Book Review: World After by Susan Ee

*This is the second book in a series. If you haven't read the first book, Angelfall. Then don't read this review as there are spoilers.

Buy This Book   
Book 2 in 'Penryn & the End of Days' series.  
Pages: 314
Published: November 2013
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Post Apocalyptic

Goodreads Synopsis... 
The survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world. When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go. Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

Review...
It wasnt as good as Angelfall, and to be honest I was expecting that. However it was still what I can only describe as amazingly creepy, unputdownable, soul wrenching, so damn awesome I could cry, and just as freaking enjoyable as the first book! So there's that...

It got darker and even creepier, how that happened I dont know. But I was so glad it did. Penryn and her family are highlighted more in this book. Especially Penryn, her faults and her relationships with her sister and mom. This meant that these three characters specifically were shown in even more depth, and became so real and believable. 

Also Susan Ee continued to provide a complicated story with basically no plot wholes, which for me is unheard of. Some explainations were given for things, but there are still so many questions. Which I cant wait to hear the answers to in the next book. Im sure it will blow me away just as much as this one did.

I cant finish this review without mentioning Pooky Bear. I love Pooky Bear! And you will too! Definitely recommend World After by Susan Ee to everyone!

5/5 

Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Buy This Book 

Book 1 in 'Penryn & the End of Days' series.
Pages: 247
Published: May 2011
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Post Apocalyptic

Synopsis...
Six weeks ago, angels descended onto earth and caused chaos. Now in a post apocalyptic world, where everyone lives in fear of the warrior angels, the street gangs, and basically everyone else. A seventeen year old girl named, Penryn. Her wheelchair bound little sister, and her crazy mother who thinks she is terrorized by demons. Try to escape the city, and get to somewhere more isolated.

As they try to do this, they stumble across an all out fight among some angels. Penryn helps to save one of the angels, and her younger sister is stolen from her in the process; while her mother vanishes. She makes a deal with the angel she saved named, Raffe. To find her sister, and save her from the cruel angels who snatched her. The two of them travel together across California, a very very unlikely pair. 

Review...
So this may sound like some run-of-the-mill YA, paranormal romance, but just with angels. But believe me when I say it is so much more. Let me start by saying I have nothing negative to say about this book. Nothing! Nothing at all is wrong. Its just perfection, and Im pretty sure it may be my favourite book this year. The characters were so interesting, they had such depth, and where so three dimensional. Especially the crazy mom, who does things like draw with lipstick on dead bodies, and who is continually hiding from demons no one else can see. (Maybe because they don't exist, but who knows?) She was without a doubt my favourite character, I love her so much!

The setting was incredibly well described. I felt like I was there, and it was done so in a seamless way. It was fast paced, it was action packed, and it drew me in immediately and never let go. Also this book had the perfect balance of creepiness and weirdness thanks to the mom and the amazing writing. I recommend this book with every bone in my body! Please, read it! You wont regret it.

5/5 

Big Unboxing Book Haul

 

I bought some books that I probably shouldn't have... is that not always the case. Anyways check out the video above for the full book haul and unboxing. Also I've included links to all of the books mentioned, as well as pictures of all of them below.

Hope your having a fantastic day, and happy reading!

Dylan

BOOKS MENTIONED
Wonder
Days of Blood and Starlight
Darkhouse
Nicholas St. North
Prodigy
Allegiant
Eon 
Eona
Middlemarch
Madame Bovary

The Book Colours Tag

I MADE A TAG!!! Finally!
If you want to do this tag, feel free to do so. And be sure to let me know if you do, so I can watch it.

QUESTIONS/INSTRUCTIONS
1. Choose a colour.
2. Show all your books in that colour.
3. Separate colour by read/unread.
4. What book do you want to read the most?
5. What is your favourite book?
6. What is your favourite book cover?
7. What is you least favourite book cover?
8. What is a book you want to buy?
9. What is something near you/on your bookshelf?

Also These are some random pictures with the books I showed in my tag :)

Mini Book Haul

 

I bought some books, and also I HAVE A NEW CAMERA!!! 

