All The Bright Places | Jennifer Niven | Reviewed by Christina

Wednesday, 11 March 2015

All The Bright Places | Jennifer Niven | Reviewed by Christina

All The Bright Places moved me. So much. Theodore Finch is known for being a bit wacky & unpredictable. Nicknamed Theodore "Freak", Finch is used to being noticed for all the wrong reasons and spends most of his time thinking of ways to kill himself. Violet Markey can't wait for Graduation after the death of her sister. Although a typically "popular" girl, Violet is unhappy and can't see a way out. When the two meet in an unfortunate circumstance on the ledge of the school bell tower, it isn't clear who saved who but when the two otherwise strangers get together for a school project, they discover things about themselves and each other that they never knew. 

The two characters in this book are just lovely. I felt myself more drawn to Finch than I was to Violet, but I still loved them both just the same. I really enjoyed being inside each character's head and understanding their thoughts, as the story is told from alternating points of view. The adults in this book were probably the most disappointing aspect and whilst I understand that it was probably intentional that almost every adult in this book was useless, it really annoyed me and I wanted to scream at the school Counselor and Finch's mom numerous times throughout the book. The only adults in this book that were anywhere near acceptable were Violet's parents - who were going through a great deal themselves and despite wanting to protect their now only child, still managed to pull it together and actually be responsible adults. 

The plot held on to my heart throughout and ripped it out at the end with a sort of predictable conclusion. I saw it coming throughout the second-half of the book and understood the downward spiral, but I equally enjoyed watching it play out and dreaded what was coming. The quotes and references in this book were one of my favourite aspects - along with the facts about suicide as they added an extra layer to the story that I wasn't expecting. I don't like when people compare books to other books, but I would say that if you enjoy John Green's style of writing, you will enjoy All The Bright Places. 

Germ Magazine, the online publication that is written by Violet has actually been created IRL by Jennifer Niven, which I think is amazing! So if you've read this book, definitely check out the online Magazine too. I've also just heard that the book is being made into a film and that Elle Fanning is starring in it - so I'm super excited for that!

Trigger Warning: I wouldn't advise reading this book if you are at all sensitive to issues of mental health & suicide. 

This review was written by regular reviewer Christina, read more about her here. 

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Mini Collab | Top 5 Must-Read YA Dystopian Series

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

Mini Collab | Top 5 Must-Read YA Dystopian Series

Christina's Top 5: 

1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld – my all-time favourite dystopian series (although I’ve only read the first two and half of the third) about a world in which cosmetic surgery is forced upon every teenagers’ life as they reach their sixteenth birthday. It’s an oldie, but a goodie!

2. The Rain by Virginia Bergin – a great dystopian duology about Ruby, a young teen who must learn to survive after the world discovers the rain is poisonous and one drop can kill you.

3. The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau – one of the first dystopian books I read, this series is similar to Hunger Games but with a different twist.

4. The Program by Suzanne Young – a dystopian duology about a society in which suicide is an epidemic and The Program has been created to erase the minds of the “infected.”

5. Halo by Frankie Rose – again, another I’ve only read the first book in the series but this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. A dystopian book where the main character runs away from her town after killing her best friend in an organised fight to the death and must learn to survive outside of everything she has ever known.


Erin's Top 5:

1. Unwind by Neil Shusterman - often overlooked this four book series has a very intriguing concept. Taking place in a world where parents can choose to have the teenagers 'unwound', a process where all of their organs are transplanted into different recipients, the series explores what is it to be human.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I couldn't make a top YA dystopian list without including one of the most well-known series and the first one of the genre I read!

3. The Maze Runner by James Dashner - another popular series this trilogy follows groups of teens through various 'trials' in a future version of the world where a disease called the Flare has wiped out most of the population.

4. The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau - this well-paced series follows Cia who is chosen to attend the prestigious University in a time where the current students will become the future leaders of this post-war world. With plenty of action and a few little twists along the way this series is a great read for fans of the genre.

