-
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Fault in our Stars is wrenching as it is lyrical. A perfect story, with a perfect cast. It will draw readers in and shatter their hearts. This was my first read of The Fault in our Stars it didn’t fail to have me in floods of tears. How is it that this book is so utterly perfect? It captivated my heart and soul and I fell endlessly in love with Augustus and Hazel. I failed to read this book until now because I felt that I wasn’t the intended demographic, but I shouldn’t have feared. Grief and pain is a universal emotion and this story brought it all out.…
-
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh – REVIEW
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a title that truly deserves book of the year. A compelling story that is incredibly important. Raw, visceral, wrenching and revelatory. Have you ever read a book so powerful that you couldn’t find the words to describe just how impactful and an important narrative that it pushes upon you? That’s exactly how I feel with As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. I always think it’s a good thing to read outside your usual boundaries – YA isn’t usually my bag but with this cover and the heartbreakingly powerful story, I couldn’t resist. A story of survival in war torn Syria, I…
-
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus | Blog Tour Review
Today I’m happy to be a part of The Write Reads Ultimate blog tour for the highly anticipated, The Cousins by Karen M. McManus. Now, for a reader to be sucked into an author’s writing style, their narrative, they need the X-factor. Something that allows them to keep coming back…book after book. Karen M. McManus is no exception. There are so many reasons why I keep coming back for more with her stories. The air of mystery, the journey and most of all the care that is given to keep loyal readers. The Cousins is a story that is reminiscent of the I know what you did last summer trope. …
-
Review: Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin
Where do I begin with Foul is Fair? The premise of the story was one that had intrigued me wholeheartedly. A revenge thriller with a feministic twist. A classic retelling based upon Macbeth that became darker and darker the further you travelled through its pages. I want to include a trigger warning about the book before I go any further – It is a revenge tale after a sexual assault. The premise is one that I would have expected to grab me and hold me hostage but the preceding emotion it left me with is an uncontrollable anger – the narrative within the story could be quite dangerous. It unfortunately,…
-
Review: Calamity by Brandon Sanderson
Failure is refusing to fight. Failure is remaining quiet and hoping someone else will fix the problem. Damn the final book in this outstanding series was so perfect for me. I loved every second of the journey. I despaired, I rejoiced, I felt the heartbreak and I laughed. It’s been an original plot with the best characters and Brandon Sanderson’s narrative is addictive. He draws you in with the promise of the tastiest piece of luxurious chocolate…I couldn’t resist! If I thought that the first book couldn’t be topped in the series, I was wrong. Wrong to the power of ten. Calamity was amazing! Just how do you deal with…
-
Review: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the hugely successful Harry Potter franchise. The book opens up during the summer break, therefore, Harry is back with his mother’s sister, Petunia and his uncle Vernon and their disgusting son, Dudley. The abuse of Harry is still very much apparent, and he is longing for summer break to be over, so that he can be back with his friends. The friends that haven’t bothered to write to him all summer. No communication. Nothing. He needs to be back with his own people not with family that don’t treat him like family at all, but, how will he…