Clockwork Princess - DISCOVERY!!!

Hello everybody!

This isn't going to be a normal review post today, so if you've come here expecting a review for Clockwork Princess or any of the other Infernal Devices books, sorry, you're not in luck.
But, for me at least, this post is just as exciting!

Last week I finished reading Clockwork Princess for the second time, and I noticed something that I haven't seen people talking about before so I thought I would share it with you guys...

I would also like to point out that this post is ONLY for people who HAVE read the books!!! This discovery is centred around probably the biggest spoiler in the whole of the series, so I really, really, really don't want to ruin the books for people who haven't read or finished the series! If you're one of these people, please leave now before I ruin your existence!

Seriously guys, stop reading if you haven't read the trilogy!! Please!!

Okay, so people who have read this book will know that, supposedly, a certain character meets his end around half-way through the book, in Chapter 14, due to his drugs running out, and his parabatai feels his departure and we all believe that he is dead and it's all very sad... Am I right?
I can't be the only one who was sobbing uncontrollably at this point!

Then, later in the book, it is revealed that the character who we thought to be dead had actually turned into another 'creature', of sorts! - If you have read the books, you'll know what I mean!

However, on rereading the book, I noticed something that changed everything...

You know how each chapter begins with a poem or extract from other books, well, Chapter 14, Parabatai, the chapter in which Jem is supposedly dies, begins with this...

"Peace, peace! he is not dead, he doth not sleep,
He hath awaken'd from the dream of life;

'Tis we, who lost in stormy visions, keep

With phantoms an unprofitable strife,
And in mad trance, strike with our spirit's knife

Invulnerable nothings. We decay

Like corpses in a charnel; fear and grief 

Convulse us and consume us day by day,

 And cold hopes swarm like worms within our living clay."

Can you see it yet? It literally says 'he is not dead'!! Cassandra Clare is blankly telling us that Jem is still alive and is sort of turning into another being!

I feel like this was such good planning on the author and editor's part and I also feel like it was a sort of test for us readers, to see if we actually read the extracts authors began chapters with! On looking at this, I actually feel pretty stupid for not seeing this before!
Honestly though, did anybody see this and take it in before reading about Jem? I can't be the only person who missed it the first time! I don't usually read the openings chapters to be honest; usually because I'm too excited to find out what's going to happen in the actual story! But I still cannot believe I missed this, with it being such an important part of the whole story!

The first time I read Clockwork Princess, I never properly believed that Jem would be dead since I managed to flip to the wrong page when my bookmark fell out, and I caught a glimpse of him being in a scene (nope, I have never lived this down!) but I would have never imagined it to turn out the perfect way it did!

Please tell me I'm not the only one who missed this huge give-away in the story!? I'd love to hear your Clockwork Princess stories down below!


That's all for this post but I hope this has been interesting for you guys, and I for one will definitely be reading the opening extracts on a chapter before I read the chapter!


Bye for now!



Charlotte xxx

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl | Book Review

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was unlike any book I have ever read before. It was over a month ago when I read it and I originally wasn't going to write a review for it but it has been haunting me ever since I turned the last page and I thought I had better share my thoughts...

Also, there will be no spoilers in this review -YAY! - so if you haven't yet read this book, you won't have to read this cautiously!

Greg is doing his best to remain invisible in society during his senior year of high school. Earl is his best friend; his only friend; and his co-maker of versions of old cult-classic films. They both know their films are terrible, but that's okay- they're for their eyes only.
Greg never intended to get wrapped up in a dying girl's life, but when his Mum makes him befriend Rachel, a childhood friend who has just been diagnosed with leukaemia, Greg's life turns in a completely new direction.
But when Rachel decides to stop treatment, everything is changed again and Greg and Earl set out on a mission to abandon their invisibility and make a stand.


As I have already said, this book was unlike any other book I have ever read. Okay, the 'theme' of the story wasn't exactly an original one- girl is diagnosed with a horrible form of cancer, which she attempts to fight off, but the ending is inevitable. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of books around with that idea as the main plot, and don't get me wrong, a select few are some incredible and amazing stories! But a great number of them are dull, frustratingly emotionless and just copies of each other.
Jesse Andrews, however, managed to write his story in a completely unique and refreshing way, which made me know right from the start that Me and Earl would end up being one of my favourites for a very long time.


I loved the way this book was written. This definitely has to be one of my favourite things about this Me and Earl as I love books with different writing styles and this one was all over the place!
With so many books around these days, it's difficult to find a book with a completely different style of writing that also works well with the story it's trying to tell. So finding that Me and Earl had seemingly original writing was a big selling-point for me!
There were parts of the story told in film scripts, with stage directions and features like that, there were also parts told in bullet points and lists, and then, of course, there were other parts told in 'normal' writing, but even these parts were still a little different to how most stories are written and I loved it!
It was such an honest and down-to-Earth book and the way it was written made it even better.

