Thursday, 21 December 2017

Three Dark Crowns | Kendare Blake


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 This book has it all:

EPIC fantasy 
Triplets 
Triplets that have to kill one another to be the ultimate sister 
A world with women leaders 
Snakes....lots and lots of snakes (figuratively and literally) 

 When kingdom come, there will be one.

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

(FAM! I AM BACK!! I will fill u in on what has happened to me at the end of this review, also sorry for not taking any pictures of the book, I havent had anytime to so yeah....) 
Guys, this synopsis was the start of something that could have been executed so well....and lest to say, I was not disappointed at all! 

Yes this book started of so bloody slow but I didn't mind it too much? Maybe it's because I had just come off a ridiculous hiatus where I read nearly nothing because of the IB and exams. I liked that it was kinda slow because it allowed to build character and world building ish? Like, yes I agree that could have been down much quicker in lesser chapters but overall it didn't put me off the book at all, so I will prevail with my views and rating.

The entire book is written in third person but each sister has their own chapter, at least for the most part at the beginning it is consecutive. Starts with Katherine, Arsinoe and then Mirabella, however towards the middle it gets jumbled up which I liked because it kept the novel interesting as many have commented on how this book has a slow start. Additionally, it just created more depth as it kept the storyline more insetting jumbled up rather consecutive and rudimentary; if it continued to be consecutive we would all just start predicting, getting comfortable and bored.

Katherine is my favourite sister and shortly after her Arsinoe. I did not like Mirabella very much, I felt the most distant towards her character. I know that the book is in third person POV but I still felt like her character was extremely detached.

There are parts of this book that had me smiling ear to ear and parts that had me like:


But for the most part Blake had me so engrossed, I finished this very quick.

To conclude, I genuinely found this book hard to read, there was a lot of jargon related to the world that was built. I don't know why I found it super hard to grasp but that is really my only fault in this book, that it can be a little hard to comprehend.

(SO I KNOW IVE been MIA for what feels like....an entire year but so much has happened! I actually read this book in May but never actually posted it...anywho, I graduated high school! I'm in uni now, I've just finished my first semester of uni so yeah, time hasnt been on my hands but I am alive and I'm reading some comics now so hopefully more reviews!)





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Thursday, 1 June 2017

Ugly Love | Colleen Hoover


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Can you believe this is my first encounter with Ms Hoover? Can you also believe I gave this 2 stars?!

(ALSO, GUESS WHOS BACK, ITS ME!!! IM BACK!! I FINISHED ALL MY EXAMS SO NOW IM FREE TILL I START UNI IN SEPTEMBER SO YAY!!!!!!! I have all the time in the world to read now.)

Lets jump right into the review, I have a lot to say...

Lets start with the premiss of the book: When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.


Never ask about the past.

Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.
Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.


This novel captured the moments and dynamics of a very random? relationship that kind of spurred together but captured the essence of raw intimacy and love. The one thing I liked about the book was that it stayed true to the rawness of 'ugly love' something not everyone experiences but something that many encounter. I know this is an adult contemporary novel but nothing really screamed realistic to me. The characters seemed very real but the situation and dynamics were very...strained, possibly even forced. I was not having any of it!

This is written in consecutive POV's, first Tate and then Miles (but Miles 6 years ago). I don't know how I feel about the structure of the book, I'm glad the POV's were in first person though so we were able to have a greater scope of the characters thoughts and feelings. Although, I hated how Miles's POV was written my GOD it was so bad. I'm assuming the point of it was to kind of like spill his thoughts out, kind of like word vomit; for it to be something poetic but it just didn't fly for me. Apart from that, I enjoyed Hoover's writing. I enjoyed all of Tate's POV's because it was written normal and like a typical first person point of view would be written, I liked that, we got to understand Tate's thoughts and motives (even though I disliked Tate).  Some people felt like Miles was an asshole and to a great extent I understand this logic because I didn't love him either but I felt like that is precisely how she should have been written cause it stayed true to his overall character.

A great part of the book is emotional abuse and how Tate chooses to stay with Miles even though he treats her like crap but the sex is great so lets just continue right? 

 NO!

