Rating: 4.25/5

Read: Dec 10th, 2016

Well, I think it’s fair to say that Sara Shepard, aka. mystery/thriller/murder mystery goddess, has done it again with her latest novel, The Amateurs.

This novel was my most highly anticipated read of 2016, and I’m so glad it did not disappoint, even though I knew there was no chance it would.

It was crazy, exhilarating, and packed with mystery. It really got me being an investigator alongside our main clan of protagonists.

I love how this book was told from such an array of different characters, we really got to see how everything went down for everyone, and the ways in which they went about things. I found it so interesting to be able to assess each character as they were seen from their own points of view.

However, the characters did fall sort of flat-ish for me at times.
Usually, the characters are one of my favourite parts of (well any novel), but especially Shepard’s books. Even more so, the friendships between her characters draw me in the most, and I feel this book didn’t quite have that same feeling as her other series, say like Pretty Little Liars or The Lying Game. 
But, I do think that is simply because it’s the first instalment in a series, and I have absolutely no doubt that both the characters, and their friendships will only grow immensely from this novel forwards. 

I also cannot wait to see more of the side characters in future instalments *cough* Thomas *Cough*.

The concept of this novel, and the ‘Case Not Closed’ situation, I found to be so entertaining, and it certainly kept me on my feet throughout the course of it.

I loved the nature of the book. It was just such an enjoyable read, whilst still making me nervous and skeptical of every corner I turned… oh, and every page too…
Shepard always imagines the best settings/scenery, and immerses the characters, as well as the reader, into her fictional world, and makes it feel a little less like fiction.
The ending made me simultaneously go crazy, and think “really, the only person I didn’t suspect was found to be the murderer, seriously”. AAAAND they also happened to be one of my favourite characters in the whole book!!
However, that made me love it even more. I don’t quite know how but Shepard manages to fool me with every.single.new.story she comes out with. Seriously, my jaw always ends up on the floor.

I can’t quite believe that we found out the murderer in the first book! (Unless theres some twist put on it and it isn’t really who it is, but it is, but it isn’t…) Yep, that would only make sense to Shepard’s long-time reader fans.
It worked though! I am barely able to contain myself for the next book, I just need to see what happens to the squad (and to the murderer).
I cannot wait for the next instalment to come out in this crazy new series by my favourite author. I wonder if it’ll be another 16 book series. I don’t think I’d oppose.

Bring on more sleuthing, sneaking, and mystery, because no one does that better than Sara Shepard!

Rating: 3.98/5

Read: July 5th, 2016

I have never been more confused about a book, or what to even write in a review. 

This novel has me completely dumbstruck on what to think upon finishing it, I mean, I finished it at 2am, it’s now 4pm and I still don’t know what to make of it. 

What I do know is that I really enjoyed this book, what I’m not so sure of is the point of it? I don’t know if it was the fact that this book had no real climax, or perhaps in all my crazy theories I managed to guess most of the plot points and so it wasn’t surprising for me. 

But was there really a point to it? I mean, was what happened with Heidi meant to be the crazy twist? Because I saw that coming from page 1, oh the confusion. I even searched online and read other reviews to try and see what other people made of the ending.

Anyway, despite all this, I still really enjoyed this book. It held my attention the entire time I was reading it, even if not much actually happened throughout the novel. In terms of plot development, was there even any? I’m not sure, oh no, not going back to the confusion…

Characters:
We really didn’t get closure on any of the characters at all, it simply felt like there was a depressing and abrupt end to every character arc. I kind of like that it didn’t turn out all sunshine and rainbows but I’m left guessing on so many levels.

Zoe: Why, whyyy, why did we not get a deeper look into this girls mind. She is the character that intrigued me perhaps the most, and I felt like there was so much more that could’ve been explored through Zoe, and about her struggles that were so evidently there.

Chris: I really liked this guy, I liked his POV, and just him in general. I loved his character development too, and the way that he kind of found a lot of meaning to his life towards the end. 

Heidi: Ummm, yeah, not sure about where to go with this one without spoilers. I always thought she was weird, and definitely predicted her ending, I’ll just say that.

Willow: She and her story interested me, and learning all about her back-story and life was both intriguing and depressing. I don’t particularly like her though, and she kind of falls in the same bucket as Heidi for me. I can appreciate the horrible life she’s had though, oh how that would be just uh no.

Overall Thoughts:
I loved having the different POV chapters throughout the novel, I thought that was a great touch. To be honest, if I was in one of those characters heads for the entire book I would’ve gone crazy. 

