The Chosen One | Carol Lynch Williams | Review

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

The Chosen One | Carol Lynch Williams | Review

"I'd kill him first for me," I say into her cheek, my lips still resting there, my eyes closed. "And then I"d kill him for you. Then I"d kill him for the rest of our sisters. And our mothers. And the other women here..."

The Chosen One is a novel about a thirteen-year-old girl called Kira who's raised in a polygamist cult. Kira has three secrets: She reads forbidden books, she has secret meetings with a boy from school called Joshua and sometimes she wants to kill the prophet. But except from those secrets she doesn't question her family's lifestyle, not even the fact that her father has three wives or that she has twenty brothers and sisters. But one day everything changes. That's the day she gets the news that she's chosen to marry her sixty-year-old uncle and become his seventh wife. Now Kira is forced to make a difficult choice, but can she ever leave the only family she has ever known?

First of all there's one thing I would like to get out of my mind. I've read a lot of reviews claiming that Kira's story isn't believable. That the polygamist cult portrayed in this book is an exaggeration compared to existing cults. But I think it's important to keep in mind that this book isn't about an existing polygamist cult, this is fiction. Sure, the cult Kira is raised in is in many ways inspired by existing ones but this book never claims to be a true story. That being said I'm not an expert on polygamist cults so I don't know in which extent Kira's cult is similar to any of the existing ones but I still think The Chosen One is a book that tells an interesting story.

With it's 213 pages The Chosen One is a pretty quick read and I read the book in only two sittings. But Kira's story is still a story that's going to intrigue, fascinate and disgust you, so I wouldn't call it and easy read. I have to say that I really enjoyed Carol Lynch William's writing style. I also really liked the fact that the cult Kira is raised in isn't purely portrayed in a bad way.The love that the members of Kira's family has for each other feels strong and believable even if you as a reader can question many of their choices. You still really feel for them and in some cases even understand them, and that gives this book a lot more depth and makes it easier to relate to.

Overall I did really find this to be a good and fascinating read but I still really struggled with the rating. I guess my biggest problem with the book was that everything happened really fast in the end. I might be that simple that story suffers a bit from it's short length because I really got the feeling that everything happened in the last 30 pages and that made me feel a bit overwhelmed in the end. But apart from that I think The Chosen One is a really good read and I would especially recommend it for younger readers. So in the end I decided that The Chosen One deserves 4/5 stars.

This post was written by regular reviewer Niina, get to know her here.

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Guest Review | Daughter Of Smoke And Bone | Laini Taylor

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Guest Review | Daughter Of Smoke And Bone | Laini Taylor

    I first saw Daughter Of Smoke And Bone on Goodreads a few months ago, and then while I was working as a Christmas temp at a book store, I kept seeing people buying the sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight, as it has recently been published. I thought I had better see what all the fuss was about, and started reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone. And I can see why everyone in the book store was fussing – it’s really good!

The story tells of Karou, a blue-haired seventeen year old art student in Prague who leads a double life. In one, she’s Karou the artist, complaining about her teachers, going out with her best friend to their local café/diner, avoiding her ex-boyfriend and living in a small apartment by herself. In the other, she’s Karou the messenger to Brimstone, a monster-like creature (chimaera), who isn’t from this world but from Elsewhere, and who is the closest thing she has to family. Brimstone’s work is a mystery to Karou; she just goes where he tells her and collects teeth from suppliers. You read correctly: teeth. As the story goes on, the doors are being closed to Elsewhere all over the world, and strange winged figures are spotted everywhere. When the door to the shop that the chimaera live in is shut and marked with a black hand print, Karou can longer get in contact with Brimstone and the other. She meets Akiva, a seraphim, or angel, who eventually tells her the answers to all her questions about what’s going on, why she has been in Brimstone’s care for as long as she can remember, why she has eyes tattooed on her palms, and why there is a door to an entire city in the basement of Brimstone’s store.