 That brings me to another aspect I cringed reading. The fact that Tate is a character with all the ingredients to become a beautifully, empowering, well-crafted female main but NO we have to deal with her constant battle with her libido! I hated that so much. The fact she is a nuRSE FOR F'S SAKE yet she cannot control her sex drive and emotions towards a guy who is so average and treats her like shit. Where is the logic???!??! Hoover conjures up a beautiful character - Tate but just diminishes her conscience and independence? Like, Tate is a nurse but we never delve into the field of her life apart from the 2% we get and the 98% is thoughts filled with Miles and Miles this and Miles that and sex with Miles. I was so over it!

Moving swiftly on....there are steamy scenes in this book which I guess I knew before hand and they were written well, not that I had any kind of inkling of how sex in books should be written but it wasn't gross or weird or anything to thats a plus.

I'm so on the fence about reading another one of Hoovers book or to let her go entirely. I feel as though everytime this has happened my instincts and intuition is right and the author and their book just aren't for me. You guys have experience me go through that on this blog when I review The Summer I Turned Pretty series, to  To All The Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han. Turned out, I hated the first book for a reason and I should have never decided to go ahead and read three more books by her and a short story from My True Love Gave To Me, because I don't like her writing, ideas or characters so I SHOULD have just saved myself the reviews and the wasted time reading.






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Sunday, 2 April 2017

IB Tips and Advice / My last week of High School




Can you believe this is my last week of high school and in September I will hopefully be in Uni? I'm shaken and taken-aback, this is so surreal. 

In you didn't already know from all my complaints in my book reviews about how the IB is hindering my reviewing process, you should by now know I am taking the IB diploma. This is my last week of high school filled with memories of my seven years here. The entire month of April I have, is to revise as it's 'study leave' and my first exam is May 1st.

Without further ado, here are my tips: 


  1. Don't do IB.
  2. If your only concern is getting into ~good~ unis (which is most people) then seriously consider A-Levels or SAT's (whatever is your countries equivalent) just not IB. This is because they are not as demanding, and the grades are 'easier' to achieve, so you get into ~good~ unis. IB however, has more skills and the acceptance rate for IB students is far higher because it is a challenging diploma. 
  3. Your Higher Levels should be subjects you are GOOD at, or if it a definitive prerequisite for a particular uni or course you're applying for. 
  4. Write your EE (extended essay) over summer. Like seriously. 
  5. Have hobbies to distress and make time to have hobbies OR have your hobbies be part of your CAS, so you don't feel like you're wasting time. 
  6. Write YOUR CAS REFLECTIONS AS YOU GO/AS YOU DO AN ACTIVITY! Do not wait till last minute to write them all! 
  7. Confusing subjects such as TOK/CAS, PLEASE talk to your teachers and take time out to have conversations with them and interact
  8. Care about sleep...
  9. Organise YOUR SHIT! Like SERIOUSLY. Organisation can literally be you passing with a GOOD grade and a #IB24
  10. Plagiarism. The IB do not fucking play around. CITE EVERYTHING! Even it its unconsciously paraphrasing or copying. Even if you did paraphrased. They will know. So cite it.
  11. Start revision notes as you go for lengthy, content based subjects such as Psychology, History, Geography, Philosophy, Languages, etc
  12. If you're applying to US universities, write your essays early. 
  13. Don't take all the HE (higher education) advice if it is not applicable to you/depending on your circumstances. 
  14. If you have a shit HE department (or you don't have one at all) go on student room or online IB forums where you can see what others have said, gain advice and discuss your concerns. 
  15. Bioninja, Gradesaver, IBPsych, Sparknotes, etc are all keys to success. 
  16. Have a diary. Write in it. Don't rely on your memory. Please. Thx. 
  17. DO. NOT. Disregard your standard levels subjects when it comes to revision for final exams because you have an unconditional offer, or if you only need specific HL grades. Don't be that person. 
  18. You can't control much in IB. However, what you CAN control, you SHOULD control. So be smart. 
  19. Try and stay happy. Here are my tips on being happy.
  20. If you're in relationships, here is my specific advice on them, romantic or platonic, its applicable to both. 
If you have any concerns or other comments, feel free to comment or contact me here and I will be more than happy to get back to you! Please, if you are worried or have any queries don't be scared to come let me know and I will help you with everything I possibly can. 