I saw everything and every character so vividly, and honestly it felt like the book was so short even with the 370 pages, and even though it took me a little while to read.

Although I’m still unsure of the point of this novel, as you may be aware of by now… I really really liked it. It was a great (and slightly strange) psychological thriller that I would recommend if you’re okay with enticing yet *looks up synonyms for confusing* perplexing stories.

I just know this one’s going to stay with me for a very long time, what a ride.

Rating: 5/5

Read: June 19th, 2016

The Half Blood Prince is yet another incredible installment in the Harry Potter series, but you all knew that already. It may be my favourite so far, in fact yes I believe it is, even though the emotions are so real right now. (I know I said Order was my favourite so far, but this one has overtaken it)

I once again, loved every minute of reading this. It was perfect, and also had me lol’ing throughout the whole thing..eh, mostly. not the end.

The school and classes scenes were also amazing, that’s weirdly one of the things I love most about these books. Hogwarts just being Hogwarts.

If I’m being honest, weirdly again, the Quidditch scenes sometimes become a little tedious to me sometimes, but I even loved those in this book, they were just so funny. Thankyou Liquid Luck. (that was amazing, hahaha) 

The Apparition lessons were also a great laugh!

J.K. Rowling is brilliant in everything she does; the humour, suspense, mystery… I mean, she even had me guessing and confused even though I’ve seen the movies a billion times.

I loved getting to delve deeper into the motives and life of Voldemort, it was just so interesting to learn about his past, and what makes him such a complex character. As well as seeing the relationships, or lack of, with him and other people.

The love aspect of this book, oh the loveeee, was so cute to read about. I mean, between Ron and Hermione, and Harry and Ginny, how could it not be good? You could really see them growing up throughout this novel, which I also enjoyed.

The relationship between Harry and Dumbledore grew even more in this book (which made the ending that much harder) I’ve always loved reading about the dynamic between those two. Such a bond.

Malfoy, well he was such an interesting character in this one, right from the moment when he stepped on Harry’s nose *wince*, that was intense. It was so cool to be able to read about the mystery behind this guy, and try to figure him out a bit more. Draco has always fascinated me, which is probably half to do with Tom Felton, let’s be real.

Snape, uhm, I’m still kinda confused where I stand in regards to if I like or don’t like him, at the moment it’s a bit of both. I guess the Deathly Hallows will help me out, but I do really enjoy reading about Snape, even if he makes some…questionable decisions.

Can’t forget to mention Slughorn! He was a great addition to the story, I really enjoyed his character, and all that he brought to the novel.

Once again, the friendship between Ron/Harry/Hermione warmed my little heart, and also tore at it a bit over the course of the novel *cough* thanks Lavender *cough*. But they never fail to make me smile. I feel like even though there was still a bit of it, the angst levels were much lower in this one, haha.

Also, how can you not love Fred and George? I adore those two, they’re like me in twin boy form. 

All-in-All, this was yet another solid addition to this amazing series, and it’s just incredible how much more I’m getting out of the books than the movies, I really didn’t expect to learn this much. Admittedly, I didn’t even truly know what a Horcrux was until this book…oops.

Can’t believe it’s time for the final journey…

Rating: 5/5

Read: May 27th, 2016

From the moment I started this book, I knew it would end up being my favourite in the Harry Potter series so far, and I was not mistaken. I loved this book so much. It’s definitely going in my favourites of all time list.

This novel took me sooo long to read it, and I mean come on, give me a break, it was 800 pages… However somehow, Rowling made not even one page feel tedious or boring, which is amazing, considering its size.

Perhaps I should’ve written notes whilst reading this, because I can’t remember a lot in detail anymore as I read it over such a long time-span. Therefore, I make no promises about this review being any form of decent. (or in chronological order)

The characters, I feel, in this book developed so much throughout, and really just left me loving (or hating, *cough* Umbridge *cough*) them even more, which I can’t believe is even possible. 

It was so interesting to see into Snapes memories, and that whole scene in my head, rather than on screen. I can’t wait to read more into Snape in the future books, he is such a complex character.

I also loved Dumbledore as much as ever, as well as McGonagall (who was SO sassy in this book), her sass was honestly the best. I found myself cheering her along most of the time.
Harrys friendship circle continues to grow and develop, I love reading how they all interact and protect one other.

Sirius, the whole Order, and the Weasleys, I just loved! Especially at the end when everyone had Harrys back. Ah, love it.

Umbridge, OH, don’t even get me started on her… she was possibly even worse in the book than in the movie, I truly thought that wouldn’t be possible, but *hem hem*, that woman is insane.