With twists and turns, fallen angels, incredibly kind chimaera – or demons – beads that grant wishes, a hilarious best friend, and untold stories from the past, Daughter Of Smoke And Bone was a great read, with page turning events and interesting – and some of the time disturbing – characters. Laini Taylor has a great writing style, I found, and has the right balance of description, dialogue and background story, something which often annoys me in other books. I really enjoyed the spin she’s put on the sort of classic demon=bad, angel=good idea, and, perhaps it’s because Karou is the main character, but it was written in a way that I found myself liking the demon in the story a lot more than the angel. And let’s face it, that doesn’t happen often, does it? One thing that you may have to look out for if you read this is that it does jump back in time quite a bit, and can get a little confusing if you weren’t paying attention for that one important “we’re-jumping-back-in-time-now” sentence.

But I do recommend it if you’re a fantasy lover. I haven’t read a fantasy book in a while, although it’s my favourite genre, because I’ve been reading so many dystopian novels, but I’m glad that I read this one! Can’t wait to borrow the next one! Five stars, Laini, five stars.

This post was written by guest blogger Anjali.
Cover image via goodreads

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One Hundred Names | Cecelia Ahern | Review

Monday, 28 January 2013

One Hundred Names | Cecelia Ahern | Review

It is no secret that I am a huge Cecelia Ahern fan, I have read and loved every book, so as you can imagine as soon as I heard there was a new release on its way I was already anticipating spending hours at a time reading it.  I did exactly that, no washing, hovering or work could be done… I was hooked.

One Hundred Names takes a main character who seems to have lost her way (as with many of Aherns books) and follows the journey of her taking control and getting her life back on track.  The main character is realistic and likable even when making mistakes! There are many more minor characters in this book (as the title suggests), which did cause me to find it a little different to keep up and remember who was who. I image if you were reading this book in shorter chunks it would be even more difficult to keep track.

What I was really looking for from One Hundred Names was Ahern’s usual magic which takes over all of her books as she transports you into the world that she has created – this book did not fail to deliver. I cannot detail the magic without spoiling the storyline however I will say it’s there as it is with all her other books – just in a slightly different way this time, not quite so literal (there are no magic books or invisible friends).

I really enjoyed this book and although it fits the chic lit category it is less romance or hearts and more real life with struggles and successes (with a hint of romance on the side). I would recommend this book to any Ahern fans, chic lit fans or anyone who really enjoys going delving into a characters life when they read a book. 5/5 stars

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

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A Stolen Life | Jaycee Dugard | Review

Sunday, 27 January 2013

A Stolen Life | Jaycee Dugard | Review

You may or may not have heard of the author of this autobiography, A Stolen Life. Jaycee Dugard was only 11 years old when one morning, as she walked to school, she was abducted from her family friendly neighborhood  For over 18 years Jaycee remained a mystery. Who had taken her? Was she alive? What was happening to her? After a series of missed chances by local police to discover Jaycee, she was finally identified in 2009 and bought home.

I remember exactly where I was when Jaycee was found. I remember sitting on my friends bed watching the news. It was unbelievable, a girl thought to be dead for so long was actually alive. It was then that everyone, news and media as well as the general public began to ask questions. As a way of letting the world in to her life to know the turmoil and life she'd known for over 18 years, Jaycee wrote a book detailing her life from her abduction to being found.

It's important to remember that Jaycee was abducted at 11 while writing this book. Some parts are hard to follow and aren't very cohesive. She didn't finish school so it doesn't feel fair to be critical of her language. Jaycee writes in very plain and simple language, detailing her abduction and her life for the past 18 or so years. It's remarkable how much a person is able to remember a traumatic experience. Jaycee's recollection of her life is almost heart shattering, her life is nothing a person would have wanted to remember. I found this book almost unbearable in some parts, especially when you imagine them as it happening to her at 11, 12 and all through her teen years.

The books is really difficult to read at some points. It's almost unbelievable. My heart fell apart for Jaycee in almost every chapter. I found myself feeling so totally angered with local police and enforcement who had numerous chances to discover Jaycee, who was in the grasp of a convicted pedophile. I'm sure, by the end, you will too.