I really, really liked Greg as a character, which is a little strange for me to be honest. It wasn't until after the story ended that I realised how self-centred, idiotic and uncaring he was. He never really had empathy for Rachel until the end of the book and thought of himself more than he thought about anybody else. But I think that's why I liked him so much.
He wasn't heroic, he didn't save anybody and he barely even managed to make anybody feel better, especially Rachel, who he seemed to insult more than cure! Stereotypically, you might expect Earl, who comes from a family of drug-taking, hard-core thugs, to act more like this. But as it turned out, Earl was far more compassionate and caring than Greg was.
So, from all of this, you would expect Greg to be a really hated character and to be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure why I don't hate him! But these features make him human, and I'm sure we can all relate to what he thinks from time to time, which I guess he isn't blamed for feeling these things. I also think it's a little unfair to him since the book is set almost inside his head, revealing his deepest thoughts and secrets that he would reveal to no one. So we do see a side to him that his peers wouldn't be able to see. I would imagine that if everybody wrote down every single one of the thoughts that went through their heads, they might also seem to be bad people.
I can only applaud Jesse Andrews for taking a self-centred and bad natured character and turning him into an incredible and relatable person. I know a lot of authors who have attempted to do this and failed miserably, so Jesse Andrews has clearly done an amazing thing!

The thing that amazed me the most about this book was that it wasn't really all that sad.
For a book with the word 'Dying' in the title, I had expected to be sobbing my heart out by the end, but I don't really remember crying all that much. I mean, I did cry a little bit, but in comparison to my hysterical sobbing from the majority of books (even those with happy endings!), this said a lot! So for the book to be about death and it not be too sad was quite a big deal.
What surprised me even more was how funny it was. There were not just some odd chuckles every now and then. There were parts of this book that made me quite hysterical with laughter! It was a lot funnier than it was sad, which is quite a big thing to achieve, I think!


I would recommend this book to pretty much everyone. It really was incredible.
In terms of suitability, there was a lot of bad language, sexual references and drug use, but nothing too bad compared to some other books in the YA genre, so I would say it would be suitable for ages 13 and up but it would depend on maturity, I guess.
If you haven't figured it out already, I really, really, really loved this book! I gave it 4 stars officially, but realistically it's more like 4.5. Very close to perfect!
I can't wait for Jesse Andrews to release some more books, since they're sure to be amazing too!

I also cannot wait to see the film adaptation - I didn't manage to see it when it came out in the cinema but I am really looking forward to finally seeing it as soon as I can!



That's all for now! If any of you guys have read or watched Me and Earl, please share your thoughts in the comment section as I would love to know what everybody else thought!



Charlotte xxx

Bookish Would You Rather - Part 2

Hello again!

As you probably already know, today is my 1st Blogging Birthday and I'm doing something a little different for you guys, to celebrate this event!


This is my Bookish Would You Rather! I have found 20 questions, either made up by me, my friends (thanks again guys!), or taken from the Internet.
I have been answering these questions for you to read, and also set up a poll so that you guys can answer the questions too, as I would love to know your opinions!

Since I have had so many questions to answer, I have split the post up into two separate ones. This is part two. If you would like to see Part 1, where I answer questions about specific books, click here!  In this Part, I will be answering the last 10 questions, which are about books in general.

This really has been so much fun to make, so I hope you enjoy it and have fun looking through. Please vote on the polls and give me your opinions!

Let's get started then!!!

1. Would You Rather only ever read Trilogies or Standalone books?

Either only read books that are part of three books, or books with no sequels. 

 I read a lot of trilogies, but I also read a lot of standalones, so this is very hard for me to decide. Most of my standalones contemporary books which I absolutely love and read all the time, but most of my trilogies are dystopian and fantasy, which I also really, really love. I think, simply for sentimental value, I would have to choose trilogies because I love rereading the ones I read when I was younger, such as The Hunger Games or Divergent and I would have to say goodbye to my precious standalones, which wouldn't be easy because there have been a great number of standalones that have changed my outlook on life. Yes, I would have to choose trilogies but I would live in hope of sequels to most contemporary fiction books!!!

2. Would You Rather only ever read books with a love triangle, or only be able to read books without romance AT ALL?

Either books with two love interests for the main character, or books with no romance in them whatsoever.

This wasn't too hard for me. Practically every single book that I have ever read contains a little bit of romance. Even Children's books usually contain aspects of it, even if it isn't a hard-core chic-lit! Okay, love triangles do get a little boring when you see them in every single book, but I think I could put up with it. There's no way I could live without any romance in books! If I wasn't able to ship anyone, I don't think I'd bother reading it!





3. Would You Rather only be able to read the first half of a book or the last half?

 Simple enough. Start or ending? You decide..!

I would definitely go with the last half of the book. I would be completely unable to start a book and then have to put it down half way through and never find out what happens. I guess I could try to work out for myself what's happening in the book when I pick it up half-way through and the book might reveal certain parts for you to be able to piece the story together, whereas losing an ending to the book would never be okay for me, and I honestly think that if I couldn't read the end of any book I ever read, I wouldn't bother reading at all!!

4. Would You Rather never be able to take out a book from the Library, or never be able to reread a book?

Never borrow a book from a library or never be able to read a book more than once.