5. Slated by Teri Terry - this UK-based trilogy is one of the more believable dystopian setups and effortlessly takes you alongside protagonist Kyla on her complicated journey after she has been 'slated' meaning her memories have been erased.


Anjali's Top 5:

1. Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare - one of my favourite fantasy series for teens and young adults. I love the story line, and the characters and yes, the books are better than the movie.

2. Divergent Series by Veronica Roth - in terms of dystopian series, Roth's books are at the top of that list for me. I read them in the space of about 2-3 days, and loved them. Having said that, I still haven't seen the movie.

3. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi - another great dystopian YA series, which I don't think gets enough credit. I really want to re-read these this year.

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - it may be an obvious choice, but the books are just really great!

5. Variant by Robison Wells - while this series is only two books long, I was immediately hooked on the first pages of Variant, and couldn't stop reading. A great couple of books that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The whole time.

Which series would make your list?

This post was written by Christina, Anjali & Erin. Get to know them on our Meet The Team page!

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Being A Book Blogger | Interview With Bee aka Vivatramp

Saturday, 7 March 2015

Being A Book Blogger | Interview With Bee aka Vivatramp

Welcome to another edition of Being A Book Blogger where today I'm talking to Vivatramp's author Bee! Here's what she had to say about childhood favourites, book spine poetry and being Luna Lovegood for the day... 



BB: For any of our readers who haven't discovered Vivatramp yet could you tell us a little bit more about yourself and the blog?

Oh, hai! I'm Bee and I'm a Creative Writing undergraduate, lifestyle blogger and all round bookish person that lives by the seaside in the South West of England. Vivatramp is my little space of the internet where I share my adventures, snippets of creativity, general bookish musings, monthly goals and various lists.

BB: Where does your passion for reading come from and how did you get into reviewing?

I've always been fascinated by books, even from a very early age. My Grandma would read stories to me every night until I fell asleep. However, I think my passion for reading alone really stemmed from my Mum allowing me access to her 1970's copies of the 21 Famous Five books. I remember reading a few in a day, lapping up their adventures and forever being jealous that no one took me on picnics complete with lashings of ginger beer. Unfortunately, they still don't!



BB: Of all your reviews so far which are you most proud of, and which did you find the most difficult to write?

I'm quite proud of all of my reviews, so I wouldn't say that there is one that stands out for me. If I'm honest, I find that the hardest ones to write are the reviews for books I really liked. I never feel like I've put my complete adoration across!

BB: We're always looking for new titles to add to our TBR lists. Which 3 books do you recommend everyone should read?

This is such a hard question to answer! Submarine by Joe Dunthorne is one of the funniest yet most incredibly warm books I have ever read. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver is a really important short story collection for me, and you'll be hard pushed to find a better short story writer. I would also recommend Just Kids by Patti Smith. I have lost a lot of hours lately wishing I could be as articulate as her!

BB: As well as book reviews we also love that you share creative writing posts including a recent feature on book spine poetry. Could you tell us a little bit more about how you came across the idea?

I have always been interested in literature and the way in which we, as individuals, express ourselves so I used to actively seek out fun and new ways to combine those things. I'm not entirely sure where I came across this idea, because it's one of those that seems to have been on the internet for a very long time, but I'm so glad I did. There's a great video on it over on The Art Assignment's youtube, actually, that may prove to be useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A24MRdNMOIA.



BB: Do you have any particular childhood favourites that have stuck with you into adulthood?

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graeme has always been, and always will be, one of my favourite books. When I was younger, I was enthralled by the characters. I remember thinking Toad was very silly. However, as I've got older I've come to appreciate it for its veiled Edwardian critique of industrialisation and the unsettled class structure. It's a stunning read, and one that always feels like home to me.

BB: If you could swap lives for the day with any fictional character who would it be and why?

I would swap lives with Luna Lovegood, because I am a Ravenclaw with a desperate need to roam the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! I am so original, I know. I just can't help myself. I'm sorry.

