Molly Looby's Blog, page 14
February 24, 2015
Abandon - Meg Cabot
Blurb
Last year Pierce flatlined following an accident.
During that time she saw a dark world and met a mysterious, irresistible boy.
Now that boy, John Hayden, has turned up at school. Every time she sees him Pierce finds herself in terrible danger. Yet she's still drawn to him.
John wants to take her back to the place she fears the most: the Underworld.
The question is, why?
My Review
I sort of got what I expected from this book. I didn't think it would be a favourite but I knew it wouldn't be terrible - and that was before I picked it up. I'm pretty good at guessing YA novels by now.
Well I was right with my prediction.
The first chapter was good, kicking the story off with a bang. I was asking so many questions as I turned the pages and I needed them answered, so I kept reading. This intrigue continued for a while and I kept reading, dying to know what on earth was going on.
By the time I started working it out, I also started to get bored. I felt like the protagonist, Pierce, was teasing me by withholding information. I know pretty much all books do this but it was the way Pierce spoke to the reader that made me feel like she was dangling the answers in front of me and then yanking them away. After fifty or so pages, Pierce was getting on my nerves.
And it wasn't just Pierce. I disliked John, the love interest, too. He creeped me out a lot and I couldn't see the romantic appeal to him at all. I actually found it really disturbing that Pierce would be attracted to this danger in her life. I couldn't understand his motives and that had me really struggling at times. I just couldn't understand him.
When I got to the end, I realised why I felt like that about John. It was because Cabot has saved all her brilliant plot twists and action and reveals and things for the next two books. Abandon really was pretty boring. It had an anti-climatic ending that was obviously supposed to make you crave the next one in the trilogy because you still have so many questions.
That just irritated me. Save some stuff for the rest of the trilogy, of course, but give your first book in it more of . . . well something! It was just . . .meh.
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? No. I definitely didn't enjoy it enough and I won't be reading the next one.
Would I look up the author? No. I know about Meg Cabot and I'm not that impressed.
Abandon was nothing special. It was clear Cabot was saving herself for books two and three.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
Last year Pierce flatlined following an accident.
During that time she saw a dark world and met a mysterious, irresistible boy.
Now that boy, John Hayden, has turned up at school. Every time she sees him Pierce finds herself in terrible danger. Yet she's still drawn to him.
John wants to take her back to the place she fears the most: the Underworld.
The question is, why?
My Review
I sort of got what I expected from this book. I didn't think it would be a favourite but I knew it wouldn't be terrible - and that was before I picked it up. I'm pretty good at guessing YA novels by now.
Well I was right with my prediction.
The first chapter was good, kicking the story off with a bang. I was asking so many questions as I turned the pages and I needed them answered, so I kept reading. This intrigue continued for a while and I kept reading, dying to know what on earth was going on.
By the time I started working it out, I also started to get bored. I felt like the protagonist, Pierce, was teasing me by withholding information. I know pretty much all books do this but it was the way Pierce spoke to the reader that made me feel like she was dangling the answers in front of me and then yanking them away. After fifty or so pages, Pierce was getting on my nerves.
And it wasn't just Pierce. I disliked John, the love interest, too. He creeped me out a lot and I couldn't see the romantic appeal to him at all. I actually found it really disturbing that Pierce would be attracted to this danger in her life. I couldn't understand his motives and that had me really struggling at times. I just couldn't understand him.
When I got to the end, I realised why I felt like that about John. It was because Cabot has saved all her brilliant plot twists and action and reveals and things for the next two books. Abandon really was pretty boring. It had an anti-climatic ending that was obviously supposed to make you crave the next one in the trilogy because you still have so many questions.
That just irritated me. Save some stuff for the rest of the trilogy, of course, but give your first book in it more of . . . well something! It was just . . .meh.
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? No. I definitely didn't enjoy it enough and I won't be reading the next one.
Would I look up the author? No. I know about Meg Cabot and I'm not that impressed.
Abandon was nothing special. It was clear Cabot was saving herself for books two and three.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
February 17, 2015
Haze - Paula Weston
Haze is the second book in the Rephiam series, Shadows being the first. If you want to read Shadows, which you most certainly should, you should avoid this review because of spoilers.
Blurb
Gaby Winters' life used to be pretty normal.
She lived with her best friend. She worked in a library. She was slowly getting over the death of her twin brother, Jude. Until Rafa arrived.
Now Gaby has discovered she is one of the Rephiam - descended from fallen angels. She knows demons exist. They are coming for her. And that Jude might be alive.
What she does next could change everything.
My Review
Just like Shadows before it, Haze blew me away. Everything I loved about Shadows I loved all over again and it took all of my strength not to pick up Shimmer (book three) straight away which is waiting on my shelf. I can't read it yet because I know Burn (book four) isn't out until August in the UK! But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Even though it's been a while since I read Shadows, I still felt like I perfectly understood Gaby. I really felt for her. I thoroughly enjoyed following her through another action-packed story, guessing what was going to happen next. You can send Gaby Winters an invite to my imaginary fictional tea party please! I admired her strength just as much as the first time and it made me want to be braver and fight alongside her. Not many characters get that response out of me.
Again, like Shadows, I just couldn't put this blasted book down. I read the entire second half in one day. I just kept turning pages, not caring the sky was growing darker. I couldn't help myself. The breathless pace doesn't let up from the first sentence and that truly is incredible.
I have to commend Weston for her fight scenes. They're fantastic. Usually, I really struggle my way through a fight scene and have to skim them to catch the gist. It's very rare for me to follow every punch and every flash of a sword. But Weston just has this way that not only keeps me hooked on every word, but makes me understand what's going on all over the place. And Haze is not a simple book. No way. And yet, I followed every action sequence. In fact, I was always secretly hoping for one.
I just have to add that Haze was as good as Shadows and sometimes that's half the battle.
Evaluation
Overall 9/10 - the only reason I feel I can't give this book a 10 is because it was borderline too confusing at times.