Okay, this is a very simple one for me. I don't think I would be able to survive without rereading books. I have reread most books more than I'd care to admit. I love being able to recite my favourite pages off by heart and knowing the stories inside out. I have read each book in the Harry Potter series 24 times so far, but I wouldn't ever dream of saying, 'No, that's the last time I want to read you. You can sit on my shelf and never be read again.' - It just wouldn't happen. I would gladly get rid of my library card because I much prefer to buy my own books anyway so that I can have them on my shelves and worship them (Ha. You think I'm joking!). But I would never give up rereading. Not a chance!

 5. Would You Rather have tea spilled on your favourite page in a book, or have your favourite page ripped?

Either somebody knocked over their cup of tea on your book while you're reading your favourite page, or there's a big rip down the middle of the page; it hasn't detached the page but has gone quite far in.

There are lots of problems with each of these outcomes and I don't think I'd fancy either of them occurring. But I do have quite a lot of experience with handling with damaged books so I feel like I would be prepared if either of these things did happen and I would be able to minimise the damage. I feel like the tea is actually the worse option though, since the words could run and the tea (if not treated very quickly) could leak through to all of the other pages, ruining those too. One of my favourite pages in my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has a tear in it (from when I was young and careless!) and that has been read numerous times since then without it getting worse, so I think the ripping would be the better option of the two.

6. Would You Rather read at a rate of 5 pages per day or 5 books per week?

Having to stop reading each day when you reach the five page mark, or not being able to stop each week until you had read five books.

I read at least 100 pages every day, no matter what. I try to read more than that if I have the spare time, but 100 pages is the minimum and I won't be happy with myself unless I complete it. It would kill me to have to stop after 5 pages! I have had some great weeks where I've managed to get through 5 or more books without it being too much of an arduous task, so I think I could manage it, especially if they were shorter ones. So I would definitely choose 5 books per week.

 7. Would You Rather always have to see the film adaptation before you were allowed to read the book, or never be able to see the film adaptation?

Have to wait until you had seen the film before you could read the book or read the book whenever you want but never be able to watch the film adaptation.

Let's be honest. A lot of film adaptations of books completely ruin the book and make you regret ever watching it. But other times, they are just as good or sometimes (very, very rarely) the slightest bit better than the book. There have only been three films that I remember seeing before I read the book. Those are Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and The Silver Linings Playbook. Since watching them, I have read and fell in love with each of their books, so despite me being really picky and making sure I read the book before I see its film, I have still immensely enjoyed the books after watching the film, so even though it would be really hard and would really restrict what I was able to read, I think I would choose to see the film first rather than never see it at all, because some film adaptations are absolutely spectacular.

 8. Would You Rather your favourite book be turned into a film or a TV show?

Simply have it adapted into a film or adapted into a series put on the TV.

Film! Film all the way. I know that you can get way more on-screen time with a TV show and that you're able to see more of the story and the characters, but as a general rule, I don't watch TV shows! I tend to start watching them, really excited, then get less excited and then get bored and stop watching sometime in the second season. I can't help it- it just happens! I would also much rather go to a cinema than watch something at home, and you can't really do that with a TV show. So I'm always in favour of them turning into films, although I am excited to see the new Shadowhunters show next year, I must say!

 9. Would You Rather have the time to read everything that you want to read or the money to buy all the books you want to read?

More time, but only for reading, or more money, but only for books.

I think I've got to go for the money option here. I feel that I already have sufficient time to read enough in a day, and an extra hour specifically designed for reading would be lovely, but not if you don't have any books to read in that time! I buy nearly all of my books myself- I get a few for birthdays and Christmas, but the majority of my books have been bought by me. Due to the fairly fast rate I read books, I have to buy seven or so books each month to keep up with myself and book buying doesn't really come cheap these days! Unlike a lot of people, I don't have a huge TBR pile stashed away. Mine generally never gets bigger than 10 books, so it would be lovely to have shelves and shelves of books just sitting waiting for me to read them!

10. Would You Rather read a fantastic book with a boring ending, or read a boring book with a fantastic ending?

Which is more important- a great book or a great ending?

The thing I thought of when I tried to answer this question was a direct comparison between two books. Ignite Me, the final book in the Shatter Me series, was a great book but I wasn't a fan of the ending. Dangerous Creatures, the Beautiful Creatures follow-on, wasn't a great book but the ending blew me away! Even though it's the ending that tends to stick with you the most, I gave Ignite Me four stars and only gave Dangerous Creatures three stars, so logically, I would think that the great book with bad ending would be the better of the two. However, I still feel that the ending really defines a book. If the ending is bad, that's all you're going to remember - that's all I remember thinking about Ignite Me. So I think I'm going to have to go with the Boring book, Fab ending. I think I would happily read a mediocre book with the promise that the ending is going to be incredible!

*****

Well, that's it! That is the end of my questions!

I have loved writing this post so much! Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section- Did you enjoy it and would you like me to do more of this kind of post? Would you prefer it if I stuck to reviewing?
Do you have any suggestions for me for future posts or any cool Would You Rather questions for me to answer? I would love to hear from you guys!
Also, if you have a blog and would like to answer these questions there, please let me know as I would love to read them!

Thank you so much to everyone who has read and subscribed to this blog! I can't believe it's been a year already since I started! I hope you stick around for the next year too! :)

Until the next time, goodbye!


Charlotte xxx

Bookish Would You Rather - Part 1

Hello everybody!