In the end the book had a comforting ending. Jaycee is returned home to a mother who never gave up on her, she has two beautiful children - a result of the sexual abuse she experienced, and she now runs a foundation that aims to help families recovering from abduction and other traumatic experiences.
I put this book down feeling extremely emotional. To think that this happens more than we are aware of his awful. Children are abducted everyday, more often than not they're returned. But a small percentage those abducted experience similar situation to the horrific events that Jaycee details in her book.

I don't feel it would be right to give this book a rating, it isn't here for my entertainment. It is here to inform and invite the world to understand the life Jaycee Dugard was forced into.

To read more about Jaycee's abduction have a look here. To read more about Jaycee's foundation, read here. To watch Jaycee's first interview after being found, look here.

This book was reviewed by regular reviewer Taylah, read more about her here.

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Blogger's Bookshelf Review Round Up #3

Saturday, 26 January 2013

Blogger's Bookshelf Review Round Up #3

Welcome to our first review round up of 2013! Missed any of our post in the past month, never fear, find them all below...

• Go Ask Alice by Anonymous | Reviewed by Taylah
• Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl | Reviewed by Laura
• Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion | Reviewed by Niina
• The Declaration by Gemma Malley | Reviewed by guest blogger Anjali
• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie | Reviewed by Francesca
• The Alchemyst by Michael Scott | Reviewed by Lucy.
• Unsaid Things: Our Story by McFLY | Reviewed by Ria
• Slated by Teri Terry | Reviewed by Erin
• The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien | Reviewed by Elle
• Flowers In The Attic by VC Andrews | Reviewed by Taylah
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen | Reviewed by Laura
• This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers | Reviewed by Niina
• We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver | Reviewed by Francesca
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs | Reviewed by Lucy
• The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger | Reviewed by Ria
• Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres | Reviewed by Erin
• The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice | Reviewed by Elle

Also check out our January group collaboration post on our 'Reading Goals & Books We Vow To Read In 2013'. Keep checking back to see how all of our contributors get on with their targets!

Don't forget to get involved in our February collaboration post too! Tweet or email us who your Favourite Fictional Couple is and why?

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The Vampire Chronicles | Anne Rice | Review

Friday, 25 January 2013

The Vampire Chronicles | Anne Rice | Review

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice hands down have to be my favorite 'traditional vampire books' apart from Dracula. They are absolutely amazing. I know they span more than three books (about 7 in total) but these three are the main babies. I've read these more times than I can probably count, their just so good!

First of all, Interview with a Vampire meets our three main characters, Louis, Lestat and Claudia. We get told the story our these 3 vampric souls from the words of Louis spoken to a reporter in a bid to write down his life story. Within this book we get introduced to some old souls of Armand and tales of the old within the Theater of Vampires. This first book is what sucked me in, the description, the life and the time period amazed me. I love anything old and this was set in around the 18th century and it drew me in.

Second, the Vampire Lestat we meet even older beings with Marius and and Gabrielle. Here we get the full and tragic story of Lestat which is a very different tale to the one told to us by Louis. Very different indeed, here we go back even further in time to the 16th century and then even further to the old legends of Marius and his becoming. At first I rather disliked this book, I just found it annoying and whiny and a little boring but the more I read the more it grew on me!

Lastly, Queen of the Dammed. Now this one, it always takes me a while to read. I just seem to struggle through it, I adore the story and the characters. I rather dislike Lestat and prefer everyone else so much more. It did contribute to the story with the real Queen of the Dammed but I just felt like it slightly bored me and it just took a little time to get going I guess. However I would consider this book the end to these books, I feel with this book they are over. I feel as if the other books just slightly ruin what has been built up and created by the earlier ones.

These books are filled with wonderful vampires who are old and traditional and just so full of love. They are by far my favorite. If you haven't read them yet and you like vampires, I urge you to read them! 

This review was written by regular reviewer Elle, learn more about her here.

Photo credit to Elle.

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