Life As We Knew It | Susan Beth Pfeffer | Review

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

Life As We Knew It | Susan Beth Pfeffer | Review

“I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's would still be open.” - Susan Beth Pfeffer, Life As We Knew It

Life As We Knew It is the first book in a series called Last Survivors by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I was really excited when I got my hands on this book because being a fan of the apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic genre I had heard a lot of things (both great and not so great things) about this book.

Life As We Knew It is a story about a girl named Miranda and how she and her family struggles with the extreme climate changes that occurs when the moon gets knocked closer to the earth by a meteor. The family struggles to survive on small rations of food, a limited water supply and and the heath from their wood-burning stove.

The story line is pretty limited to Miranda's family and their surrounding area and we never get to know what happens in the rest of the world. I guess this is an intentional choice by the author but it left me with more questions than answers. I think this is one of my main issues with the novel, while the situation Miranda's family is in is described in great detail I miss more details of a general nature. I need those details to truly absorb and believe in this story. I'm not saying that Susan Beth Pfeffer doesn't have her facts right but I wish she had shared a few more facts with the readers.

One other issue I have with the book is that it's written like a journal. It makes the language feel really simple and a bit juvenile. And I think that's a bit sad because that doesn't have to be the case with young adult literature (there's so many good examples of that).

That being said I don't think this is a bad book or uninteresting story because I did read the whole book in just a couple of days. Susan Beth Pfeffer still manages to keep my interest up through all of the 337 pages because there is a whole bunch of interesting elements that keeps the story going. 

So when I rate this book I'm going to take in consideration that it's written for a much younger audience (which really isn't an excuse for using a too simple language) because I think I might have enjoyed this a bit more if I was a few years younger (maybe 10-15 years). 

My final rating is 3/5 stars (based on my personal reading experience I would say it's more like 2,5 stars). 

This review was written by Niina. 

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Guest Review | Matched | Ally Condie

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Guest Review | Matched | Ally Condie

Goodreads is a fantastic place to discover books, I’ve found. I only joined in about July this year, but since then I’ve found so many books that I want to read, which I probably wouldn’t have discovered had I not joined up. Matched, by Ally Condie, is one of them, and one that I really enjoyed.

It follows the story of Cassia who lives in time where the Society rules, and everything is monitored, set-up and controlled; where there are but one Hundred Poems, and one Hundred Songs; where technology is the main form of…well, everything; where you live, what you do, when you die, who you love is all determined by the Officials. When people turn seventeen they are called up to go to a Matching Ceremony where they are  shown who they are matched with for the rest of their lives; who they will marry. When Xander’s face appears on her screen Cassia isn’t really surprised that she’s been Matched with her best friend, but when she see a second face appear she knows that something is wrong.

Being Matched with Xander, but knowing that Ky could also be a possible Match, Cassia is worried and scared of what the Officials will do if they found out. But, as the plot continues, she starts falling in love with Ky, even though she knows she’s Matched with Xander, and you have your typical love triangle emerging. As Cassia starts making her own choices, ones that are not governed by the Officials and the Society, her whole world starts to unravel.

Written in first person, Matched is easy to read with a fast past what-will-happen-next kind of feel to it. There are ups and downs, secret artifacts, love, death, three little coloured pills, too much technology, a bit of hiking and bit of forgotten poetry and although there is another two books to complete the trilogy, Matched finishes in a satisfying way; you know there will be another book, but you’re happy with where things were left for now. You know what I mean?

I give this book a 4/5 star rating. I think that’s because I really did enjoy it, but there are other dystopian books I liked more. I recommend this book for people who like the dystopian genre; people who enjoyed books like The Hunger Games series, and the Divergent Series.

This post was written by guest blogger Anjali.

Photo courtesy of Goodreads.

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Where Rainbows End | Cecelia Ahern | Review

Monday, 3 December 2012

Where Rainbows End | Cecelia Ahern | Review

Cecelia Ahern is most well known for her debut novel P.S I Love You which was then transported to the big screen. This is her follow up novel which had a lot to live up to.

The first thing I have to say before I get into this book review is that… this is my one of my favourite books – I say one of but in all honesty it probably tops the list. I have read this book numerous times, sometimes back to back. I just can’t stop picking it up!