Would I recommend it? Yes. Get book one and read it and tell me how much you loved it!
Would I look up the author? Yes. Have done it. Am eagerly awaiting anything else that comes out of this woman.
Haze's breathless pace doesn't let up from the first sentence and I was left with no choice but to keep turning pages.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
Blurb
Gaby Winters' life used to be pretty normal.
She lived with her best friend. She worked in a library. She was slowly getting over the death of her twin brother, Jude. Until Rafa arrived.
Now Gaby has discovered she is one of the Rephiam - descended from fallen angels. She knows demons exist. They are coming for her. And that Jude might be alive.
What she does next could change everything.
My Review
Just like Shadows before it, Haze blew me away. Everything I loved about Shadows I loved all over again and it took all of my strength not to pick up Shimmer (book three) straight away which is waiting on my shelf. I can't read it yet because I know Burn (book four) isn't out until August in the UK! But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Even though it's been a while since I read Shadows, I still felt like I perfectly understood Gaby. I really felt for her. I thoroughly enjoyed following her through another action-packed story, guessing what was going to happen next. You can send Gaby Winters an invite to my imaginary fictional tea party please! I admired her strength just as much as the first time and it made me want to be braver and fight alongside her. Not many characters get that response out of me.
Again, like Shadows, I just couldn't put this blasted book down. I read the entire second half in one day. I just kept turning pages, not caring the sky was growing darker. I couldn't help myself. The breathless pace doesn't let up from the first sentence and that truly is incredible.
I have to commend Weston for her fight scenes. They're fantastic. Usually, I really struggle my way through a fight scene and have to skim them to catch the gist. It's very rare for me to follow every punch and every flash of a sword. But Weston just has this way that not only keeps me hooked on every word, but makes me understand what's going on all over the place. And Haze is not a simple book. No way. And yet, I followed every action sequence. In fact, I was always secretly hoping for one.
I just have to add that Haze was as good as Shadows and sometimes that's half the battle.
Evaluation
Overall 9/10 - the only reason I feel I can't give this book a 10 is because it was borderline too confusing at times.
Would I recommend it? Yes. Get book one and read it and tell me how much you loved it!
Would I look up the author? Yes. Have done it. Am eagerly awaiting anything else that comes out of this woman.
Haze's breathless pace doesn't let up from the first sentence and I was left with no choice but to keep turning pages.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
February 10, 2015
Chancing the Truth is HERE!
At long last, I am proud to say that I'm finally ready to let it go. Chancing the Truth is out now for all the world to purchase and devour!
I couldn't be more excited to hear your reactions.
Buy it here in Paperback!
Buy it here on Kindle!
Please drop me a review on Amazon or Goodreads, they really do help me out. All your good reviews help strangers to click the 'Buy' button and any boost you can give me will be highly appreciated.
*Chancing the Truth will be free to download on Kindle on Saturday 14th of February 2015 to celebrate Valentine's day!*
Before I let you go and buy or download my latest work of blood, sweat, and tears, I just wanted to thank you. Whether you've been with me and Felix since day one, waiting for chapters as I wrote them, or whether you've only just heard about the trilogy.
I wouldn't have the energy to do this without you.
From myself, Felix, Damien, Lilya, and the whole cast of the Immorality of Immortality trilogy, thank you for the support, love and encouragement do to this. I hope I've done you proud.
Molly Author of the Immorality of Immortality trilogy
molly.looby@hotmail.com
I couldn't be more excited to hear your reactions.
Buy it here in Paperback!
Buy it here on Kindle!
Please drop me a review on Amazon or Goodreads, they really do help me out. All your good reviews help strangers to click the 'Buy' button and any boost you can give me will be highly appreciated.
*Chancing the Truth will be free to download on Kindle on Saturday 14th of February 2015 to celebrate Valentine's day!*
Before I let you go and buy or download my latest work of blood, sweat, and tears, I just wanted to thank you. Whether you've been with me and Felix since day one, waiting for chapters as I wrote them, or whether you've only just heard about the trilogy.
I wouldn't have the energy to do this without you.
From myself, Felix, Damien, Lilya, and the whole cast of the Immorality of Immortality trilogy, thank you for the support, love and encouragement do to this. I hope I've done you proud.
Molly Author of the Immorality of Immortality trilogy
molly.looby@hotmail.com
February 3, 2015
Kiss of Life - Daniel Waters
Kiss of Life is the sequel to Generation Dead, so if you plan to read Generation Dead do not read this review because it'll spoil parts of book one for you. You've been warned.
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
Adam's back and with that brings a whole host of problems. Not only has Phoebe got to work out how she feels about it all, she's got Pete's trial, Undead Studies and Tommy to worry about.
My Review
I didn't enjoy Kiss of Life quiet as much as Generation Dead, probably because the novelty had worn off. The characters didn't feel like old friends and some of them were starting to irritate me. Especially Pete. Usually, I love the antagonists. I love hating them and loving them. Pete had nothing going for him. I didn't feel sorry for him like I did in Generation Dead, I was just angered by his continued existence. I almost started to skip his sections entirely, though I couldn't because of the plot of course.
The first chapter though, did a good job of thrusting me back into the story and making me want to read on. Adam's struggles really made my heart ache and he was my favourite character this time around. I was always rooting for him and what he wanted, not Phoebe, the protagonist.
Unfortunately it went downhill from there because I got bored half way through. I saw where the plot was going and where we were going to end up but it seemed to take ages to get there. This book didn't have to be 400 pages long. It was dragged out way too far. I wanted a real conclusion I knew I wasn't going to get because there's still one more in the trilogy, Passing Strange, that I'm probably never going to be motivated to read because this one wasn't exciting enough.
One last thing, I found a pretty huge typo. The text said, "Tommy said" when in fact Pete was talking. I don't think there could've been a bigger mistake. Pete and Tommy are nothing alike and are on the opposite sides entirely. I just cannot believe that wasn't noticed by somebody! It's a huge unforgivable mistake to make. The two characters hadn't interacted for the whole book. Pete was talking about Tommy but that does not excuse the mistake. I was just speechless when I saw it.