Good luck to everyone and anyone taking exams this season! Wish me luck everyone!



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Sunday, 19 March 2017

A Thousand Splendid Suns | Khaled Hosseini




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A thousand splendid suns that have broke my heart into a thousand splendid pieces... 

I didn't even mean to read this and all of a sudden I'm more than half way through the novel, teary eyed clutching my aching heart trying to comprehend my thoughts for one of my typical witty reviews. I read this on my kindle because for some reason I had a spur of the moment decision that I wanted to read this and I didn't have the book so I revived my kindle*. That is also why I don't have nice beautiful pics of this book. I finished this in less than a day, you know that feeling a book leaves you when you finish it and it was so good? Hollow, emotional, happy, upset, mixed emotions? That's how I feel.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a historical fiction, stand-alone novel. It is not historical fiction, historical fiction like The Book Thief but it has an historical aspect to it. The book, which spans a period of over 40 years, from the 1960s to 2003, focuses on the tumultuous lives and relationship of Mariam and Laila, two Afghan women. Mariam, an illegitimate child, suffers from the stigma surrounding her birth and the abuse she faces throughout her marriage. Laila, born a generation later, is comparatively privileged during her youth until their lives intersect and she is also forced to accept a marriage proposal from Rasheed, Mariam's husband. This is the goodreads synopsis. 

I got maybe 10 pages in and I knew I was going to give this a 5/5 rating already.  is honestly such a blessing to human kind. The first time I even heard of him was when my Dad let us watch The Kite Runner, the movie adaptation of the book. I was young, very young then so I didn't pick up on any of the plot or climaxes then. Later, I would encounter Hosseini again but this time it would be that exact book and I would be analysing it in my english class.

The novel follows Mariam and Laila. I don't want to give much away because I really want everyone I know to read it. It was so good. I still catch myself thinking about it constantly. They were crafted so well, we get enough backstory of these characters and we see them emotional, happy, grieving and growing. We learn everything we can about these characters and we grow achingly attached to them. I knew what I was getting into with a Hosseini book, as I had previously read The Kite Runner but nothing prepared me for this absolutely brilliant book!

Hosseini includes symbolism in his writing. If you weren't specifically analysing it or are prone to it already because of school, you would not pick up on any of it. There is great symbolism in this book of people/objects. Additionally, Hosseini's fantastic use of foreshadowing scenes in this book. I really adored this book guys! I don't want to give anything away but if I want anything to truly resonate with you, it's that you need to read this and that I predicted nothing. I was blind-sighted by everything, Hosseini writes as though you cannot predict, I love that! 

There was a stage in this book where I thought all hope was lost of these characters. Where I felt so useless as a reader; all I wanted to do was console and help them somehow. Hosseini did that, he created this experience for the reader and that is why he is such a fantastic writer! I am in awe of his writing, its unbelievable! The characterisation of Maraim and Laila was phenomenal. I was rooting for these characters, they were so real to me and I empathised with them every step of the way. What they had to endure was so raw and restless there were parts of the novel I was crying hysterically and time when I did not want to read on for what would happen next. What these women endured is what MANY women are still enduring because of war, famine, religion and tradition. Everything is so real and Hosseini allowed for these themes to come to light. This is so hard for me to think and write because it's so raw I don't know how to explain it. This book left me just so warm, wholesome and questioning, I have not read such a good book in a long, LONG time. When was the last time I gave a book 5/5 stars on this blog? I don't give them out to just any book. 

 There is a historical aspect of this book as well, something I wanted to comment on in this review. Hosseini brought us into the lives of these characters in Afghanistan as war and peace collide. Their conflict becomes our conflict. We learn about the communist presence and then about the Taliban. There are many more elements politically that we learn in this novel and it really aided the readers depiction of situations and atmospheres. If you are extremely unfamiliar with these events then this book really does give you a greater scope into the issues and experiences individuals endured. 

 The romance aspect of this book was interwoven so well I am truly just at a loss for words. Everything was just so well crafted, I am going to just slow clap it out for Hosseini. He is now becoming one of my favourite authors...ever. You bet your ass I am going to be reading: 'And the Mountains Echoed', maybe not just yet but soon. I still need to recuperate after this book. 