Where Rainbows End is the first book that I read with the letter style layout and the only one that I have managed to fully engage with. However it is not just written in a letter format but also includes e-mails, text messages and instant messaging style scripts all of which come from numerous perspectives and therefore give you multiple viewpoints of the same story.

It is a love story so if you’re not up for romance and slush it’s definitely not for you. This is a tale of two friends starting from the age of 7 and ending when they are well into their 50’s. The trials and tribulations of life are laid on onto the pages, friendship battling against distance, marriages, children and ultimately love.

Cecelia Ahern’s writing never fails to draw me in; her characters are inviting, warm and friendly. The engaging storyline made me fall in love with the characters, both laughing and crying with them along the way. But above all else, there is just a little bit of magic – no not the rabbit popping out of a hat kind but a magic that makes you believe that anything is possible.

I cannot recommend this book enough, if you want a book that is easy to read, that will draw you in so much that you can’t put the book down (My first read of this book I did in one night – yes I stayed up to keep reading!) and of course a love story – then this is the book for you.

5/5 stars

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
*Photo © Laura

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Thirteen Reasons Why | Jay Asher | Review

Sunday, 2 December 2012

Thirteen Reasons Why | Jay Asher | Review

 “To miss her each time I pull in a breath of air. To miss her with a heart that feels so cold by itself, but warm when thoughts of her flow through me.” source.

You may have heard about Jay Asher's debut novel Thirteen Reasons Why for a few reasons. 1) the book drags controversial issues into the spotlight, 2) a movie adaption is planned for the near future to star Selena Gomez and 3) the book has gone on to win multiple awards since its 2007 release.

The book follows Clay Jensen on what turns out to be a scary ride. It's made clear that a fellow student of Clay's, Hannah Baker, commit suicide. When Clay returns home one day from school to find a box of cassettes addressed to him from Hannah he's intrigued and compelled to listen. The 13 tapes take him on an adventure across his town to places that affected and changed Hannah's life. Each tape contains a story about a certain person and how they contributed to her death. Hannah refers to the stories as a "snowball", as time went on and each person hurt her, her depression grew bigger. The tapes were sent to each person from the stories in chronological order, forcing each person to face the negative effect they had on Hannah. The cliffhanger of the book is Clay's tape, what will it say? Will it be bad? What could he have done to hurt Hannah, girl he hardly knew.

The format of the book is complex but easy to follow once grasped. Clays' dialogue and internal thoughts are portrayed in the text as they usually would. Hannah's voice and stories are combined throughout the text in italics or as separate paragraphs making it easy to distinguish between the two story tellers. It's really interesting to see each story unfold from two different points of view. Hannah's story telling of events combined with Clay's perceived opinions contribute to a captivating read.

The book intrigued me when I first picked it up because of personal circumstances, as is the same for a lot of people. In a world where depression and other mental health problems are prominent, it's highly possible we all know someone who has attempted or succeeded suicide. The book is small and highly captivating, leaving it a short read for individuals. I liked the book, I thought the message was loud and clear for the readers to grasp. It was also nice to see an issue like suicide, which is highly debated, raised in public light.

13 Reasons Why deserves 5 stars. Jay Asher's book may be challenging to read, but it's not everyday you come across a book like this.

Recommended For

Those of you who enjoyed Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns by John Green, Go Ask Alice by Anonymous and Somebody's Crying by Maureen McCarthy. If you're a fan of light mystery, dark humour or even teen issues I'd recommend 13 Reasons Why to you. The book isn't coming of age, but rather a story of teenage relationships and issues.

This review was written by regular reviewer Taylah, get to know her here.
Image Source

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Blogger's Bookshelf Review Round Up #1

Saturday, 1 December 2012

Blogger's Bookshelf Review Round Up #1

Welcome to the first of our monthly round ups here on Blogger's Bookshelf. 

Missed any of our review? Never fear! Find them all here!

• Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan | Reviewed by Ria
• About A Boy by Nick Hornby | Reviewed by Erin
• His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman | Reviewed by Elle
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green | Reviewed by Taylah
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer | Reviewed by Laura
• Feed by Mira Grant | Reviewed by Niina
• Looking for Alaska by John Green | Reviewed by Francesca
• Before I Die by Jenny Downham | Reviewed by Lucy
• Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky | Reviewed by Ria
• Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger | Reviewed by guest blogger Anjali
• Zom-B by Darren Shan | Reviewed By Erin
• The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling | Reviewed by Elle
• Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella | Reviewed by Taylah
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll | Reviewed by Laura
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman | Reviewed by Niina
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness | Reviewed by guest blogger Nazneen
• The Lying Game by Sara Shepard | Reviewed by Francesca
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett | Reviewed by Lucy
• Delirium by Lauren Oliver | Reviewed by Ria
• Shift by Em Bailey | Reviewed by Erin

Plus, don't forget to check out our November collaboration post on our Favourite Genres and get involved in our next collaboration post by letting us know your Top 5 Reads of the Year. Tweet us or email us your answers by 19th December!

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Shift | Em Bailey | Review

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

Shift | Em Bailey | Review

"As mousy Miranda edges her way into the popular group, right up to the side of queen bee Katie – and pushes the others right out – only Olive seems to notice that something strange is going on. Something almost . . . parasitic. Either Olive is losing her grip on reality, or Miranda Vaile is stealing Katie’s life.” Source

 

 

Described as a dark and gripping psychological thriller Shift is Australian author Em Bailey’s young adult debut. It follows the life of troubled teenager Olive Corbett when a strange new student named Miranda joins her school. Olive quickly comes up with a theory that Miranda is a shapeshifter which introduces a supernatural element to the book. Shift isn’t really about shapeshifters or the supernatural though, its about real-life friendships and how toxic they can become.

Olive has recently dramatically changed her appearance and returned to school following her suicide attempt which she refers to as the 'incident'. Although she used to be extremely popular and best friends with the Regina George-esque Katie, her only friend when she returns is Ami who also plays a big part in the story. The other main characters are two new students who show up at Olive’s school around the same time; love interest Lachlan and of course potential shapeshifter Miranda.

For the first half of the book Miranda stays at a distance from Olive which made her mysterious and intriguing. In my opinion this factor made the first half of the story much stronger than the second as things did become increasingly unbelievable as the book went on. Around the halfway point, just as it began to feel as if it wasn’t headed anywhere interesting, the first of the twists was introduced. Unfortunately I had suspected this particular twist from early on as there seemed to be a lot of obvious hints along the way. For me it felt as though I was being walked straight to the answer rather than having it keep me guessing which was a real shame as I would have loved to have been surprised by it. Later in the book there are a few other twists and turns as the girls become closer and Miranda seems to take hold of Olive’s life, none of which I found shocking - the synopsis of this book actually gives quite a bit away! I did feel that it was fairly unlikely that Olive would fall for Miranda’s act after the earlier events of the book and for me that made her a less believable character altogether.

The pace of the book was reasonable although a times it felt a little conflicted over what the main storyline was as there were whole chapters which focused on everyday situations and the supernatural element seemed to be completely forgotten. The length of the story also seemed right at the time of reading but after finishing the book I felt like the ending was unsatisfying and left a lot of unanswered questions. Neither the secondary characters nor Olive’s relationship with her father were really explored in much depth because of the short length of the book which was quite disappointing. I would have also liked to have known more about Miranda’s aunt Oona as it was implied that her story was a particularly interesting one. The same goes for Lachlan’s background as I couldn’t quite buy in to his character and at times it even felt like he might have more in common with Miranda than we are led to believe.

For a book deemed a 'psychological thriller' I didn't really feel Shift lived up to it's claims but surprisingly enough I did find myself enjoying it all the same. Of course it wasn’t perfect, the predictable twists and slightly underdeveloped characters in what was meant to be a dark thriller did leave me feeling like there was something missing. It is a nice quick and easy read however right up until the last page I was hoping for a genuine surprise, a twist that would make me stop and rethink the whole story but unfortunately I didn’t find it. 3.5/5

This post was written by regular reviewer Erin, get to know her here.
Photo © Erin Elise

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