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? No. The first one was good because it was new but familiar. This one didn't have that.
Would I look up the author? No. I wasn't blow away. My reading pile's big enough!
Kiss of Life was a mediocre sequel.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
Adam's back and with that brings a whole host of problems. Not only has Phoebe got to work out how she feels about it all, she's got Pete's trial, Undead Studies and Tommy to worry about.
My Review
I didn't enjoy Kiss of Life quiet as much as Generation Dead, probably because the novelty had worn off. The characters didn't feel like old friends and some of them were starting to irritate me. Especially Pete. Usually, I love the antagonists. I love hating them and loving them. Pete had nothing going for him. I didn't feel sorry for him like I did in Generation Dead, I was just angered by his continued existence. I almost started to skip his sections entirely, though I couldn't because of the plot of course.
The first chapter though, did a good job of thrusting me back into the story and making me want to read on. Adam's struggles really made my heart ache and he was my favourite character this time around. I was always rooting for him and what he wanted, not Phoebe, the protagonist.
Unfortunately it went downhill from there because I got bored half way through. I saw where the plot was going and where we were going to end up but it seemed to take ages to get there. This book didn't have to be 400 pages long. It was dragged out way too far. I wanted a real conclusion I knew I wasn't going to get because there's still one more in the trilogy, Passing Strange, that I'm probably never going to be motivated to read because this one wasn't exciting enough.
One last thing, I found a pretty huge typo. The text said, "Tommy said" when in fact Pete was talking. I don't think there could've been a bigger mistake. Pete and Tommy are nothing alike and are on the opposite sides entirely. I just cannot believe that wasn't noticed by somebody! It's a huge unforgivable mistake to make. The two characters hadn't interacted for the whole book. Pete was talking about Tommy but that does not excuse the mistake. I was just speechless when I saw it.
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? No. The first one was good because it was new but familiar. This one didn't have that.
Would I look up the author? No. I wasn't blow away. My reading pile's big enough!
Kiss of Life was a mediocre sequel.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
January 27, 2015
Generation Dead - Daniel Waters
Blurb
All over the country, teenagers who die aren't staying dead.
And Phoebe is finding that love doesn't always stop when someone's heart does - she's falling for a dead guy.
But not all people are as accepting as Phoebe, and some of them will stop at nothing to make sure that death really is the end for all the zombies, and anyone who stands alongside them.
My Review
It's probably important to note that this book has been on my to-read pile for years. The premise has been intriguing me for all that time but I've only just felt motivated enough to pick it up. I have no idea what that says about the book but I'm glad that I picked it up. It worked for its attention and at last I gave it a read. After all, zombies right? What could be better.
Except these aren't really zombies. Well they are zombies, but they don't want to eat your brains. In my opinion, Waters balanced perfectly between grossing me out and fascinating me all at once. That's what he was going for and he achieved it perfectly.
As you've probably already gathered, this wasn't your typical teen romance story. There wasn't a swoon-worthy male - unless you count Adam, one of Phoebe's best friends. The love interest was Tommy, a zombie, and that made me feel more bizarre than I imagined. After all, I've written about zombies myself, but mine were nothing like this. After a while I got used to him being dead and everything but I still wasn't sure how much I liked him and that had me struggling a little, especially when he started to creep me out half way through. Though, thinking about it, I think I was just feeling what Phoebe, our protagonist, was feeling.
The first half of the book was very American Football heavy for me. I know it's a huge deal and a very popular sport, but that doesn't mean I want to read about it in detail. I don't like sport I know the rules to, let alone American Football. I'm British, I don't know the rules! It got far too detailed and technical in places so I had to skim for a while.
My favourite character was Karen, a zombie girl. It was odd that she was my favourite because if you had to name the five main characters, she wouldn't make the cut. She wasn't secondary, but she wasn't one of the 'main main' characters. I liked her edge. I don't know whether her being my favourite is because she's awesome or because I didn't get on with the others. Saying that though, I did grow to love Adam more and more with each chapter.
I enjoyed Generation Dead but once I put it down I never felt like picking it up again. When I did I got into it, but I had to pick it up first. Yep, it was one of those. Also, it was long at 400 pages. I don't mind long books but this one felt dragged out. It didn't have to be 400 pages if you ask me.
Evaluation
Overall 8/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. It was different and yet similar to books I've read before and I found that an interesting balance to fall into.
Would I look up the author? No. I didn't get on well enough with the way it was written but I will read the rest of the trilogy. I need to know what happens next!
Generation Dead was an interesting read and I'm looking forward to the other installments.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
All over the country, teenagers who die aren't staying dead.
And Phoebe is finding that love doesn't always stop when someone's heart does - she's falling for a dead guy.
But not all people are as accepting as Phoebe, and some of them will stop at nothing to make sure that death really is the end for all the zombies, and anyone who stands alongside them.
My Review
It's probably important to note that this book has been on my to-read pile for years. The premise has been intriguing me for all that time but I've only just felt motivated enough to pick it up. I have no idea what that says about the book but I'm glad that I picked it up. It worked for its attention and at last I gave it a read. After all, zombies right? What could be better.
Except these aren't really zombies. Well they are zombies, but they don't want to eat your brains. In my opinion, Waters balanced perfectly between grossing me out and fascinating me all at once. That's what he was going for and he achieved it perfectly.
As you've probably already gathered, this wasn't your typical teen romance story. There wasn't a swoon-worthy male - unless you count Adam, one of Phoebe's best friends. The love interest was Tommy, a zombie, and that made me feel more bizarre than I imagined. After all, I've written about zombies myself, but mine were nothing like this. After a while I got used to him being dead and everything but I still wasn't sure how much I liked him and that had me struggling a little, especially when he started to creep me out half way through. Though, thinking about it, I think I was just feeling what Phoebe, our protagonist, was feeling.