Hosseini's writing is up there with Murakami, for me at least. They are both in no means the same ~type~ of writer, or have the same style. However, their writing leaves me feeling the same type of way. Murakami is a bit more poetic and flowery (I have a review of Norwegian Wood by Murakami here) but Hosseini is just....amazing. If you have never read a book by him, YOU SHOULD, you could even start with this one!

*If you are wondering where I got my edition of the kindle or where I got the green case/cover. I got it all of Amazon years ago but I'm sure it's still on there.



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Tuesday, 14 March 2017

The Wrath & The Dawn | Renée Ahdieh




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*I'm sorry these images are sub-par compared to my pervious ones. I've been so busy and these pics don't represent how beautiful this book is! also my blog did a thing where the entire format f'ed up, I'm so angry so I have been trying to fix that fml....enjoy this tho! 

POC?
WOC?
Hot POC guy?
POC NAMES?
HIT ME THE HELL UP!!!!!! 
THIS WAS TREMENDOUS AND SO PROFOUND I AM STILL SHOOK 

Sorry I was away for two weeks? I had mock exams. Anyways, lets please take a moment to appreciate this book cover. It. Is. So. Beautiful. 

Even though this did give me Winners Curse/Red Queen vibes, it is nothing like those books at all!
This was such a different type of fantasy book I have ever read. I haven't read all that much tbh to be an expert but I have read enough to comment on this. (If you're curious, I have read four of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas (Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows both of which have reviews on this blog), Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, two books in The Winners Curse by Marie Rutkoski, Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo)
This is predominantly a romance fantasy book. I mean I wish the world building was more of a focus interwoven with this beautiful romance but its not.

This is the goodreads synopsis:
In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?


I actually don't know what type of area geographically this is based of. Like I know its fantasy and its a made up world - Khoressan. But there are cultural parallels to desi culture, maybe Persia/Arabia/India/Pakistan that is referenced throughout, additionally tales and myths that are also referenced related to the culture. This makes me believe the is some intertextuality in this book, none of which is bad at all! I really loved how diverse and 'not-white- this book was; it was really refreshing for me to read. Especially after reading fantasy books where predominant central characters are pale ghosts.

I honestly wish I loved it more. I wish this became my fav book ever but it was ~alright~. Kinda predictable in my opinion. I mean when you hear the synopsis is about a girl who is almost a 'tribute' to marry a King to only be killed at sunrise is like saying 'yeah ok but this is our main character and obvs she won't be killed, rather she'll live and they'll fall in love because she is sooo special'..... I mean come ON. I saw all of that coming the minute I read the premiss. I don't think I will be reading the next book in this series. I am actually shook that loads of book reviewers I follow avidly, all loved this book (5/5 star love) and I'm just not feeling it when I wished (I so wished) I did. I just wanted more out of it....I really don't know how to feel about this. I didn't expect the main character Sherzhad to be obsequious at all and she isn't but I also wasn't expecting this to be kinda predictable.

Another major thing that irked me was the lack of world building in a powerful fantasy novel. I think just a little backstory or definitive remarks on the world, the magic, the people would have benefited me more. I just wish....there was more. There is probably going to be more in the next book that is already out but I just don't think I have the time and effort to continue because it was just 'okay' nothing that blew me away since I legit predicted the entire book from the start.

(Sorry it's v short, I've been hassling loads of work/revision before my exams and I just wanted to get something up!) HOWEVER, do check out these linked posts below for some actually legit reviews. I will probably come back to this review and edit it more because it is short and meh.

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Sunday, 12 February 2017

Colour Study | PINK!

Starting this series of with a BANG! THE COLOUR PINK.
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS SERIES! I've decided on posting a 'Colour Study' every 2 months, just to keep you on your toes and so that I don't run out of colours by next week.


 



So these are all the books I have that are PINK! Or at least have a substantial amount of pink in them or on their covers. 