BB: Last up, we have to ask... which book blogs are your favourites to read? Any favourite booktubers you think we should be subscribed to?

I'm going to be really honest here...I don't actually read many book blogs which is terrible of me, I know. I need to devote some time to finding some book bloggers that I really love! I do, however, love Jennie over at The Book Journal and Blair over at Learn This Phrase. As far as booktubers go, I have quite a few favourites. You should definitely be subscribed to WeLiveForBooks, foolishoats, frenchiedee, theheavyblanks, MercysBookishMusings, RonLit, SteveReadsBooks, readsusieread, StephanieSpinesandTim, OneSmallPaw and climbthestacks if you aren't already!

Where To Find Bee Online: Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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I'd like to say a huge thank you from all of us here at BB to Bee for taking part in this interview. If you are a booktuber or book blogger and would like to be featured in a similar post we'd love to hear from you - just email us at bloggersbookshelf@gmail.com for information!

Images c/o Bee

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The Memory Keepers | Natasha Ngan | Reviewed by Ria

Wednesday, 4 March 2015

The Memory Keepers | Natasha Ngan | Reviewed by Ria

*image via GoodReads

"No one can take your memories from you... can they?"

In a futuristic London, the world is divided. Living in the dirty slums of the South is Seven, a orphan and a thief, but what he trades and steals aren’t your average black market items. Seven steals memories. He’s a Skid Thief and pretty proud of his ability to surf the memories he illegally comes across.

Then there’s Alba White, the teenage daughter of London’s most unforgiving criminal prosecutor. She lives in the rich, over indulgent North, where you’re nothing if you’re not keeping up with appearances and you never stray too far from the status quo.

Their worlds collide on one fateful night, when Seven is sent on a thieving job to break into Alba’s father’s private memorium. She catches him red handed but instead of turning him in she offers him a deal. She’ll keep her mouth shut if he shows her how to surf memories - something her overbearing, high-society mother would never let her do. He agrees, but when they do, they uncover hidden secrets about Seven’s past and a classified government experiments surrounding The Memory Keepers…

So what’s my verdict?

After reading The Elites, I was super excited to get my hands on Ngan’s second novel. This one sits in the familiar yet fresh territory of dystopian/utopian fiction. You have your supposedly status quo world of a divided London with some serious income equality and crime problems. We have our two leads, Alba and Seven, in a sort a-typical Romeo and Juliet/two star crossed lovers from opposite ends of the social system type romance - though in this case it’s safe to say it was not love at first sight, more like love at first death threat. And we have our futuristic tech, memory surfing and memory trading. The premise of re-visiting and erasing memories certainly isn’t new, but the way Ngan presented it makes it feel fresh.

Now for a little detail. Seven is a character I feel like I’ve seen before, he’s a scruffy teenage orphan, cynical and extremely street-wise. A loveable rogue, I feel like we’ve only just scratched the surface of with Seven. Alba on the other hand for me is the more interesting of the two. She’s jaded about her privilege and her life in the North. Plus despite having two parents, she’s basically raised herself on her own moral code. Her rocky relationship with her mother, Oxanna, offers a nice dynamic shift from seeing a father-figure become the overbearing parent.

The plot, as I said, feels familiar. It’s fast paced, the secrets revealed aren’t wholly unpredictable but I like to think it’s because I was really clever and figured it out ;) What really drives this plot is Alba and Seven’s relationship with each other. The development in their relationship is what will keep you going and I found myself wanting to read on because I totally shipped them from the get-go. It helps that the story is written from a dual perspective so we get all their feelings and emotions as a running commentary to the plot. The ending and final 'battle’ do actually felt a bit rushed though, and despite what's everything Alba and Seven have gone though the resolution feels a mix too easy.

Ultimately The Memory Keepers feels like it’s aimed at a younger YA audience than The Elites. I for one would love to know more about the politics of the world and the inner workings of the criminal underground, but I get how hard that would’ve been considering the structure of the narrative. It's an interesting ride none-the-less and I'm itching to read more.