The first half of the book was very American Football heavy for me. I know it's a huge deal and a very popular sport, but that doesn't mean I want to read about it in detail. I don't like sport I know the rules to, let alone American Football. I'm British, I don't know the rules! It got far too detailed and technical in places so I had to skim for a while.
My favourite character was Karen, a zombie girl. It was odd that she was my favourite because if you had to name the five main characters, she wouldn't make the cut. She wasn't secondary, but she wasn't one of the 'main main' characters. I liked her edge. I don't know whether her being my favourite is because she's awesome or because I didn't get on with the others. Saying that though, I did grow to love Adam more and more with each chapter.
I enjoyed Generation Dead but once I put it down I never felt like picking it up again. When I did I got into it, but I had to pick it up first. Yep, it was one of those. Also, it was long at 400 pages. I don't mind long books but this one felt dragged out. It didn't have to be 400 pages if you ask me.
Evaluation
Overall 8/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. It was different and yet similar to books I've read before and I found that an interesting balance to fall into.
Would I look up the author? No. I didn't get on well enough with the way it was written but I will read the rest of the trilogy. I need to know what happens next!
Generation Dead was an interesting read and I'm looking forward to the other installments.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
January 20, 2015
Maybe One Day - Melissa Kantor
Blurb
A person's whole life, she's lucky to have one or two real friends. Friends who are like family.
But when your best friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, what happens next might not be what you expect. Through sixteen-year-old Zoe and her best friend Olivia, discover the bittersweet tragedy of a new 'normal'.
A heartbreaking story of two best friends facing the hardest future of all - a future without each other.
My Review
Firstly, yes, I did know what I was getting into when I picked up Maybe One Day and I did cry. A lot. Oh man, I sobbed. I don't even care. It's the way with cancer books or 'sick lit' or whatever you want to call it. There's just something I love about being thrust so totally into another person's life that I weep like it's really happening.
From the get go I fell in love with Zoe and Olivia. They're realistic and relatable and flawed and excellent. And so was their relationship. It mirrored that of a real friendship. They were best-friends-forever, of course, but they still bickered and argued and sometimes didn't totally understand each other just like in real life. But this just made it all the more heartbreaking for me.
I loved Zoe, I really did. There were times where I felt she might annoy some readers but she was definitely on the same level as me. I found myself choosing what she chose and understanding her thought patterns and decisions. It probably helped that Maybe One Day was written in my favourite way, the way I myself write most of the time. First person, past tense. I just fell into it and lived there.
There were times when it got to real and I thought I might have to put it down. I didn't want to imagine myself in anything anywhere near this situation. Not a chance. But there was something morbidly fascinating that made me continue. The thing was, I couldn't make myself feel better by telling myself it wasn't real because these things do happen and are happening.
I cried in short bursts, little and often, contemplating how cruel life is the whole way through. Cancer stories from the point of view of someone not suffering from cancer have a whole different level. One I - and I think most people - relate to on a very primal, human level that makes us all sit and wonder that we're even here at all.
I just sat and read and read and read and read, hardly moving from the spot I was sitting in. 350 pages in a day, which was almost the entire thing. Yes, it's safe to say, I enjoyed it.
Evaluation
Overall 10/10
Would I recommend it? Yes, if you want a good cry.
Would I look up the author? Yes, but nothing took my fancy.
Maybe One Day was an easy, heartbreaking read I knew I'd love.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
A person's whole life, she's lucky to have one or two real friends. Friends who are like family.
But when your best friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, what happens next might not be what you expect. Through sixteen-year-old Zoe and her best friend Olivia, discover the bittersweet tragedy of a new 'normal'.
A heartbreaking story of two best friends facing the hardest future of all - a future without each other.
My Review
Firstly, yes, I did know what I was getting into when I picked up Maybe One Day and I did cry. A lot. Oh man, I sobbed. I don't even care. It's the way with cancer books or 'sick lit' or whatever you want to call it. There's just something I love about being thrust so totally into another person's life that I weep like it's really happening.
From the get go I fell in love with Zoe and Olivia. They're realistic and relatable and flawed and excellent. And so was their relationship. It mirrored that of a real friendship. They were best-friends-forever, of course, but they still bickered and argued and sometimes didn't totally understand each other just like in real life. But this just made it all the more heartbreaking for me.
I loved Zoe, I really did. There were times where I felt she might annoy some readers but she was definitely on the same level as me. I found myself choosing what she chose and understanding her thought patterns and decisions. It probably helped that Maybe One Day was written in my favourite way, the way I myself write most of the time. First person, past tense. I just fell into it and lived there.
There were times when it got to real and I thought I might have to put it down. I didn't want to imagine myself in anything anywhere near this situation. Not a chance. But there was something morbidly fascinating that made me continue. The thing was, I couldn't make myself feel better by telling myself it wasn't real because these things do happen and are happening.
I cried in short bursts, little and often, contemplating how cruel life is the whole way through. Cancer stories from the point of view of someone not suffering from cancer have a whole different level. One I - and I think most people - relate to on a very primal, human level that makes us all sit and wonder that we're even here at all.
I just sat and read and read and read and read, hardly moving from the spot I was sitting in. 350 pages in a day, which was almost the entire thing. Yes, it's safe to say, I enjoyed it.
Evaluation
Overall 10/10
Would I recommend it? Yes, if you want a good cry.
Would I look up the author? Yes, but nothing took my fancy.
Maybe One Day was an easy, heartbreaking read I knew I'd love.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
January 13, 2015
Before I Go To Sleep - SJ Watson
Blurb
Memories define us.
So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?
Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight.
And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.
Welcome to Christine's life.
My Review
This book was recommended to me, which is the only reason I read it. I don't do thrillers, let alone adult books. But as I'd been told this was un-put-a-down-able, I had to read it. I can say I was both surprised by how much I enjoyed it and disappointed all at the same time.