These books aren't in any particuliar order so, from left to right: 
Vampire Academy #1 by Richelle Mead 
Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham 
My True Love Gave to Me by (a collection of authors) 
Yes Please by Amy Poehler  I have a review of this here. 
It by Alexa Chung  I have a review of this here. 
Landline by Rainbow Rowell  I have a review of this here. 
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins I have a review of this here. 
Dork Diaries #1 by Rachel Renee Russell 
Gifted - Out of Sight, Out of Mind by Marilyn Kaye 
Airhead by Meg Cabot
Princess Poppy The Fashion Princess by Janey Louise Jones 

Vampire Academy = Okay, so I actually bought this book on my own from this bookstore 40 minutes away from where I live/the city nearby me. I think I was there in a mall for a reason but I don't remember what that reason was exactly. That mall, just so happened to have a bookstore that I ended up getting this cause this was back when Vampire Academy was still blowing up and the movie was about to come out. The only reason I got the movie edition book was because it came with a free movie poster and I was like 'hit me up pls'! I still have the poster to this day on the side of one of my bookshelves. The book itself....sucked. 

Not That Kind Of Girl = I don't know where to begin with this book. I got it cause it was said to be a 'feminist book' and well, I was disappointed. It was boring, I didn't even get halfway. I did really like the aesthetic of the book though. In the midst of me trying to conquer this book a load of stuff came out about Lena Dunham and just really put me off. I don't want to go into it, if you're curious google it. That is all I have to say about this book. She is very Problematic not to Start Shit or anything but im not interested in what she has to say. 

My True Love Gave To Me = Well, this is a short story collection contributed by a bunch of fab YA authors. I have a review of all of that here. 

Yes Please = This was a heavy book. Literally and figuratively. There is a bunch of anecdotal stories, colour, humour, advice, filled to the brim with laughter. Very enjoyable, kinda bland at some parts but generally a wholesome book. I won't go into too much detail for this as I have my review of that here 

IT = LOVE <3 I really adored this book when I got it and I still do. I got the beautiful hardback version and I regret nothing. It is such a wonderful purchase. Alexa Chung is one of my fashion inspirations and I really love her style and her as a person, she so dope! In addition, I also follow her on Instagram which I do recommend because her posts are funny and she surrounds herself with such positivity it's nice to see on your feed. I won't say anymore as I have a review of this book right here. The photos I took of the book were one of my favourites in a post. 

Landline = I loved this so much! One of my favourite books ever written by one of my favourite authors ever.  Here is my review! 

Anna and the French Kiss = I also have a review of this with all the juicy deets! Such a good feel good book, one of my favourites. 

Dork Diaries = This is so nostalgic, I read these when I was around 10-12. It was honestly such a cute series when I was younger. I still have all these books, I'll probably donate or give them to my sister. 

Gifted = Oh my god! This book along with the series of 4 books I believe was the shit. I only had the first 3 in the series and this was back when I was a wannabe teen at the age of 9-12ish. It was back when the vampy/witch stuff was in and all the paranormal stuff. I remember nothing of these books or the series but I read them all, they weren't thick books at all and looking the them now, the font size was huge (iop) compared to what I read now. All in all, I can't say much on these because I remember nothing of what I've read. 

Airhead = I had this. Meg Cabot was all over my primary school library but for some reason I couldn't get into any of her books. I had accidentally purchased the second book in this series so I decided to get the first one and read from there. Turns out I hated the premiss and the characters. So now I have the entire trilogy which I have read but I remember nothing of it. 

Princess Poppy = This was one of the first ever 'chapter books' I ever read. My uncle got it for me and told me I should put my name in it so no one would ever take it. Gosh! How nostalgic this makes me. It was PINK, like so PINK, the pages were even pink. 

I know I went into these books superficially but the point of this 'study' isn't to review but to indulge you through the books I have. Although, I have linked proper reviews for books with a review on this blog. If you are really interested drop me a comment and I'll try and tell you what you need to know. <3 Have a lovely one everyone!!!


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Saturday, 4 February 2017

To All The Boys I've Loved Before | Jenny Han




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Okay so this was not what I expected at all. I hope ya'll like these images I took, look at all those 'to-be-read books in the back of the first pic. ALSO, I borrowed this from my friend Tess - whom I mention so much on this blog: here, here, here, here, here and here. I don't know if she wants this back so I'm hanging on to it for now, I did however Skype her the other day to tell her that I'm making this post right now and that she is gonna get a shout out, you can follow her on tumblr here. 