Today is the first anniversary of this blog, or my 1st Blogging Birthday, if you will!
I have had an amazing year since I started blogging about books and I hope you guys have enjoyed reading my reviews, film thoughts and wrap ups!

To celebrate the end of my first year, I'm going to be doing something a little different...

I love playing Would You Rather with friends- it's really thought provoking and fun. I've never played a book version of it but any game to do with books is great so I thought I'd give it a try...
These 20 questions have either been found online, made up by my friends (thanks guys!), or have come from the deepest, darkest corner of my brain!
In this post, I will be answering my own questions and letting you guys answer too!

Since I have so many questions, I will be splitting this post up into two. This is the first post and will contain questions directly about a certain book, such as Harry Potter, or the Hunger Games, etc. The second post will contain questions about books in general.

I have had so much fun making this and I hope you enjoy looking through the questions and my answers to them. Please give me your opinion and vote on the polls too! Have fun..!

 (Heads up - there will be major spoilers for Mockingjay in Question 7 so if you haven't read it yet and don't want to be spoiled, please try to avoid it!)

First up, some Harry Potter themed questions...


1. Would You Rather Own an Invisibility Cloak or a Flying Broomstick?

This is a properly working invisibility cloak, such as the one Harry has, or a broomstick of your choice from Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley.

For me, this is a really tricky question. I'd love the practical joke side of the cloak; you could creep up on people and get up to all sorts of fun without people suspecting that was you. However... A broomstick would be so much fun!! It would be an alternative to walking and they do look a little uncomfortable but I'm sure you could install a cushion or something onto it, so I think I'm going to have to say I'd have a broomstick!

2. Would You Rather be a member of the Dursley Family, or a member of the Malfoy Family?

Which family would you rather be brought up into, being made to follow the beliefs of the family? This is not choosing to be in a muggle or wizard family!

This is quite a tricky one. Both the families believe that they are better than everybody else and want to impress their peers and superiors, sometimes through bribery. So neither families are ones I would particularly like to join. They are both tightly knit and do both have some views on good and evil. I think I would actually choose to be a part of the Malfoy family though, since even though they have beliefs I do not agree with, there seems to be more room for change, and they have before shown that they care about other people too, and are not just doing what they do to please their 'master'. The Dursleys do change towards the end of the series but not as much, and I feel that they will always stick with the same beliefs.




3. Would You Rather be Tortured with the Cruciatus Curse or be Kissed by a Dementor?

 This is a choice between being tortured to insanity by the most painful curse, or having your soul sucked out by a dementor. 

This isn't really a pleasant question! Both options sound absolutely horrible. Even though it sounds more painful and would last a longer period of time, I do feel like the Cruciatus Curse would be a better option though. With this choice, you would never be the same again, but at least you could be happy eventually, if you were given the right medical help, and you would have a chance to start your life over again, with obviously some restrains on what you can and can't do. But without a soul, you wouldn't be a person, really. So I think I'd have to choose the torture. 

4. Would You Rather be able to attend Hogwarts for a year, but as a muggle, or be magical but be expelled in your final year?

Choose between being without magic at a magic school, or attending Hogwarts for six years as a witch or wizard but be expelled and never be allowed to use magic again?

As much as I would LOVE to have magical powers, I think I would actually rather go to Hogwarts for a year as a muggle, because I guess that if you have never had magic in the first place, you won't miss it as much when it's gone. There would still be lots of things a muggle could do there, and it wouldn't come with the shame of being expelled from school!

Onto some different books!

 5. Would You Rather be a Shadowhunter or a Warlock?

From the Mortal Instruments world. Choose between being a demon-fighting half human - half angel, or being an immortal 'magician'. 

As much as I would really really love to be magical, this is quite an easy option for me because I would hate to be immortal, unless every single one of my friends and family were also immortal, which is very unlikely. So I don't think I would be cut out to be a warlock. I guess that leaves me being a shadowhunter, which is more deadly and active, but I still think it would be so much fun. And if Jace were there with me then I wouldn't complain in the slightest!

6. Would You Rather be a Tribute in the Hunger Games or an Avox in the Capitol?

Be forced to fight to the death in an arena full of kids or have your tongue cut out and then be forced to serve the aristocrats of the Capitol?

I feel like there are things a lot worse than death. Torture and slavery are some of them. I think I would much rather die than forced to be a mute slave, serving the people who made me that way. That's just my opinion but I think the Avoxes have it the worst because they're not able to communicate and are seen as lower than everybody. I also feel that if I were a tribute, I could still have some control over how I would die, if I couldn't win.

 7. If you could, Would You Rather be able to save Prim or be able to save Finnick?

From The Hunger Games. You can only save one person, but who do you choose? Bear in mind that the change that you make could also change what happens on later in the book.

This is quite a controversial answer, I should imagine, but if I could only save one person, I think I would actually save Finnick. I'm not actually answering this based on who I like the most, because that would be pretty much impossible for me to decide. I am answering this on the impact the death have made on Katniss herself and the story. If Finnick was saved, then they still might have got out of the tunnels in time before the mutts made it to them, or somebody else may have sacrificed themselves (as long as it wasn't Peeta, Gale or Katniss, I don't think it would have made that much of a difference). Then Finnick would have been around with them towards the end and after the war, he would have gone on to live with Annie and they could have had their baby together. 