You’ll notice I’m spreading a few quotes out throughout this review, and that’s because I couldn’t simply choose just one to include. If you’re reading them, I’m sure you’d understand why.

Anyway, I noticed whilst reading this that there is so much in the book that is not in the movie! I actually loved that aspect, because it gave me a bit of surprise and apprehension when reading it.

I also found that I got so much more out of the book, than in the movie, which is to be expected, but, having watched the movies countless times, it was amazing to be able to pick up the things I may have missed simply by watching it play out on screen. The whole ‘prophecy’ aspect, what that entailed, the small details, and even just the depths of the characters I found that I understood so much more by reading this.

Basically, I just loved and adored this novel, and it is definitely my favourite in the series so far. I’m so excited to read the last 2, because those are the movies I remember least about, and I even find that I don’t fully understand everything that goes on in Deathly Hallows.

Rating: 5/5

Read: April 18th, 2016

I started this book a few weeks ago, and because of school I didn’t really get much of a chance to read it, but once I did I went from page 120 to 420 in a matter of hours. I loved this book!

Well, I have now found my most relatable book character/protagonist of all time. Lara Jean literally is me (minus a few details but you get the picture). I absolutely loved her as a protagonist, and I just kept finding myself thinking wow, she is so real and our thinking patterns are so similar. It was so great to be able to read from her perspective, this is only one of the reasons I’m hoping to re-read this book in the future.

In terms of other characters:
Kitty: was so cute, and although at times I thought she acted a little old for the age she was supposed to be, I got used to that and realised that’s just her. She ended up being one of my favourite parts of the novel.
Margot: she is the only character that annoyed me a little bit throughout the book, even when she wasn’t really in it. Although she also had various aspects of me in her…I basically just said I annoy myself, which is true, but anyway… In the end, everything comes together and it is understandable why I may have had the tiniest of problems with her.
Josh: I couldn’t quite figure out what I thought about this guy, but I did not ship him with Lara Jean. At times he was cute, then he was cold, but he was a great addition to the story.
Peter: Oh peter, kill me now, this guy was beautiful, I loved him so much! He wasn’t quite that annoying ‘bad boy’ trend, even though he was kind of painted to be by everyone else. But whenever we read about him, he was nothing like that, which I loved. I could read about him all day.
The dad: was super cute, and I loved him being an addition to the story, I also loved that cooking scene with the salty food, hilarious! 

One of the things I loved most about this book was the family dynamic. It was written so beautifully, and was such a huge part of the story, so much so that it was basically half, or more than half, of the focal point of the novel. 

Being so close to my family, I really appreciated this, and it was refreshing to see how important family is in a YA novel.

Another thing I adored was all the Harry Potter references, that literally added SO much to the story, and made for one of the cutest scenes ever, if you’ve read it, you probably know what I’m talking about. Along with this, the Peter Parker costume, I’ll say no more. 

I also loved the multi-racial aspect of the story. I’ve never really read too many novels with cultural features woven into the story, but I really enjoyed it in this case!

It was also just really nice to read a love story that was so progressive throughout the novel, and didn’t hit you right in the face at the beginning of the story. 

The ending was fantastic, I feel like the brick wall that was built between Lara Jean and Margot was not only broken down for them, but for me too. All my tension towards Margot was instantly released, so obviously I may have been just a little connected to the book…?
The only thing that I was upset about was that there was no real resolution in terms of Peter/Lara Jean! How could it end like that? Now I have to buy the second book just to find out what happens with my baby, Peter.

I urge everyone to read this book! It was so sweet, and perfect, and just so heart warming. Please do yourself a favour and read it. It’s definitely going straight to my favourites list. 

Rating: 4.9/5

Read: March 30th, 2016

Let’s start off by saying YES, this is the Mortal Instruments book I have been waiting for! The hype is lived up to in this instalment, even though this isn’t the most popular book with majority of people in the series. But oh well, each to their own I guess.

Let’s talk characters…

So, a lot of this novel was very Simon-based, especially during the beginning and I absolutely loved that! Simon is such a funny and interesting character to follow, and the incorporation of Kyle/Jordan into the story was so fantastic, especially to see the dynamic between those two.
I found Jordan to be a great addition to the story, and also his past with Maia really just made him all the more loveable (in a way…) 

Jace was 50 thousand times more interesting in this fourth instalment, he was so complex and I just loved to read about him. I previously hadn’t loved him as much as I perhaps wanted to, but I sure do now!
Even Clary didn’t annoy me quite as much as she usually does in this book, but maybe that’s simply because she wasn’t really in it much…
Izzy was a delight to read about once again, and I’m so glad she was featured in this book a lot more than the previous one. I am hoping for even more of her and Alec in the next instalment.