 This is a Young-Adult, Contemporary, it is the first book in a trilogy I believe. This is a goodreads synopsis (you can follow me or add me on Goodreads here) because I will not bother myself to sit and tell you what this book is about: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all. 

I have reviewed Jenny Han’s other series: The Summer I Turned Pretty on this blog and the review of that is here. I have come to the conclusion after reading four of her books and a short story from: My True Love Gave To Me (I have a review of that here, it was my last blog post actually so you can probably scroll down!) that her writing... irritates me. Her plot and ideas - I don’t like. Yes, its ~cute~ and sometimes makes me feel warm and mushy but other than that it sucks so much. It should wow me, I should be wow'ed or at least enjoy the premiss of the book, which I did not....at all. There is nothing special about Jenny Han's writing, like truly this was a bland contemporary to me. I am giving it two stars and not one because I managed to finish the book because I wanted to, I didn't feel like I was forcing myself to. That should say something, even if it's just a little. 

In my honest opinion, this book was all over the place. There wasn't a single thing that created a consensus for everything to become one. Am I making sense? Because I felt as though everything in this book could have been a story in itself, there was just too much and none of it was adding up. Not to mention there were main characters that I disliked heavily in this book as well, maybe that’s another factor to why I didn’t enjoy the book in the end. I did not like the main at all. Lara Jean is sixteen and she sounds like a twelve year old brat. She is just so ??? I didn’t like it, she wasn’t as bad as Eadlyn whats-her-name or America Singer from The Selection series (I have a review of those here) but she was pretty bad. Her little sister was nice but I also disliked Lara’s older sister Margo. Everything was just ‘yikes’ for me. In my honest opinion the entire book was built at a very superficial level. I know this is a contemporary but like where?.....It was pretty bad.

I know this book is a trilogy (I believe). I will not be reading the next two books because there isn’t anything special about this series. APART FROM THE POC (people of colour)!!!! I really loved that this book has an Asian family (or at least half Asian) because it’s a step in the right direction. Even though everyone else was of course White, it’s good to submerge yourself in a teen novel where many individuals can possible relate more to a character than just her thoughts/personality. I applaud Jenny Han for this but in this day in age we shouldn’t have too, diversity should be one of the top priorities in bestselling novels because…..the world isn’t White and other races do exist believe it or not. I feel extremely strong about this because this world is filled with opportunity and all different beautiful kinds of individuals, if you are not capturing that in you’re books…what are you doing. You are not being honest to yourself or this world because there are so MANY types of people. Just trY. Another thing I want to mention before I digress, is that I will not be labelling this book as ‘diverse’, why? Because there is a single half Asian family does not mean this book is diverse (lmao). SO sorry (not sorry) but it’s not diverse at all.

To conclude, I will not be continuing this series, or reading anymore Jenny Han. Life is too short to read books that irk me and I mean I knew this was about to happen. I had read her other three books and they annoyed me so yeah. Also, the plot in this isn't exciting at all and I can already predict what will happen so I'm not at a loss here. If I were you I would read the synopsis and if you think this it up your ally, go for it. Otherwise, move on...it really isn't great. Contemporaries should be realistic, this was not.

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Thursday, 12 January 2017

My True Love Gave To Me | a-bunch-of-amazing-authors



Long, cold nights are for falling in love...

This is depressingly very late. Christmas is over and I have exams in May. Schooling has slowly and painstakingly taken my sanity. Yes, I know it's not Christmas and that's now a whole year away but I did read this (shockingly for once) in December (I believe). Although I haven't had time to sit and write this until now...thirteen days into January. 

This is a short story collection by various amazing young adult authors edited by the one and only Stephanie Perkins. There is a mixture of authors I'm very familiar with and some that are new to me. The contributing authors consist of: Rainbow Rowell, Holly Black, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Stephanie Perkins (who also edited the book), Matt de la Pena, Kirsten White, Lani Taylor, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, Myra McEntire and last but not least Ally Carter. 

