. Although
3 Stars
Verdict: A romance novel with the slightest touch of dragon.
I haven’t read a book on dragons before, I somehow I still don’t feel like I have after this one. The reasons that drew me in to the book didn’t transpire on the page. That said, Kagawa has a way with words that melts descriptions off the page to form images right there in front of you. Although
July 29, 2015
Book Review: Escape From Witchwood Hollow
Escape From Witchwood Hollow by Jordan Elizabeth
3 Stars
Verdict: Intriguing but not thrilling.
Everyone in Arnn - a small farming town with more legends than residents - knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees.
***
Escape From Witchwood Hollow will always stand out to me as unusual in a good
3 Stars
Verdict: Intriguing but not thrilling.
Everyone in Arnn - a small farming town with more legends than residents - knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees.
***
Escape From Witchwood Hollow will always stand out to me as unusual in a good