Books I bought:
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
Legend by Marie Lu
An Abundance of Katherine's by John Green

Speech Jamming Challenge

I did the speech jamming challenge on YouTube, and it was so much fun! If you don't know what it is, its where you use an app. Which delays your voice in your ear (by around a second) while you talk. It makes it very difficult to pronounce words and even talk. Most importantly its really funny to do, and to watch.  

I decided to read excerpts from three different erotic fiction books. Ive listed the books below, and the parts I read. If you see something you like, there are also links to buy them. As well as erotic fiction, I also said tongue twisters and sang 'Young and Beautiful'. Definitely check the video out if you haven't, and try the challenge if you can. Its so much fun! :)

Hush By Kate White
Buy the Book
He laid her down on the bed and tugged off her underwear. Then he slipped off his pants.
He kissed her again, pinching her nipples so that each time, blood rushed between her legs. As she writhed, he began to descend her body, trailing his tongue along her abdomen and then lower. She gasped as he parted her legs with his hands and slid his tongue into her. Slowly, he began to circle his tongue, and it was only seconds before she exploded into spasms of orgasm.

Rolling over, he stripped off his boxer briefs and reached toward the bedside table, pulling out a condom. After slipping it on, he entered her. He was large, filling her up. He began to thrust slowly, watching her face intently with each stroke. She moaned as another climax began to build.
Suddenly, he pulled out of her and flipped her over, urging her up onto her knees with his hands. Then he was inside her from behind, grasping her hips and driving deeper into her.

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh
Buy the book
Gripping her hip, he slid in another couple of inches, felt her nails dig into his shoulders.
He pinned her to the bed, and he had every intention of using that leverage for her pleasure.
One hand on her hip, he slid back out tortuously slow…then slid in the same way. Sienna’s eyes flared open, held hi. “Do that again.” An intimate demand.

Teeth bared in a feral smile, he did. Then again. And again. Until she fractured around him, those tiny muscles squeezing so tight around his cock he almost came. He wanted to pound into her, to flip her onto her hands and knees and mount her in the most primitive of ways, but that could wait.

Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh
Buy the Book
“You make me want to do things no good girl would ever do.”

“I’m going to do things to you now that a good girl definitely shouldn’t let a man do to her.”
The words made Honor’s body turn liquid.

Then Dmitri put that sinful, dangerous mouth on her breast, sucking hard enough to leave a love-bruise, before dipping his head to suckle her nipple with strong tugs that made her “On me Honor.”

“I can’t move.” It was a breathless complaint.

He kissed her hip bone, felt her shiver. Tugged a little more. She flowed into his arms, all liquid and pleasured and boneless, he legs spreading to either side of his body. Lazy, she kissed him before reaching down to squeeze his turgid arousal with strong knowing fingers.

July Wrap Up & August TBR

July Warp Up:
-The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
-Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J. K. Rowling
-The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
-Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
-The Queens Army by Marissa Meyer

August TBR: 
-Red Sky in the Morning by Paul Lynch
-Light and Dark by D. M. Fire
-The Academy by C. L. Stone
-The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
-Something Special by Iris Murdoch
-Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
-The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness 
-The Hobbit by J R. R. Tolkien
-The Child Thief by Brom
-The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey

I started off great last month, reading all of the books I did before the 18th of July. And then I read nothing for the rest of the month. I would say less than 20 pages was read during the last period of July. So its safe to say I'm in a reading slump. Hopefully I can get out of it soon, and get back to reading!

June Wrap Up & July TBR 2013

June Wrap Up:
-A Sentimental Journey by Lawrence Sterne
-A Storm of Swords Pt.2 Blood and Gold by George R. R. Martin
-Fantomina by Eliza Haywood
-The Man of Mode by George Etherege

July To Be Read:
-The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
-Red Sky in the Morning by Paul Lynch
-Light and Dark by D. M. Fire
-The Academy by C. L. Stone
-Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J. K. Rowling
-The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
-The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
-Something Special by Iris Murdoch
-Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
-The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

So excited for all the reading I have planned for this month. Im having a read-a-thon from Sunday 7th July-Saturday 13th July. So hopefully I will get to read all of these awesome books!