However, if Prim had survived, I feel like so much would be different. To start with, Katniss wouldn't have had a reason to blame Gale, so she might not have seen his "fire, kindled with rage and hatred" and may not have ended up with Peeta. 

Maybe even more importantly than that (although I don't know many things more important than Everlark!),

Katniss may not have seen Coin for who she really is, and when it came to voting for the next Hunger Games, Katniss only voted in its favour to avenge Prim, so she may not have ended up killing Coin at the end which would have changed the book beyond recognition. From this point of view, I can see why Suzanne Collins killed Prim, but I still do think that Finnick could have got away with staying alive.

 8. Would You Rather go through your Fear Landscape, or take a Truth Serum?

From Divergent. Go through all of your fears on your own or be forced to tell your secrets to all the whole of your city.

This was actually quite an obvious one for me. I'm sure it would be absolutely terrifying, but I've always been really interested in seeing what my deepest fears are, and I would absolutely hate for everyone to know every single thing about me, so the obvious answer for me is the Fear Landscape.

 9. Would You Rather be Factionless or hunted down as a Divergent?

This is from the information we know from the first book in the series only. We do find out later that Divergent are more than they seem, but this is from the view of a Divergent reader only. Either homeless on the streets but with shelters and a community and help from the Abnegation, or being targeted for your differences and having to live in hiding. 

Neither option is really a good one (at this point in the series), but I'm still going to have to go with being Divergent because I feel like I could manage to hide out in one of the factions without being caught (as long as I wasn't in Candor!). I'm sure I would hate to have to survive off other people, so I would hate to be factionless. 

10. Would You Rather be a Vampire or a Werewolf?

I had to throw in a Twilight question somewhere! Either be an immortal dead creature living off blood, or turn into a werewolf to guard the town.

As I said in question 5, I would really hate to be immortal, but I don't think it would be so bad if I had a coven like the Cullens who I could rely on to always be there for me. It wouldn't be so bad if I had a 'family' for the whole time, but I think I'm still going to have to pick werewolf, because I don't really want to be immortal at the end of the day and I wouldn't mind turning into a wolf sometimes, even if I would have to share my thoughts with the rest of the pack, at least I wouldn't be sparkling in the sunlight!

*****

Those are all the questions I have for this post, but I will be shortly posting another with some questions about books in general! Click here to see it!

Hope you have enjoyed this! Please let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions for other questions or for other posts like this, and if you have a blog, feel free to use these questions! Let me know if you answer them as I'd love to see it!

Thank you and see you very soon!

Charlotte xxx

September Reading Wrap Up

September has come to an end already and the time has come for me to conclude on my month of reading!
This month, I got through 8 books, which isn't terrible but hasn't been a huge number either.
Here are the books...

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews
• The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling #1), by Erika Johansen
• The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1), by James Dashner
• The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2), by James Dashner
• The Death Cure (The Maze Runner #3), by James Dashner
• P.S. I Love You, by Cecilia Ahern
• Four: A Divergent Collection (Divergent #0.1 - 0.4), by Veronica Roth
• Extraordinary Means, by Robyn Schneider

In total, these 8 books combined to 3019 pages, which will average out to just over 100 pages per day, only a tiny bit higher than my target! In terms of pages read, this is actually the lowest number I have had all year, so I'd better step up a little higher to achieve my target of 36500 pages this year!
The only books I reread this month were the three books in The Maze Runner trilogy, in preparation for the film release of the Scorch Trials, which I must say, I wasn't too impressed with!

*****

I don't read fantasy books all that often since they tend to take me quite a while to get through and I don't seem to enjoy them as much as I enjoy books from other genres, but occasionally I'll pick one up and give it a try! The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen was one of the better fantasy books, I'm glad to say!

Kelsea has always known that she's to be Queen, but unlike most heirs to the throne, she was raised away from her Kingdom, deep in the woods with foster parents, away from most civilisation, after her Mother was murdered. While Kelsea was growing up, her uncle was ruling her Kingdom, but he has been the 'puppet' for the Red Queen; ruler of the neighbouring lands. When Kelsea turns 19, the last few survivors from her mother's guard come to escort her away from all she's ever known and to the faraway land she must rule over. But it's not that easy; Kelsea already has many enemies- one's who won't hesitate to attempt to kill her and her guards...

I really loved the world The Queen of the Tearling was set in, even if it did have a big lack of books! But I'm still slightly confused about what kind of time period the book was set in. The settings and the society made me think that it was set in a sort of medieval, old fashioned time period, but then there were references to books such as Harry Potter (I love Harry Potter references in other books!!) and The Lord of the Rings. If anyone has managed to figure out what kind of time this book is set in, please let me know!

Before I read it, I had thought that The Queen of the Tearling was a YA book, but as it turns out it was actually more of a New Adult book so it would be unsuitable for a lot of younger readers. There were quite a few unexpected scenes that surprised me quite a bit when I came to them, and left me thinking, 'Wow. That escalated quickly!'
But I feel that lovers of fantasy will really enjoy this book. I gave it 4 stars and am looking forward to continuing with the series.