Before I Go To Sleep had a very intriguing start. Of course, waking up and having no idea why you're in your forties and not your twenties was going to be a winner of a beginning. I wanted to keep on reading and find out more - as much as I could - about what had happened and what was going to happen next. I couldn't stop in fact.
However, after a while it felt as though I was reading and reading but not getting anywhere. It felt really repetitious even though Watson was careful not to repeat anything that was exactly the same. But I didn't know if the general feeling of repetition was indented.
Once it got to the end though, I couldn't put it down again. I read and read and read and finished it. Incredible. The ending was spectacular and perfect. There just seemed to be a slump in the middle.
The book in general was very intelligent and well written I just don't like the way adult books are. I didn't realise how much I love my teenage protagonists until I got a few pages in. I love in YA that the protagonist has an internal struggle, battling with who they think they are, who they want to be, and what they can achieve. A sort of personality debate as it goes through. The best example is probably Divergent because Tris realises that above all, she wants to be brave. Although in Before I Go To Sleep Christine was working out who she was, there was no concern about who she wanted to be. She seemed quite content to be whoever she was. There's nothing wrong with this, I just like it when characters are concerned with who they are.
In fact, nothing at all was wrong with this novel, it was just my personal taste.
Evaluation
Overall 8/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. Especially if you're into thrillers.
Would I look up the author? No. The writing style didn't grip me enough.
Before I Go To Sleep was an excellent read, though not exactly to my taste.
Molly Looby
Author / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready
molly.looby@hotmail.com
January 6, 2015
The Awakening - Vampire Diaries Book 1 - L.J.Smith
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
Elena is a high school student who's used to getting everything she wants. So when new boy Stefan ignores her she has to find out why.
The truth is more dangerous than she could've imagined.
My Review
I'm surprised I could make it sound good in my own words considering I loathed this book. Every word was torture. But I suppose I didn't have high expectations.
Let's start off with the good things. I enjoyed the first line. "Something awful is going to happen today. I don't know why I wrote that."
Now onto everything else because after that there was nothing else I enjoyed, apart from giving a running commentary to my boyfriend about how terrible I was finding it.
Firstly, and most importantly, I hated Elena. She's selfish, self-centred, vain, and the queen of the school. For some reason everyone likes her and she can command them at will. I understand this is set in high school but come on. She could be all those things - but she would not be liked. Or, she can be liked, but not a total bitch, she can't have it all. There were some very specific lines where I hated her guts. E.g. page 3; "Elena Gilbert, cool and blonde and slender, the fashion trendsetter, the high school senior, the girl every boy wanted and every girl wanted to be." I mean, how can you not hate her? I thought perhaps this was done on purpose and she was going to change by the end of the book and see the error of her ways. Alas, not. I question how a person could even get to this point. She has not one single redeeming feature. She is filled with flaws and annoying traits. How did Smith not want to murder her over and over again? I did.
Also, this really made me angry, she treats the entire male population like they belong to her, like they're objects for her owning and are at her every command. It was incredibly sexist and unfair to men. I know this is a book for women/girls but come on! I was disgusted and highly offended by this. Here's an example from page 14/15; "Most boys, Elena reflected, were like puppies. Adorable in their place but expendable."In what way is it okay to describe all men as "Adorable in their PLACE but EXPENDABLE."? In their place? How insulting.
I rolled my eyes when Elena was homecoming queen because of course she was, though the actual dance was the most boring one I've ever read. Nothing happened. The entire scene could've been cut out, the important stuff happened later. Obviously Smith was struggling to pad out her already short book. The dance also allowed for another vanity moment where Elena goes on about how beautiful she is - translated, another moment I despised her."In that instant, Elena was aware that she was beautiful"She goes on but I don't think I have to add more than that.
Okay, now I'm going to rip apart her relationship with Stefan. I'll admit, when the book was following Stefan, as it did every now and again, I found it much easier to swallow. It still wasn't good, but it was bearable. Though his part in the story was so predictable I could cry. This isn't a spoiler as the series is called The Vampire Diaries, but Stefan is a vampire, wow, shocker. The reader knows this, that's fine. It works that way - I say works in the widest possible sense of the word. But Elena doesn't know. Well she certainly doesn't at the beginning because it starts just before they meet. How then, half way through, without any internal struggle on her part, does she know? It gets about half the way through and I got the impression that without him giving it away and without him telling her she knew. She does get told near the end but she acts like she's always known. It's stupid. That was going to be the one good part of this book and Elena ruined it by not reacting in any way whatsoever!
Their love was utterly ridiculous. I thought they were gong to fall in love quickly, that much was obvious. But I was not prepared for the way it actually happened. They can't have had more than three conversations and all of a sudden he's madly in love with her. They weren't even good conversations! By the end of the book they didn't even know each other, let alone when they started throwing I love you around like hello, how are you? Also, she'a an utter brat to him - to everyone in fact. He's hundreds of years old, why would he stand for that? If I was a vampire, I would've ripped her throat out, just saying.
Moving on to the plot and the way this was written. It was technically fine. There was too much pointless description for my liking but I could deal with that. It almost felt like Smith had this idea but then when she put the characters in it all went to hell. The characters made the whole thing so melodramatic and exhausting. Also, because of their inane teenage chatter, I got 50 pages in - which is a quarter by the way - and realised that nothing at all had happened yet.
It continued on like this for the whole book. The pace was so bizarre. Either nothing at all was happening or everything was happening but it was over in a second. This was probably due to the incredibly feeble plot line. Nothing exciting happened. It was practically devoid of exciting incidents entirely.
I must just add what I think about the claim that Stephenie Meyer took this idea and wrote Twilight off the back of it. Having read both Twilight and The Awakening, it's safe to say that they are not the same thing. Let's be honest, all vampire-romance fiction is the same. Claiming Meyer stole this idea is ridiculous. There were a few similar bits but the major plot wasn't the same - and may I say Meyer did it much better. I do think that Meyer has probably read this book because a few bits rang a bell but it's certainly not similar enough to claim that she copied it.