Document Your Life | June 2013

 

The beach, book buying, school, exams, food, all filmed with my new iPhone! This was my June.

Harry Potter Hardback Box Set Signature Edition

Published by Bloomsbury in 2011

3 reasons I bought the British Box set instead of the American one:

1. The first book has the original title of 'Harry Potter and the Philosphers Stone', as opposed to the American version which has 'Sorcerers Stone'.

2. The American version has some of the British words changed to the American terms for those words, and I wanted to get as close as I could to what J. K. Rowling wrote.

3. At the moment it is cheaper than the Scholastic Hardback edition.

I bought it from the book depository here

To see video of the books, watch my unboxing video below:

 

Book Review: A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

Buy This Book 

Pages: 1177
Published: May 2002
Genres: Epic Fantasy, Adventure

For people who haven't started this series...
First of all, START IT! It is a truly amazing story, that will absorb you into another world. Filled with fighting, action, a lot of betrayal and scheming. As well as some twists that will leave you absolutely stunned.

Secondly here are 5 things you should know before you start the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series:
1. These are the most realistic characters you will probably ever encounter. They jump off the page, make you fall in love with them, or hate them...or both. And then they die! Just kidding, but not really. No one is safe in these books. You think that a character is vital to the plot line, so they wont be killed off? Think again!
2. Its set in a world full of castles, queens, lords, and knights. And is full of adventures, that take some of the characters all over the land. Facing many, many dangers, that make for an exciting, suspenseful read.
3. Its narrated by lots of different characters(A storm of swords is narrated by 10 main characters), so you get to see everything that's going on.
4. There's an HBO tv show, that is just as awesome as the books, if that's possible.
5. Be prepared for these to be your favourite books ever!

If you want a full review of the first book, click here

For people who have read up to A Storm of Swords...
The third installment was by far my favourite book in the series so far. Especially the last half, or part two. There were so many twists, and shout-out-loud moments. The character development was really well done, some characters I didn't care much for or even disliked. Became some of my favourites to read, and to root for.

This book was also the most intense, with many main characters heading in the same direction. I will leave it for you to find out if there are actual reunions. Also it finally feels like we are moving forward. Some plot lines were resolved in this book, and it feels like the main characters have somewhat of a new purpose. I cant wait to read the next book in this series, especially considering the end of this one...OMG! The ending! The whole damn, amazing book!

5/5 (without a doubt)

A Storm of Swords Review: Spoiler FREE

A Storm of Swords Discussion: A Spoiler talk, for those of you who have already read this book, and want to here my thoughts.

Book Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Buy This Book 

Pages: 372
Published: October 2012
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Goodreads Synopsis...
The day that Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school is also the day a series of brutal murders breaks out over the city, killings mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper spree of more than a century ago. Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him--the only one who can see him. And now Rory has become his next target. In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Review...
Ok, so you've read the synopsis. Lets list the things this book contains. Its thrilling, its creepy. It invloves lots of awesome Jack the Ripper story lines, and info. It takes place at a boarding school in London! I mean come on, that sounds magical! And it is funny and full of mystery.

Now this book actually contains all of the things I just mentioned! All of them! Its creepy, funny, and beautifully described. But before you go rushing off to buy it. You should know that all of those beautiful things, that would make a brilliant book, have been watered down. Everything is good, but not great. And that basically sums up my whole opinion of this book.

Its a tiny bit scary/creepy, and it does have a lot of Jack the Ripper stuff happening. But its not creepy enough! Nowhere near enough! It is well described, but thats it. I mean London, with all its rich culture. At a boarding school! The author could have surrounded me in this world, instead she just showed it to me. There is mystery and a twist, but to be honest it isnt that surprising, and made it harder to invest in the book.

If your looking for a book that will scare you silly. And leave you dizzy from its detailed descriptions. This is probably not the right book for you. If you looking for a fun, fast read, thats pretty good. Then pick up The Name of the Star.