*****

I feel like I'm late jumping on the bandwagon for P.S. I Love You. I read Where Rainbows End ( also known as Love, Rosie) and I fell in love with the book and Cecilia Ahern's writing so I was excited to read more of her books. 

If you don't already know, P.S. I Love You is set around the lives of Holly and Gerry, childhood sweethearts who have had each other's backs in everything. Until, that is, Gerry suddenly dies of a brain tumour and Holly is left celebrating her 30th birthday without him. 

Holly thinks her whole world is over without Gerry, but what she doesn't realise is that Gerry is not completely gone. A box of little envelopes is delivered to her with one for each month for a year. Inside each is a letter from Gerry, gently guiding Holly away from her grieving and towards a new life without him, each signed with 'P.S. I Love You'.

As the year unfolds and each letter is gradually opened and the task inside is completed, Holly finds herself finding a new life without her favourite companion, but she still doesn't know what will wait around the corner after the last letter is opened...

This was such a charming little book. I loved every single page, and while a few of the characters did irritate me slightly (Holly especially!), it wasn't a big deal and I really grew to love this book. It had me laughing and crying (some at the same time!) and I feel that it did have some lovely and important life lessons. There was something everyone could take away from this book.
I also managed to watch the film just after reading the book, but I must say I wasn't too impressed! I did enjoy it but it didn't affect me nearly as much as the book did, and they changed so much it was nearly unrecognisable!!

I think I enjoyed Cecelia Ahern's second novel, Where Rainbows End, a little more than I enjoyed this one, but nevertheless, it was a good book and I did like it. Perfect for fans of chick-lit and romance!

*****

Everyone who knows me also knows how much I love the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. It is one of my all-time favourite series, even if I wasn't a massive lover of the last book!
I have been waiting so long to get my hands on Four: A Divergent Collection, which is a collection of mini prequels told from the perspective of Four / Tobias Eaton, however since I'm too set in my ways, I had to wait an extra year for this book to come out in paperback, since I couldn't bear to buy it in hardback and completely throw off the perfect look of my paperback shelves!

I can't really give much of a synopsis of this book without majorly spoiling it for people who haven't read Divergent (people, what are you playing at?!), but I will say that this book made me rethink my whole opinion on Tobias, especially in Insurgent and regarding his relationships with Evelyn, and also with Zeke and Uriah.
It was also quite interesting to read certain scenes from Divergent from his point of view. I know that Divergent was initially supposed to be told from Tobias' POV, so it was interesting to see how it would have been different if Veronica Roth had stuck with this.

I think I actually preferred this book to Insurgent and Allegiant- it was very well done and really gave a lot of extra depth to the story. A lot of the time, prequels and extra stories just ruin a series, but I personally feel that these short stories made the Divergent series a lot better!

Perfect for any fan of Divergent! If you haven't read the Divergent series and are planning on it, I would suggest that you make sure to read at least the first book before you pick up this one though, so that it makes sense!

*****

That's all I have for this post but I hope to be back soon for more reviews and fun stuff!
See you then!


Charlotte xxx

To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Book Review

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a YA contemporary romance novel by Jenny Han.
Despite me owning a fair few of Jenny Han's books, this is the first one I decided to read and it did not disappoint.

At first, I was pretty unsure of what this book would be about. The description set the general plot for this book, but unlike in lots of cases, it didn't really give me any information about how the book would play out.

"Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. One for every boy she's ever loved. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control..."

When I first read the description of To All the Boys, I have got to admit: I did think it sounded really quite cheesy and I doubted that it would end up as one of my favourites.
I turned out to be pleasantly surprised! Like most romance books, it did get a little cheesy and predicable on the odd occasion, but I did really enjoy it and it is now one of my favourite books!

For those of you who have not already read the book, and to give a little more information than is on the blurb, Lara Jean is a sixteen year old romantic who has written a love - or sometimes 'goodbye' - letter to each of the five boys she has loved. It's her way of releasing them from the confines of her heart and she never has to worry about the boys finding out, as she never intends for them to read them.
One day, however, everything changes and her letters go missing...
Soon, Lara Jean finds herself having to answer to a life time's amount of crushes. From her next door neighbour (who just so happens to be her sister's ex-boyfriend) to the hottest guy in the school, Lara Jean is forced to explain her long felt declarations of love.
Her story will take some unexpected twists and turns to cover up what she's really feeling inside...

I'm going to be completely honest here; Jenny Han's writing isn't a masterpiece. It wasn't impeccably beautiful or anything, but it didn't need to be. I have read many bad reviews of this book which focused in on the writing, but I found it really easy to read and it didn't make it any less of an enjoyable read.
Also, I have read many reviews of To All the Boys which complain about Lara Jean's narrative voice seeming 'childlike and moany'. I disagree with this. Okay, so maybe she didn't completely act her age throughout the whole of the book, but as a whole, I didn't find an issue with it.

As with all books (except maybe Harry Potter!), there will always be at least one little issue which might irritate you, but I personally felt like Lara Jean's voice wasn't a huge one. Please don't be put off reading this book just because of this!

If you haven't read To All the Boys and do not wish to be spoiled, please stop reading now and go and read the book!!

So, the main subjects of this book revolved around boys, and let me tell you, our two main men were gorgeous!