To finish off, my book reviews usually consist of an A5 page of notes. I felt so strongly about how awful this book is that I used two.
Utter trash.
Evaluation
Overall 1/10 - yep, you read correctly, a 1
Would I recommend it? No. This book, like it's protagonist, had no redeeming features.
Would I look up the author? No. Not on your life.
The Awakening made me want to bring its protagonist to life so I could beat her to death and be done with it. It was the most awful thing I've read all year.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
Elena is a high school student who's used to getting everything she wants. So when new boy Stefan ignores her she has to find out why.
The truth is more dangerous than she could've imagined.
My Review
I'm surprised I could make it sound good in my own words considering I loathed this book. Every word was torture. But I suppose I didn't have high expectations.
Let's start off with the good things. I enjoyed the first line. "Something awful is going to happen today. I don't know why I wrote that."
Now onto everything else because after that there was nothing else I enjoyed, apart from giving a running commentary to my boyfriend about how terrible I was finding it.
Firstly, and most importantly, I hated Elena. She's selfish, self-centred, vain, and the queen of the school. For some reason everyone likes her and she can command them at will. I understand this is set in high school but come on. She could be all those things - but she would not be liked. Or, she can be liked, but not a total bitch, she can't have it all. There were some very specific lines where I hated her guts. E.g. page 3; "Elena Gilbert, cool and blonde and slender, the fashion trendsetter, the high school senior, the girl every boy wanted and every girl wanted to be." I mean, how can you not hate her? I thought perhaps this was done on purpose and she was going to change by the end of the book and see the error of her ways. Alas, not. I question how a person could even get to this point. She has not one single redeeming feature. She is filled with flaws and annoying traits. How did Smith not want to murder her over and over again? I did.
Also, this really made me angry, she treats the entire male population like they belong to her, like they're objects for her owning and are at her every command. It was incredibly sexist and unfair to men. I know this is a book for women/girls but come on! I was disgusted and highly offended by this. Here's an example from page 14/15; "Most boys, Elena reflected, were like puppies. Adorable in their place but expendable."In what way is it okay to describe all men as "Adorable in their PLACE but EXPENDABLE."? In their place? How insulting.
I rolled my eyes when Elena was homecoming queen because of course she was, though the actual dance was the most boring one I've ever read. Nothing happened. The entire scene could've been cut out, the important stuff happened later. Obviously Smith was struggling to pad out her already short book. The dance also allowed for another vanity moment where Elena goes on about how beautiful she is - translated, another moment I despised her."In that instant, Elena was aware that she was beautiful"She goes on but I don't think I have to add more than that.
Okay, now I'm going to rip apart her relationship with Stefan. I'll admit, when the book was following Stefan, as it did every now and again, I found it much easier to swallow. It still wasn't good, but it was bearable. Though his part in the story was so predictable I could cry. This isn't a spoiler as the series is called The Vampire Diaries, but Stefan is a vampire, wow, shocker. The reader knows this, that's fine. It works that way - I say works in the widest possible sense of the word. But Elena doesn't know. Well she certainly doesn't at the beginning because it starts just before they meet. How then, half way through, without any internal struggle on her part, does she know? It gets about half the way through and I got the impression that without him giving it away and without him telling her she knew. She does get told near the end but she acts like she's always known. It's stupid. That was going to be the one good part of this book and Elena ruined it by not reacting in any way whatsoever!
Their love was utterly ridiculous. I thought they were gong to fall in love quickly, that much was obvious. But I was not prepared for the way it actually happened. They can't have had more than three conversations and all of a sudden he's madly in love with her. They weren't even good conversations! By the end of the book they didn't even know each other, let alone when they started throwing I love you around like hello, how are you? Also, she'a an utter brat to him - to everyone in fact. He's hundreds of years old, why would he stand for that? If I was a vampire, I would've ripped her throat out, just saying.
Moving on to the plot and the way this was written. It was technically fine. There was too much pointless description for my liking but I could deal with that. It almost felt like Smith had this idea but then when she put the characters in it all went to hell. The characters made the whole thing so melodramatic and exhausting. Also, because of their inane teenage chatter, I got 50 pages in - which is a quarter by the way - and realised that nothing at all had happened yet.
It continued on like this for the whole book. The pace was so bizarre. Either nothing at all was happening or everything was happening but it was over in a second. This was probably due to the incredibly feeble plot line. Nothing exciting happened. It was practically devoid of exciting incidents entirely.
I must just add what I think about the claim that Stephenie Meyer took this idea and wrote Twilight off the back of it. Having read both Twilight and The Awakening, it's safe to say that they are not the same thing. Let's be honest, all vampire-romance fiction is the same. Claiming Meyer stole this idea is ridiculous. There were a few similar bits but the major plot wasn't the same - and may I say Meyer did it much better. I do think that Meyer has probably read this book because a few bits rang a bell but it's certainly not similar enough to claim that she copied it.
To finish off, my book reviews usually consist of an A5 page of notes. I felt so strongly about how awful this book is that I used two.
Utter trash.
Evaluation
Overall 1/10 - yep, you read correctly, a 1
Would I recommend it? No. This book, like it's protagonist, had no redeeming features.
Would I look up the author? No. Not on your life.
The Awakening made me want to bring its protagonist to life so I could beat her to death and be done with it. It was the most awful thing I've read all year.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
December 31, 2014
Farewell 2014
In 2014 I wanted to post on this blog once a week. Here we are, 52 weeks later and 53 blog posts into 2014, counting down the hours until we have to consciously remember what year we're in. I don't know when this happened, but I feel like time's rushed by since 2012. I still feel like that was yesterday and I'm still 18. But I'm not. This year I entered my twenties and I'm still not sure what to think about that.
But enough about me. What about the blog? I had some very interesting posts this year as well as a whopping 30 book reviews (with five more in draft).