3/5

April Wrap Up & May TBR

APRIL WRAP UP...
Utopia by Thomas More 
Chasing the Dark by Sam Hepburn

MAY TBR (TO BE READ)...
A Storm of Swords Pt.1 by George R. R. Martin 
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
Typee by Herman Melville
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Tales of the Pacific by Jack London
The Turkish Embassy Letters by Mary Montagu
Tracks by Robyn Davidson
The Lawless Roads by Graham Greene
A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne
The Faerie Queen Bk. 3 & 4 by Edmund Spencer
The Renaissance and the Early Seventeenth Century

Not a very good reading month for April, and apparently I think I'm going to do MUCH better in May. Hopefully I will! What are you reading this month?

If you want more detail about my wrap up and 'to be read', then watch the latest video on my YouTube channel.

  

May Book Haul

I bought some books for University, only one of which is a textbook. All of the rest are either classics or english literature. Yeah, so I have quite a bit of reading to do. Hopefully (probably not) I can get through all of them. If you've read any of the books shown, then tell me what you thought about them. Also there will be a video up on my YouTube channel soon, with more explanation and detail on the books I bought.

Utopia by Thomas More 
Typee by Herman Melville
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Tales of the Pacific by Jack London
The Turkish Embassy Letters by Mary Montagu
Tracks by Robyn Davidson
The Lawless Roads by Graham Greene
A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne
The Faerie Queen Bk. 3 & 4 by Edmund Spencer
The Renaissance and the Early Seventeenth Century

Happy Reading!
-Dylan 
 

Book Review: Chasing The Dark by Sam Hepburn

Buy This Book 

Pages: 352
Published: 6 June 2013
Genres: Teen, Adventure, Thriller, Mystery
A copy of this book was given to me for review, from the Book Depository.

Synopsis...
Joe Slattery is a 14 year old boy, whose mother has just died in a hit and run. Along with a stranger she was in the car with. As time goes by, Joe realizes there are many secrets surrounding the crash. And mysteries no one seems to know the answers to. One night, Joe takes his dog, Oz. On a walk through the woods, where he comes across an abandoned glass mansion. Where his search for the truth begins.
 
Review...
I didn't have high expectations for this book. The cover and the synopsis dont really jump out at me. But I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read this anyway.

Chasing the dark, was just such a fun and interesting book to read, and I really enjoyed it. The best thing about this book for me, was the mystery. It started off seeming quite boring, and ordinary. But then it flourished and grew, so that by the end of it. I had no idea what the big reveal would be. Although I'm not completely amazing at figuring out mysteries before they happen. I have been recently, in some of the other books I've been reading. So it was a nice surprise to see that this teen fiction had a great mystery.

Although the book felt a bit too fast at times, and there werent enough interesting characters in the first section of the book (other than the awesome dog, Oz). I still flew right through this fast paced mystery/adventure book, and would definitely recommend it. Great for a quick read, or for getting out of a reading slump.

4/5 

Video Review...

 

Document Your Life | April 2013

Music: Riverside by Agnes Obel
Went to the beach, saw the Host, went to a bookstore and bought nothing (book-buying ban) and did some other stuff.

Document Your Life was created by Lauren Hannah - She can be found here

Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Buy This Book 

Pages: 374
Published: August 2011
Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fantasy

Synopsis...
Its the year 2044, and the world is a pretty bad place. So bad in fact that most people spend the majority of their day. Not in the real world, but in a virtual one called Oasis. A world that is not only an escape for many, but holds a great treasure, hidden behind a series of puzzles. The clues and puzzles all involve 80's pop-culture, and millions of people have been searching to find the very first puzzle. No one has suceeded in doing so for many years, until a boy named Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. Now the whole world is watching and racing to win this ultimate power and money. A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?

Review...
Oh my goodness me, I cant wait for this book to be turned into a movie. It was so amazingly described and the world building was probably better than any book I've ever read before. If you have heard anything about this book, its probably that there are 80's references everywhere throughout the book. Seriously if you know 80's pop culture, you MUST read this book! And even if you don't, it is still such an amazing adventure to go on.