Reading soundtrack:

I Know Places: Taylor Swift; Sedated: Hozier; I'll Follow You Into The Dark: Death Cab For Cutie; Yellow Flicker Beat: Lorde; Love Is Blindness: Jack White; Temporary Bliss: The Cab

For lovers of...Divergent, The Body Electric (Beth Revis), and Delirium

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The Island | Jen Minkman | Reviewed by Erin

Monday, 2 March 2015

The Island | Jen Minkman | Reviewed by Erin

At the beginning of this short dystopian novella we meet Leia and her twin brother Colin on their tenth birthday. In their society this is the day they officially become adults and leave home until they are older, married and can return. Skipping forward six years we rejoin the twins in their new lives, where they have learnt survival skills and mostly fend for themselves, following the rules set out by ‘The Book’. Just when you start to get a feel for where the story might be going things take a bit of a strange twist with the influence of a certain well-known Fantasy series creeping in to the story’s world-building.

At first I found the concept intriguing as it differs from other dystopian tales in that the main characters are only ten years old when their journey begins but for a short while it also felt familiar in terms of the way the world and characters were introduced. As the story progressed it took it’s unique turn. As for the twist, which I won't give away in this review, I had spotted some of the references, or clues, from the start but had no idea what part they would play, if any, in the origins of the world I was reading about.

Having read some online reviews I noticed that the author, Jen Minkman, had personally commented on them and learnt that the novella was originally written as an entry to a short story competition. This explains why the character development was a little disappointing and some parts of the story were not as fleshed out as they could have been.

Despite the fact that the book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when I stumbled across it on the Kindle store I found the idea very unique and it definitely felt different to others in the genre. Although The Island isn’t necessarily a new favourite for me it did leave me feeling curious as to how the author came up with the idea and what may be revealed in the sequels – another novella and a full length novel.

If you’re looking for a quick, interesting read with a unique twist this may be the novella for you.

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Imitation | Heather Hildenbrand | Review by Anjali

Friday, 27 February 2015

Imitation | Heather Hildenbrand | Review by Anjali

*Review copy c/o Netgalley

"Everyone is exactly like me. There is no one like me. 

A clone of wealthy eighteen-year-old Raven Rogen, Ven knows everything about the girl she was created to serve: the clothes she wears, the boys she loves, the friends she loves to hate. Yet she’s never met the Authentic Raven face-to-face...She exists for Raven, but is she prepared to sacrifice herself for a girl she’s never met?"  

  

I was looking forward to this book, but I might as well tell you from the get go that I didn't really enjoy it. It tells the story of Ven, a clone, an Imitation, who has finally been called out of her world to imitate her Authentic, Raven, as there is a threat on Raven's life. Raven is the daughter of a high-flying man in the city, and trying to be everything Raven is, is hard on Ven. She's not treated well;  her 'father' is hard on her, her 'boyfriend' is too friendly for Ven's liking, and the guy who is supposed to be guarding her is distracting. As Ven discovers the truth of why she and hundreds of others are created exact replicates of their Authentics, she must be Raven in every way so that the unknowing public watching her all the time doesn't suspect she's anything but. With chases, and bad guys, threats on more than just 'Raven's' life, and a world she's not used to, Imitation has everything this sort of novel should have. However...
 
The first few chapters I really liked and I was getting into it. But then I found it sort of petered out and died. I no longer cared for Ven, I thought she fell in love way too quickly, and while the story line had some great potential, I didn't find it was that gripping. I liked Ven's friends, who were in the very beginning of the book, but because they weren't really in the rest of it, that element was put to the side and I was a bit disappointed that they weren't in it more. There are more books in this series, I believe, so I suppose they show up more in those books.  
 
While I didn't really enjoy it very much, if you like stories about clones and national secrets and good looking people riding motor bikes, then give Imitation a go. Just because I didn't particularly enjoy it, doesn't mean you won't!


Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book, in return for an honest review. 
This review was written by regular reviewer Anjali, get to know her here. 
Image from Good Reads.  

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