From the start, I knew this book was going to be my favourite in the series so far, and I was not wrong! I loved every moment of the book, and surprisingly didn’t find myself bored at any point throughout it, which was one of my problems with the previous 3 books. It was so action packed, and even when it wasn’t enough was happening to hold my interest the entire time.

The whole Lilith plot was so intriguing and fast-paced, and I absolutely loved it! I also loved seeing the Magnus/Alec dynamic, and the kick-ass partnership of Alec and Isabelle towards the end.

The humour and sarcasm in this book was just the best. It had me constantly laughing out loud and feeling all the feels along with the characters.

This is definitely my favourite book in The Mortal Instruments so far, and I can’t wait to continue on with the last 2 and finally feel the satisfaction of completing this series!

Rating: 3.8/5

Read: March 26th, 2016

I’m already dreading writing this review before I even start because I literally read this for over a month (thanks school), so bare with me if I have trouble remembering things, anyway here we attempt to go…

Let me start off by saying this book was huge, and I feel like it really didn’t need to be. That’s one thing I am not so fond of in Cassie’s books (minus Clockwork Princess), is how massive they are, and the descriptions of things that just aren’t necessary to the story whatsoever, and honestly don’t add anything so much as annoy me. I ended up skimming some descriptive parts because they just didn’t hold my interest at all.

In terms of characters, Clary really annoys me, I just find her to be a little whiny and selfish, but I think that may change as the series progresses. I hope.
Simon is right up there as one of my favs, I adore his snarkiness and he has the best one-liners, apart from Jace and Alec.
I’m sad we didn’t see much of Alec at all throughout this installment, and I hope that changes in book 4 because he really intrigues me.
Also we meet good old Sebastian in this book, and let me tell you, I’m placing all bets right now that that guy is so not dead. Low-key hoping we get to see a little more of him, although I’m still not sure of my feelings for him yet.

I’m so, so glad the brother/sister storyline is over now, it was so long-winded and driving me insane to be honest, because I just knew it was obviously not going to be true.

Although I enjoyed this book, most of the last 200 pages I just wanted it to be over, as I felt not much actually happen (just a hella lot of description, uh) and it was so predictable to me.

I’m really looking forward to reading City of Fallen Angels now, which I have already started and am really liking so far. I hope the series takes a bit of a different turn now that the original ‘trilogy’ part of it is over. I’ll be honest and say although I have enjoyed it, it hasn’t been the best so far for me, but as always I’m holding out hope for the future novels.

Rating: 4/5

Read: Feb 20th, 2016

I’m not even sure where to start with this review, but let’s see where this takes me…

This is my first ever ‘Adult’ book, and what a first one it was. I was also so impressed to realize that this is Kepnes’ debut novel, and it is astounding for a debut.

You was enticing, scary, thrilling and downright psychotic. 
Our protagonist, Joe, is the one doing all the psychotic things, so it literally messed me up to be in his mind, so much so that I had trouble sleeping because I just kept thinking about Joe and all my theories about him. I also didn’t allow myself to read this book for two days whilst I was studying because I was remembering/thinking of the book more than I was my notes…

In terms of the focal point of the novel, in my opinion, the stalkerish ways and obsessions that Joe had, I feel like were written so seamlessly and so well-done that it was easy to forget that what Joe was doing was not normal, much as he never realized that either.
I applaud Kepnes’ for her ability to write from this perspective for so long whilst creating the book, I’m not sure I would’ve come out of it sane.

This novel had me turning pages, and wanting to know more the whole time, and although at some points I was a little disappointed because I was expecting more to come from certain situations, that didn’t really take away from my overall opinion. Also I feel kind-of bad that I didn’t seem to care too much about the deaths of certain characters because no one was very likeable at all, and they all had pretty bad lives anyway, oops. (I swear I don’t mean that in a psychotic way, haha).

The ending, the ending (and I’m talking the last 2 pages), just perfectly drove home the whole concept of the novel, and really just cemented the whole backstory and current story of Joe, you’ll know what I mean if you’ve read it! It also set up the second book perfectly, which I’m not sure if I’ll read, but still.

I found myself analysing a lot throughout this book thanks english class, uh but in this instance, I enjoyed analyzing it, because I was able to pick up on things that perhaps weren’t explicitly stated, and it allowed me to delve deeper into the mind of Joe (not that that’s such a good idea).