Josh was Lara Jean's long-time crush, and also happened to be the boyfriend of her sister, Margot.

Peter was the slightly-over-self-confident guy loved by practically everyone in the school. Definitely not Lara Jean's type. But after her letters from the past are mysteriously posted and awkward questions are posed by the newly heartbroken Josh, Lara Jean finds herself taking part in a 'fake relationship' with Peter to hide her true feelings from Josh.

This was possibly the strangest relationships I have ever read about and I found the whole situation really awkward, yet hilarious at the same time!

At this point in the story, I didn't really like Peter and much preferred Josh, as I think the author intended from Lara Jean's preferences.

Possibly my favourite moment in the book was Halloween, when Lara Jean ended up dressing up as Cho Chang, from the Harry Potter series, and then Josh turned up dressed as Harry. I LOVE it when books make references to Harry Potter so this was a great moment for me! However, as I thought about it more, I realised that these costumes could be a metaphor for Lara Jean and Josh's characters, and almost foreshadow how the book would end, since (HARRY POTTER SPOILERS) Harry and Cho do not end up together.
I was quite disappointed about this at first. Peter just seemed kind of cocky and arrogant and was only with Lara Jean to get back at his ex-girlfriend, whereas it was clear that Josh might have had proper feelings for her. But as the story went on, a deeper side to Peter was revealed, particularly through his interactions
with Kitty, making those cupcakes with Lara Jean and taking her to the antique auction.
So as it went on, I found myself falling for Peter, just as Lara Jean did. I liked the depth of his character and even though he put a front up for everyone else, you could really tell that he was sensitive and caring deep down. So, when Josh told Lara Jean his feelings for her and proceeded to kiss her, it was kind of an awkward moment, because it was also the moment she realised how much she wanted to be with Peter.

Nearer to the end of the book, when they go on the ski trip and Lara Jean's true feelings for Peter are realised, is when things got messy to say the least. Lara Jean kissed him when they were alone in the hot tub and then Genevieve told everyone that 'a little more than that' had happened, their relationship kind of a turn for the worst. This was the point I got a little frustrated with Lara Jean because even though I'm sure it wouldn't be a pleasant experience to have these things said about you, but I didn't think she handled it well and could have done other things about it instead of just getting angry and upset with Peter for handling it better than her.

That part, however, was not the worst that happened. Margot arrived home for Christmas just before the ski trip and tension is made between the Song sisters. But when Kitty invites Peter to their Christmas Party along with Josh, everything really takes off. Everything between Lara Jean and Josh is revealed and Margot does not take it well. Peter and Lara Jean fall out big-time and we're left on as cliff hanger with the start of a letter to Josh, which was a really frustrating point to finish the story! 

Before the end, though, it was revealed that Kitty had sent out all of Lara Jean's letters after she got angry with Lara Jean, and I think this was supposed to be a surprise and a bit of a twist? Was anybody actually surprised when this happened?
I thought it was Kitty from the moment they were sent off and had just assumed that I had missed the bit where Lara Jean suspected her little sister, so I got really confused when she was accusing other people. Let's be honest- if something goes missing in your bedroom, who is the first person you're going to blame? It's going to be somebody who had to her room when she was out. The only two people in this category were her Dad and Kitty, and if her Dad didn't remember seeing the hat-box, isn't Kitty the obvious answer? Apparently not!
As I later discovered after reading The Summer I Turned Pretty, it seems that Jenny Han doesn't really write surprises very well. For me, anyway.

But this was the only real fault I found in the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed this cute rom-com style novel. It made me laugh numerous times and brought me to the brink of tears occasionally too.
It was a really fast read, so I would recommend this to fans of contemporary romance or fans of authors such as Rainbow Rowell, Cecelia Ahern, or even Gayle Forman!

To All the Boys I've Loved Before was one of my favourite novels I have read this year! I gave it four stars out of five and I can't wait to read it again!


That's all for this review but I hope to be back with more soon!
Bye for now!

Charlotte xxx

August Reading Wrap Up

Here ends another month and it has come the time for me to reflect on how well I have been reading, and I am happy to say that, for the first time in a fair few months, I can finally say that I am really quite pleased with the amount that I have read!
I have read a total of 10 books in August and have managed to complete my Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge, which was to read 65 books. I have also managed to beat last year's number of books read, which stood at 71! I am now aiming for a total of at least 100 books to be read this year by the end of December! The last book I read in August was my 72nd, so I am well on track for achieving this!

Here are my August books...

• Dangerous Creatures (Dangerous Creatures #1), by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
• Dangerous Deception (Dangerous Creatures #2), by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
• The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
• To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1), by Jenny Han
• P.S. I Still Love You (To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2), by Jenny Han
• The Summer I Turned Pretty (The Summer I Turned Pretty #1), by Jenny Han 
• It's Not Summer Without You (The Summer I Turned Pretty #2), by Jenny Han 
• We'll Always Have Summer (The Summer I Turned Pretty #3), by Jenny Han 
• I'll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson
• Since You've Been Gone, by Morgan Matson

In total, I got through 3474 pages this month, which is roughly 112 pages per day. This is a lot better than what my averages had been in the last few months, so I am fairly happy!