I've decided to review this book by individual short stories (author by author) as I think this would be easiest. I'll then compile and average for this whole book. This makes no sense whatsoever but lets just go with it. 

This might just be the most prettiest book I own (like ever). Hold on let me just pan over my bookshelves and see if there is anything better....yeah no. Lets talk about the cover of this book because are you not seeing how pretty this book is? I specifically got this hardback only because of the cover. There is an original cover with mini people ice skating and I thought that was cute but this is cuter and it has pink sides!

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell:
5/5
So this is the first short story and it's Rainbow Rowell so it's amazing as always. If you want so see some of my reviews on her books I'll link them here: Landline, Attachments and Fangirl. She is one of my favourite authors of all time. Anyways back to her short story in this instalment, I basically really enjoyed it. I expected nothing less and she delivered as always. This is such a wonderful quick read for the holidays. 

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link:
0/5 
Yeah I didn't even finish this or read it. Sorry. Let me know if it's actually any good and maybe I'll give it a go. 

Angels In The Snow by Matt de la Peña:
0/5
I have to give the short stories I didn't read a 0. As harsh as it sounds I do because...well...I didn't read them. Nothing to review. Let me know if this one is good and I will come back and read it. 

Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han
2/5
Okay I know that rating is harsh but honestly I don't even remember this story lol. When I went back into the collection to recount the ones I read and the ones I didn't I had to double take on this story. Only because I didn't remember if I even read it! The only reason I actually properly gave this a go as because it's Jenny Han. I read her Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy here, which I also have a review of here. What I do remember of this was that it was really cute. The main is super cute and the romance in this was very ~high school~ flirty; once in a while you do need something like that. Overall, this was good but not memorable. 

It's A Yuletide Miracle. Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins:
5/5 
SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! ThiS WAS SO GOOD!!!!!! MY FAVOURITE IN THIS COLLECTION. AHHHH I adored this so much. I expected nothing less from Stephanie Perkins, she's a phenomenal author. This main character Marigold was honestly, so different to any of her other character in Anna and The French Kiss (I have a review here) or in my favourite book by Perkins: Lola and The Boy Next Door (I have a review of that here as well) OR the third instalment Isla and The Happily Ever After (I have a review of that here too, this also happened to be the first review I did in 2015). Everything in this story was perfect. It was nothing redundant you would have heard of in any other book, the situation was so weird and the circumstances even weirder. I loved it! 

Your temporary Santa by David Levithan 
4/5
This was so gay and I loved every bit of it! This story kept me on my toes the whole time. Like, whats gonna happen next? How about now?! It was written extremely well, I have never read anything else by David Levithan but now I want to. I have How They Met by John Green and David Levithan in my 'to be read' pile but haven't gotten time to read it. Let me know whether I should bump it up higher if its any good! 

Krampuslauf by Holly Black:
0/5
I know Holly Black is a great author, I've heard so much about her. But this just made me bored, I think I got 3 pages in and I was like nah. Do let me know if this is actually good and that I suck and should give it another go!

What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman
0/5
Yeah I tried to give this one a go too but it just wasn't happening for me. Although, I have read Just One Day by Gayle Forman which I reviewed here. 

Ok so turns out there is maybe 4-5 other short-stories after this one and I didn't read any of those because none interested me. If they are worth the read, do let me know and I'll go back and have a look again. 

Thank you. Also, I posted in time this time! I promised I wouldn't be hiatus for long and I wasn't! Don't worry, I've got another 'proper' review coming in the next week (hopefully). I'm super excited for that one. Have a wonderful day everyone. 

x 

p.s

follow me on goodreads to find out what I'm reading next! 
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Saturday, 7 January 2017

THE PSYCHOLOGY CORNER | Conviction | Juan Martinez



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Okay. Lets just appreciate the fact that I have come back. I know I have been gone since July of 2016 and that year is over. But in my defence I was applying to university, in addition scumming to the demands of the IB. Also my motivation was like ded. But I am here now thanks TO THIS FAB book!! I'm excited to write this and I hope you all continue to stay and read on because this is so intriguing.

Ignore Masterchef on the tv in the background of the first photo, I just wanted to get the picture taken and I didn't think of location at all.