My World Book Day post featured my favourite character list.The To An Author post marked a very important milestone in my career.My Immorality of Immortality blog post series was a first - I've never done a blog post series before (unless of course you count NaNoWriMo).The NaNoWriMo posts were fun to write and excellent to look back on.
They were my favourite posts but my most popular post was the Brilliant Week Featuring the #MovellasMeetUp post. That was probably thanks to Movellas retweeting it!
Speaking of Movellas, I have had a blast there this year, hitting the 150 fans/followers mark and making even more 'writing' friends. I've had some excellent feedback and advice from the Movellians and they will continue to shape my career in 2015. I'm hoping for 250 fans this time next year and their continued support on my After trilogy, the first book, Thereafter , being exclusively on Movellas for now.
While I'm on Thereafter . . . wow. What a ride that was. I wrote it in 18 days for NaNoWriMo 2014 beating my personal record. I reached the 50,000 word goal in just 12 days and surprised myself every day with not only the pace I was writing it, but also the quality of the writing. Thereafter is joint with Fire and Ice as my favourite novel I've written.
Now I have to speak about Thereafter as the Movellas advent calendar. Without a doubt, being asked to be the Movellas advent calendar was the highlight of my year and really helped me power through a very difficult December. The encouragement, support, and excitement from the Movellas community has hyped up my excitement for the rest of the trilogy which I'm planning to write in 2015 (at least book two anyhow).
Other than Thereafter, I also wrote The Fall of Us which, although didn't turn out as good as I would've liked, taught me a lot about how I like to write and what I expect from my novels now. I learnt the hard way that I'm not a present tense writer! There's a lot of potential in The Fall of Us and a lot of love for it on Movellas so I'm going to consider my options with it with a read over in 2015. Who knows, it might turn into something spectacular?
By the way, 2014 was the year I successfully wrote ten books in five years! Now how many people can say they've done that?
I also finished my second draft of my baby, Fire and Ice. I'm extremely excited about the second draft (which you can read on Movellas if you have an account - you need an account because it's set to 16+) and I think (and I know I've said this before) that it's going to take me places.
This.Is.It.
So we've looked at my 2014 writing but what does 2015 bring?
Well, the rest of the After trilogy will be planned and book two at least will get written as one of my two books in 2015. I may write book three for NaNo15 but I haven't decided yet. I'm thinking I might try something new for NaNo as that always seems to do me good. I doubt I'll be able to beat this year's speed and quality though. I was on fire!
Speaking of fire, Fire and Ice is going to be my top priority and I'm going to send it around and see what happens.
It's probably at this point that I should mention Chancing the Truth. I am so sorry to everyone who expected it this year. I did too. The thing was just so huge that it took me a long time to whittle it down into something that I loved and wanted to share with you. The cover also caused me and my cover designer (the very talented James Terry jrterry95@gmail.com for all your art needs) some problems that we've overcome now.
So, long story short, it's ready. It's in its final proofreading rounds so it is FOR CERTAIN coming 2015.
As well as writing a lot, I've also read a lot. I've read 37 books this year which is only 1 less than in 2013. I'm hoping 2015 will bring the year of 40 books but we'll see.
Here are the top ten in the order I read them in:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Boundless by Cynthia Hand, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Looking for Alaska by John Green, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Shadows by Paula Weston, Raging Star by Moira Young, Paper Towns by John Green,
In 2015 I'm looking forward to Haze and Shimmer by Paula Weston, books two and three in her Rephaim series and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, the only John Green book left on my shelf that I haven't read!
So, to sum up: in 2014 I read a lot and I wrote a lot.
In 2015 I plan to read even more and write just as much.
(And maybe make some money this year)
Happy New Year to all of you,
MollyAmbitious Author
molly.looby@hotmail.com
But enough about me. What about the blog? I had some very interesting posts this year as well as a whopping 30 book reviews (with five more in draft).
My World Book Day post featured my favourite character list.The To An Author post marked a very important milestone in my career.My Immorality of Immortality blog post series was a first - I've never done a blog post series before (unless of course you count NaNoWriMo).The NaNoWriMo posts were fun to write and excellent to look back on.
They were my favourite posts but my most popular post was the Brilliant Week Featuring the #MovellasMeetUp post. That was probably thanks to Movellas retweeting it!
Speaking of Movellas, I have had a blast there this year, hitting the 150 fans/followers mark and making even more 'writing' friends. I've had some excellent feedback and advice from the Movellians and they will continue to shape my career in 2015. I'm hoping for 250 fans this time next year and their continued support on my After trilogy, the first book, Thereafter , being exclusively on Movellas for now.
While I'm on Thereafter . . . wow. What a ride that was. I wrote it in 18 days for NaNoWriMo 2014 beating my personal record. I reached the 50,000 word goal in just 12 days and surprised myself every day with not only the pace I was writing it, but also the quality of the writing. Thereafter is joint with Fire and Ice as my favourite novel I've written.
Now I have to speak about Thereafter as the Movellas advent calendar. Without a doubt, being asked to be the Movellas advent calendar was the highlight of my year and really helped me power through a very difficult December. The encouragement, support, and excitement from the Movellas community has hyped up my excitement for the rest of the trilogy which I'm planning to write in 2015 (at least book two anyhow).
Other than Thereafter, I also wrote The Fall of Us which, although didn't turn out as good as I would've liked, taught me a lot about how I like to write and what I expect from my novels now. I learnt the hard way that I'm not a present tense writer! There's a lot of potential in The Fall of Us and a lot of love for it on Movellas so I'm going to consider my options with it with a read over in 2015. Who knows, it might turn into something spectacular?
By the way, 2014 was the year I successfully wrote ten books in five years! Now how many people can say they've done that?
I also finished my second draft of my baby, Fire and Ice. I'm extremely excited about the second draft (which you can read on Movellas if you have an account - you need an account because it's set to 16+) and I think (and I know I've said this before) that it's going to take me places.