*****

The first couple of books I read in August were part of a sort-of-spin-off series to the Caster Chronicles Series, which I reread in July and really enjoyed. These two books focused on Lena's siren cousin, Ridley and her boyfriend Link, who, if you have read Beautiful Creatures, you will remember as Ethan's best friend.
In the first book, Link is supposed to be leaving for College; however, unbeknown to his Mother, he is actually heading off to New York with his girlfriend to pursue his dream of becoming a rock star.
All does not go according to plan for Ridley and Link though, as they soon open up secrets they had expected to be leaving behind in Gatlin...

I'm not going to say I didn't enjoy this series, because I did. But it definitely didn't live up to what I had hoped it would. The writing style in this book, for me, was not a great choice. Beautiful Creatures and its sequels were all written in first person from Ethan's POV, whereas these two books were in third person and changed the focus character every few pages. Personally, I felt that this style of writing didn't suit these books and made it a lot harder to read. For me, it didn't flow well.

Nevertheless, the storyline was good and there were certainly a few moments that I would never have expected. I had heard that Dangerous Creatures had a shock ending, but on the second-to-last page, I found myself confused as to why nothing of the sort had occurred. Then I turned the page...!
Without giving away any spoilers, that last page was nothing like any other last page I have ever read. Normally, writers try and give some kind of conclusion and resolution on the final page, even if it's in a series, but this one left my mouth hanging wide open!
I absolutely love it when authors can completely surprise me, and manage to keep the ending completely hidden away from guessing, so I very nearly awarded an extra star just for this, but due to the fact that I really didn't like the writing, and it took me so long to read, I only gave this book 3 out of 5 stars.

I don't want to say this was a terrible book; I did enjoy parts of it, but I don't think it was for me. However, if you loved Beautiful Creatures then you should definitely give this one a go, but if you didn't, this probably won't be for you. If you have not yet read any of these books and want to try them, I would definitely recommend you reading The Castor Chronicles first!

*****

Let's be completely honest here... Who hasn't heard of The Fault in Our Stars?

In the three years it has been out, it has gained so many awards and such an amazing response that nearly everybody has either read the book, seen the incredible film adaptation, or at least heard of it. And if you haven't, I have to ask... What on Earth are you doing on a book blog?!

Anyway, I first read TFiOS at the start of last year, and reread it quite a few times last year. It was actually my top book of 2014 (see the list here!), but I hadn't read it in 2015 and since the month was August (us!!!), what better time?

I'm not going to go and write a synopsis for this book because most of you will be aware of what it's about, and if you aren't, I don't even know what to say to you!

I am going to say this though:

I thought rereading this would make it easier to deal with, since I already knew what was going to happen and I could mentally prepare myself for it. I was wrong. If anything, it made it worse. I think I cried more during and after this read than any other time. 

I definitely do not regret reading it again, but I would advise that you take time to mentally prepare your emotions before doing this!

 *****

I didn't expect all that much from Jenny Han's romantic trilogy, The Summer I Turned Pretty, as, to be honest, the idea of it sounded really cheesy and I didn't think it would be my kind of book. But after loving Jenny Han's other romance books, To All the Boys I've Loved Before Duology, I thought I should give this a go, and I am so glad I did!

This book contains probably one of the most hard-core and complicated love-triangle I have ever read, possibly tied with The Infernal Devices' love triangle. Unlike in other books, such as Twilight, The Hunger Games, The Mortal Instruments (kind of), Shatter Me and most other YA books, the love triangle isn't actually much of a love triangle, as you can usually tell which person is the main interest and which is going to be the 'friend-zoned', however this trilogy was nothing like that!

Isabel (Belly) has been to the house at the beach with her Mum and brother every summer, to meet with her Mum's best friend and her two boys. Coincidentally, these are the only two boys she has ever loved:
Conrad - aloof and unavailable, but Belly has been in love with him forever.
Jeremiah - friendly and relaxed, and the only one who has ever paid her attention.

Belly is used to, as the youngest, being pushed around by the older boys, but this year, everything will change, because this is the year the boys will notice her for the first time...

Yep! Sounds cheesy, I know. As I've said, I really didn't expect much from this book and certainly didn't expect to be giving it four stars! But I fell head over heels in love with this book!
Okay, so the writing wasn't perfect and maybe Belly was slightly annoying at times (and come on... What kind of a name is Belly?!) but I found myself completely engrossed in this story and loved it to bits! I loved the sequels just as much, if not more than I had the first -  particuarly the second book, It's Not Summer Without You, as it showed off a different side to both of the boys than we had seen before.
I devoured this whole trilogy in just a couple of days, but right up until the very end, I couldn't guess who Belly would end up with. But other than it just being a complicated love triangle, this was so much more! It was funny, heartwarming, and a little sad at times. It felt like there was a hole left in me when I finished the last book, We'll Always Have Summer.

From what I can tell from the reviews, this is either a love it or hate it kind of book, and I'm glad to say I was on the 'love-it' end of the spectrum. If you're a fan of Jenny Han's other books, or just love a good (slightly cheesy) romance, I suggest you give this one a try!

*****

That's going to be all for this month's wrap up, but I hope to be back with more reviews soon! 

See you then!

Charlotte xxx