Although not perfect (but what is), You was a fantastic psychological/stalkerish/messed up book that’ll keep your brain ticking for weeks.
I really can’t think of much more to write other than I think you need to read this book for yourself in order to realize that you come out of it with not much to say but a lot to think about.

Rating: 4/5

Read: Jan 28th, 2016

I decided to pick this book up because I was finally in the mood for a dystopian, after not feeling like reading one for…well, basically a year, and this was not a disappointment!

The plot was really interesting and unique, which added greatly to my enjoyment of the novel. It was quite fast-paced and action-packed, making this almost 500-page book a lot easier to get through.

Our main protagonist is Ruby, she annoyed me a couple times throughout the novel because 1) she was knocked out half the time 2) she didn’t really speak for a fair bit of the start, but I guess that’s not really her fault. Although I warmed up to her over the course of the book.

Liam, the main male character/love interest was so fun to read about, I loved his humour and also just his personality as a whole.
Chubs, oh Chubs, he was such an enjoyable character, and honestly, the book wouldn’t have been what it was without him.
Zu also added an interesting dynamic to the story, and I love the relationship she created with Ruby throughout the book.

I absolutely loved the aspect of both Ruby and Liam in which they weren’t particularly strong but also weren’t weak, they were realistic teenagers (I mean, apart from the superpowers buuut you get my point.) Evident by the continual mention that Liam would surely lose in a fight, it was so refreshing to have a male love-interest not be what is often considered the ‘whole package’ or to be unreasonably ‘tough’, and just be a scared young boy as anyone would be in that situation. Also the fact that Liam can break down and be upset is such a refreshing trope and I commend Bracken on all of this.

The writing was really intricate and gave the whole novel a really dystopian feel, which is good considering it is a dystopian book, but anyway…at times I skimmed over Ruby’s internal monologue because I felt it dragged on for too long with no real purpose sometimes.

Also I feel like when they got to ‘East River’, most of it was simply Ruby and Clancy bantering back-and-forth, and more could’ve potentially happened there instead. Oh and while I’m on the topic of Clancy… he was so annoying! What an aggravating, manipulative antagonist, I wonder what he evolves to be in the next instalments.

I predicted most of the twists and turns that took place in the novel, but was still angry at how it ended even having guessed it. I don’t own the other books in the trilogy and I’m not sure whether or not to continue on but who knows, I probably will eventually. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book and it definitely satisfied my dystopian craving!

Rating: 4.89/5

Read: Jan 24th, 2016

This is the first Cassandra Clare book that I’ve read the whole way through without taking a 5 month long break between…success!

I really enjoyed this book! I listened to a few chapters of it on audiobook when I wasn’t able to sit down and physically read, and I loved doing that. The audiobook was narrated by Daniel Sharman teen wolf represent and I feel like he did an amazing job, loved it!

Even though this book was 570 pages long, it didn’t really feel that long, I mean it took me a week to read but it still didn’t feel like the story was compacted into 570 pages.

Cassandra Clare has this unique way of enticing you into her world and gripping you with your full attention, hence why I can’t read her books very quickly. However I feel like I may be becoming more accustomed to her writing because I found this one easier to read than her other books. So that’s exciting considering I have 4 books left in TMI to read…ahh.

The characters in this novel were amazing, I just loved the different personalities and relationships they had with one another. Will and Jem have this incredible bond due to being parabatai, and that really shows throughout this instalment especially due to everything that went on… I found this to be the most important relationship in the series, even not being a romantic one.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where I quite loved all the side characters as much as I did this one. Throughout the novel I just grew closer to the characters and really cared for them more than I ever had in the previous instalments. Shoutout to Sophie, Henry, Charlotte, Gideon, Gabriel, Cecily, Jessamine, Magnus (who I now get the hype for) and even Bridget because without them, this series wouldn’t have been as good as it was.

There was so many moments in this book that either made me smile, literally laugh out loud, or make not-for-public-viewing facial expressions…or all at one time. I found this final instalment to be much more action packed, fast paced and fun from the very start than the other two, which I loved! Also, once again Clare provides the most amazing quotes with equal amazing delivery by the characters, which honestly aided in my growing love for the characters. Loved.

I loved the way it wrapped up, though bittersweet I couldn’t have imagined it any other way. I was expecting a-lot worse because of what I’ve heard about everyone crying throughout this whole book, but I’m not really a book-cryer so I was safe.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this trilogy, it was fun, hilarious, heartbreaking, sweet and emotion-inducing. It’ll be sad to say goodbye to these characters, I can still remember reading the first book so clearly, I’m not quite sure why but these books feel special to me. It was just so beautiful.