Before I go into the review, I don't know if y'all remember that I was starting a new thing on my blog called 'The Psychology Corner' but I mentioned it in my last post. Basically where I take books related to psychology in some way, where I could then discuss the nature of those books in my reviews on this blog with theories, possible studies and more. Don't be alarmed, I will still do my regular book reviews. Its just I wanted to start this since I am going into a Psychology major.

This is a snippet of the goodreads synopsis:

Juan Martinez, the fiery prosecutor who convicted notorious murderess Jodi Arias for the disturbing killing of Travis Alexander, speaks for the first time about the shocking investigation and sensational trial that captivated the nation.

Through two trials, America watched with baited breath as Juan Martinez fought relentlessly to convict Jodi Arias of Murder One for viciously stabbing her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander to death. What emerged was a story wrought with sex, manipulation, and deceit that stunned the public at every turn. Arias, always playing the wronged and innocent woman, changed her story continually as her bizarre behavior surrounding the crime and its aftermath came to light. Unwavering, Arias and her defense team continued to play off the salacious details of the case, until she was finally found guilty and—controversially—sentenced to life behind bar

This was reaLLY GOOD! Especially if you're like me; into crime stuff. No joke, I've watched a bunch of crime documentaries, in particular ones about murderers and sociopaths. I just can't stop. (i'm not crazy) If you are into criminology, psychology; specifically sociocultural psych, this is really interesting and you will be hookED! I had watched clips and interviews about Jodi Arias and the whole trial and tribulations that went with her and her crimes. Additionally, there was a Dr. Phil segment on the trial with Juan - the author - who is formally a (fantastic) prosecutor.

The book itself is a stand alone, recount (memoir ish) thing that recounts the days of the crime, trial and aftermath. The book is in chronological order so the narrative arch is structured by the time period of the evens. For example, the day Mr Martinez got a phone call about Travis's found body and so on.

With anything like this, you have to understand that an innocent man lost his life due to an alleged motive of jealousy. I feel for Travis and his family because if you look into the case or read the book, Travis suffered so much. Honestly, I am still shook from the events that occurred on June the 4th. Clearly Jodi did it, she admits to it whether thats after two lies and a 'self defence' claim, she did this. This is not a trial trying to prove she is guilty but one that she is, not to mention the evidence against her is overwhelming.

Coming from a psychological perspective, I think it's important to addressees Arias's deceit and lies. 
The deceit that Jodi carries with her throughout the trial is so interesting to me. In the book Juan mentions a time where he watched an interview early on in the trial where Jodi was answering that she couldn't possibly see a jury finding her guilty because she didn't commit the crime. She looked so believable! I watched the same interview later on Youtube and I am actually shook how real and sincere she looks. As if everything out of her mouth was genuine truth. Little did everyone know she was indeed the one that killed Travis Alexander. At this time she was spinning the second story that a man and a woman were the ones responsible for his death, not her. That brings me into her changing her story not once or twice but THREE TIMES. In any juries eyes that has to put a line between her truth and lies because what can you believe out of her mouth after that.

There is a lot in the book that we learn about Jodi's childhood and whether she was an ordinary girl. We learn that she has always been 'weird' - meaning that she was out of the norm and unexplainable since childhood. I've exaggerated that just a little but if there is anything you take from this, it's that she was unusual. This brings me into nature vs nurture, in hindsight were her crimes an act of biological disposition or throughout her life. In my opinion it's neither. I don't really think we should blame her genes or her rough upbringing but herself. Jodi is a special kind of evil. People kill for many reasons. I sometimes wonder truly why Jodi allowed it to get his far for her. 

I gave this book four stars. I actually read this last year (in 2016) sometime in December but have only had the time to post this review now. To be honest, I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't watched almost everything on Youtube about it already. Nonetheless this was still so good! Just nothing that I would be too memorable as this was a trail and after it you just move on. I was so hooked on this crime/trial but like any trial, after time you have to just move on. I am really glad Juan decided to write this and I hope he's currently happy and solving the world.

Don't worry! I won't be gone any longer, I've got another review coming up (I say this all the time but I swear I'm on top of it this time!). oH AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

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