This book, its settings, characters and themes, are so wonderfully constructed. It will have you giggling with glee, while you read it. The real world that Wade is living in, is sharply contrasted with the magical utopia, that is Oasis. The characters are so real, they will both annoy you and inspire you. And the themes are built so subtly into the text, that you will slowly but surely grasp their importance.

Ready player one will draw you in to a world that you would never actually want to live in. But you will find yourself not wanting to leave while your reading. I cant say enough good things about this book. So I should probably say some bad things.

The only negative aspect of this book was the start. The first 100 pages were so different than the rest of the book, it was shocking. This is mostly because there is A LOT of info dumping. It sets the story up, and allows for the rest of the book to be so good. But seriously A LOT of dumping goes comes down. I would say get through the first 100 pages, learning about the world, and then enjoy the crazy ride! 

4.5/5

Book Review: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Buy This Book 

Pages: 252
Published: July 2007
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Synopsis...
Fresh out of a Psych hospital, Camille Preaker who is a reporter. Is sent to her hometown to cover the murder of two preteen girls. She goes back very reluctantly, to the mansion she grew up in, the neurotic mother who never loved her, and a half sister she doesn't know. As she is working to solve the cases and write about them, she is forced to face a past she isn't sure of. A past she might not survive.

Review... 
This is the first Gillian Flynn novel I have ever read, it is also the first one she ever published. And on the wake of her Gone Girl success, and multiple recommendations. I had high expectation for Sharp Objects. For once these expectations were met by what I can only describe as a deliciously disturbing book.

The writing style was the first thing that struck me. It was very strong, determined and confident in its unique style. Then the setting which was so well described, that it had an immediate effect on me. This is what was especially great about the descriptions in the book. They all work together to create a dark and creepy world, that as you continue to read. Creeps closer and closer to you, wrapping you up. So that you are both repulsed, and forced to read on. 

All of these things were great parts of the book, but the thing that Flynn does better than anything else. Is her characters and their relationships. Camilla is both weak and incredibly strong. She finds herself on many occasions, having to work against herself and her impulses just to survive. As she continued to lose this battle throughout the book. I felt myself as a reader lose control too. Even though I was just sitting in bed reading a book. The degree to which every character and their relationship is messed up, is astounding. 

The world that has been crafted and the characters in them are what make this novel as good as it is. Even though the crime/murder-mystery aspects were not very surprising. The book still stood out to me because of its creepiness and the effect it had on me.

4.5/5

Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Buy This Book 

Pages: 452
Published: September 2011
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery

Synopsis...
Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
IT CAN.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
THERE IS.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
SHE'S WRONG.

Review... 
The premise of this book drew me in immediately. And if Ive learnt anything form buying books based on their premise. Its that, the book is most probably going to disappoint me. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is no different.

There are some really good aspects to this book. Some of the characters were cool, and interesting. The whole mystery and the surprise at the end. And most of all, the main character losing control of herself/mind. Even though she was fighting as hard as she could to not go crazy. It made me feel like I was dizzy and about to fall, but it was too late to stop it. I love it when books have that type of effect on me.

However the bad aspects of the book definitely overshadow the good for me. First and foremost, the romance. Mara and Noah ARE Bella and Edward from Twilight. Ok I need to explain, the characters themselves are not exact replica's. However there are so many common factors (minus the vampires) in the two books romances, and circumstances. That throughout the book, I was constantly wondering whether this was fan-fiction. It isnt, but just the fact that it made me question that is really bad. And this emulation of the Twilight romance is not just a momentary occurrence, it spans the entire book and if nothing else, annoyed the hell out of me.

There was also a part in the book that had a deeply obvious flaw. One that makes me question how much (if any) research the author did. And even though the two main characters were interesting, especially Mara. Most of the other characters were dull, and just background noise. 

Although I would have loved more focus on the creepiness and much less on the romance. This was still a really enjoyable read that I finished in a flash. I will be picking up the next book in the series. To find out what happens next, and also because of the awesome covers.

3/5