This.Is.It.
So we've looked at my 2014 writing but what does 2015 bring?
Well, the rest of the After trilogy will be planned and book two at least will get written as one of my two books in 2015. I may write book three for NaNo15 but I haven't decided yet. I'm thinking I might try something new for NaNo as that always seems to do me good. I doubt I'll be able to beat this year's speed and quality though. I was on fire!
Speaking of fire, Fire and Ice is going to be my top priority and I'm going to send it around and see what happens.
It's probably at this point that I should mention Chancing the Truth. I am so sorry to everyone who expected it this year. I did too. The thing was just so huge that it took me a long time to whittle it down into something that I loved and wanted to share with you. The cover also caused me and my cover designer (the very talented James Terry jrterry95@gmail.com for all your art needs) some problems that we've overcome now.
So, long story short, it's ready. It's in its final proofreading rounds so it is FOR CERTAIN coming 2015.
As well as writing a lot, I've also read a lot. I've read 37 books this year which is only 1 less than in 2013. I'm hoping 2015 will bring the year of 40 books but we'll see.
Here are the top ten in the order I read them in:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Boundless by Cynthia Hand, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Looking for Alaska by John Green, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Shadows by Paula Weston, Raging Star by Moira Young, Paper Towns by John Green,
In 2015 I'm looking forward to Haze and Shimmer by Paula Weston, books two and three in her Rephaim series and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, the only John Green book left on my shelf that I haven't read!
So, to sum up: in 2014 I read a lot and I wrote a lot.
In 2015 I plan to read even more and write just as much.
(And maybe make some money this year)
Happy New Year to all of you,
MollyAmbitious Author
molly.looby@hotmail.com
December 23, 2014
Starters - Lissa Price
Blurb
First, Callie lost her parents.
Then she lost her home.
And, finally, she lost her body.
But she will stop at nothing to get it back . . .
My Review
I was pleasantly surprised by Starters. I thought it would reek of 'heard it all before' but it felt fresh and new. A world in which there are no adults has been done, but a world with teens, children (the Starters) and elderly people (the Enders) but with nothing in between . . . well. I've never heard of anyone do this before.
It was fascinating to see how their society worked after the Spore Wars had killed the adults, as they had not been vaccinated. The difference between the Starters with guardians and without was vast but completely believable. Price has crafted her world well as everything made sense to me.
If you haven't already gathered, I thought the plot was fantastic. There was a good mix of action, mystery and suspense the entire way through. It twisted and turned, continuing to keep me guessing. Also, I really liked Callie. She was brave and tried her best. She made rational decisions and wasn't stupid, which is always a bonus.
Though it started well, the reader asking lots of questions about this world, I was concerned that there would be a few more people in the world willing to help Callie. I understood why the Enders disliked the Starters and wanted to ignore them but I wanted someone to see that it was wrong. As the book went on, characters willing to help did appear but I felt perhaps a little bit too late. I know the world is cruel, but there are more kind people out there than this book suggests.
Also, I wanted it to start a little bit faster than it did. It wasn't impossibly slow but I needed to be thrust in more. It was far too easy to put the book down at the beginning. However, once it got going it was paced really well and I found it really easy and enjoyable to read.
I think the problem I had at the beginning was the lack of dialogue. It was there and it was in character and believable, I just wanted more of it. I think that's why I found it slow. I wanted less of Callie describing her surroundings and more of her talking to people. I understand things were being kept from me at the beginning to make me read on, but it would've been easier to immerse myself in this world had there been more dialogue.
Evaluation
Overall 8/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. I enjoyed it very much and was pleasantly surprised.
Would I look up the author? Yes. I've put the sequel, Enders, on my 'want-to-read' list. Whether or not I'll ever get around to it is a different matter.
Starters felt similar to books I've read before but the plot was entirely different and that's just what I'd wanted.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
First, Callie lost her parents.
Then she lost her home.
And, finally, she lost her body.
But she will stop at nothing to get it back . . .
My Review
I was pleasantly surprised by Starters. I thought it would reek of 'heard it all before' but it felt fresh and new. A world in which there are no adults has been done, but a world with teens, children (the Starters) and elderly people (the Enders) but with nothing in between . . . well. I've never heard of anyone do this before.
It was fascinating to see how their society worked after the Spore Wars had killed the adults, as they had not been vaccinated. The difference between the Starters with guardians and without was vast but completely believable. Price has crafted her world well as everything made sense to me.
If you haven't already gathered, I thought the plot was fantastic. There was a good mix of action, mystery and suspense the entire way through. It twisted and turned, continuing to keep me guessing. Also, I really liked Callie. She was brave and tried her best. She made rational decisions and wasn't stupid, which is always a bonus.
Though it started well, the reader asking lots of questions about this world, I was concerned that there would be a few more people in the world willing to help Callie. I understood why the Enders disliked the Starters and wanted to ignore them but I wanted someone to see that it was wrong. As the book went on, characters willing to help did appear but I felt perhaps a little bit too late. I know the world is cruel, but there are more kind people out there than this book suggests.
Also, I wanted it to start a little bit faster than it did. It wasn't impossibly slow but I needed to be thrust in more. It was far too easy to put the book down at the beginning. However, once it got going it was paced really well and I found it really easy and enjoyable to read.
I think the problem I had at the beginning was the lack of dialogue. It was there and it was in character and believable, I just wanted more of it. I think that's why I found it slow. I wanted less of Callie describing her surroundings and more of her talking to people. I understand things were being kept from me at the beginning to make me read on, but it would've been easier to immerse myself in this world had there been more dialogue.
Evaluation
Overall 8/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. I enjoyed it very much and was pleasantly surprised.
Would I look up the author? Yes. I've put the sequel, Enders, on my 'want-to-read' list. Whether or not I'll ever get around to it is a different matter.
Starters felt similar to books I've read before but the plot was entirely different and that's just what I'd wanted.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly.looby@hotmail.com
