Tuesday 26 August 2014

REVIEW: KILLING SARAI BY J.A REDMERSKI


Title: Killing Sarai
Series: In The Company Of Killers
Author: J.A. Redmerski
Genre: New Adult/ Romantic Suspense

Summary

Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

This is their story…

My Review.

3.5 stars! 

This book has been on my radar for a long ass time, so when i felt the urge to read some romantic suspense this is the one i went for.  

This is the story of Sarai, when she was fourteen her lowlife mother gave her over to notorious drug lord and human trafficker, Javier. Javier believes himself to be in love with Sarai, he treats her better than the other girls in his compound and she's seen as his. He owns her, it's isn't love he has for her, its obsession and he'll do anything to keep her.  But after being his prisoner for nine years, Sarai wants out and she'll do just about anything to get what she wants. Her escape comes in the form of Victor, an American assassin. Jumping in his car Saria hitches a ride out of the compound to what she hopes will be her freedom. But she's wrong, Javier 'loves' Sarai and will do anything to get her back. 

Hunted by her former captor, Sarai takes off on a dark and dangerous journey with Victor, full of twists and turns. Read the blurb, you might think you know where this story will end but let me tell you now. You're wrong. What you expect to happen gets flipped on it's ass and runs in the other direction leaving you in a state of shock. 

I really did enjoy this story, it was high in action, lust, drama, twist and turns and shocking epicness! Alas i did have a few issues with the story and they come in the form of Sarai... 
She drove me fucking crazy, annoyed the freakin' crap outta me! Honestly i couldn't connect with her because she just acted so much like a child a lot of the time and her whining drove me fucking mental. 

This story is told from dual POV, Sarai and Victor and you are able to tell who's POV it is from the writing, which i really liked. The only thing was there were times when i found the writing and dialog to be pretty robotic and not flowing the way it should.

Overall if your looking for some action, and suspense with some hotness thrown in there give this one a go! It's first in an on going series that shows a lot of promise... honestly i just can't wait for Fredrik's story who we meet in this book but get a lot more from in book two. 

REVIEW: LAW MAN BY KRISTEN ASHLEY

Title: Law Man
Series: Dream Man
Author: Kristen Ashley
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Summary

Four years ago, Mitch Lawson moved across the breezeway from Mara Hanover and she fell in love with the tall, good-looking police detective who had an uncanny ability to dress well even though he’s single. It was not a stalker kind of love; she knows she has no hope since Mitch is way out of her league. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s her dream man.

Then one day Mara’s faucet won’t turn off and she knows nothing about plumbing. Being a good guy, Mitch offers to help then he invites himself over for pizza. Mara gives it a go but finds herself running away from him (literally) on their first date, standing him up their second and then she runs into him (again literally) on her way to save her ne’er do well, criminal cousin’s kids who’d just run away from their ne’er do well, criminal Dad.

Suddenly, Mara finds she has on her hands the guardianship of two kids and a gorgeous police detective who’s willing to do anything to help out… including giving fabulous foot rubs.

But Mara knows who she is and where she came from and she knows Detective Mitch Lawson is better than her. Hot law man Mitch disagrees and his challenge is to convince Mara to let go of her past and he sets about building a family at the same time he finds he also needs to protect them all against known and unknown adversaries that would tear them apart.


My Review. 

4.5 stars!!

Four years. Four years Mara's lived across the breezeway from Detective Mitch Lawson. Four years Mara's loved Mitch. Of corse, Mitch doesn't know that, no one does. Mara's pathologically shy, due to a shitty and traumatic childhood Mara has no confidence and no self worth, to her she's trash nothing more than a two point five on the Mara scale of humanity. Mitch is a ten point five. Ten point fives do not associate themselves with two point fives. Ever

Mara has a rating system on which she instantly judges people placing them at a rating the more attractive you are- the higher the mark. Moods can make a ranking go up or down on the scale, personality can be taken in to account but Ten point fives never mingle with the two point fives. 

So when Mara's tap breaks and Mitch offers to come round and have a look at it for her because you know he's super kind, painc stations are a go in Mara world. But shocker! Ten point five doesn't treat Mara like she's a two point five at all. Infact he invites himself round to two point five's house for her famous barbecue chicken pizza! And so begins the story of Mara and Mitch. 

Mara's a sweet character, who i actually really liked minus the rating system and her insecurity grew real old round the 60% mark. But she was relatable, from one shy girl to another i personally know how mortifying shyness is. But the hero of our story Detective Lawson slowly breaks down the walls surrounding Mara world, breaking through that insecurity and helps her see she's more than she's been lead to believe. 

The plot twist comes in the form of Mara's cousin Bill's two kids, Billy, the boy and Billie, the girl (short for Billerina, YES! Billerina.) Yes Bill is a crack head who happens to think his children's names are a stroke of comic genius. Mara takes on Bill's kids as he's unfit to care for them and winds up in the slammer. (Courtesy of one Detective Mitch Lawson.) Mitch and Mara, build their relationship around taking care of Billy and Billie and start to create something beautiful for the four of them, a family. That's not to say there aren't a few bumps in the road in the form of the trailer trash twins and the Russian Mob. Classic Ashley style, everything goes down with a boom. 

Now lets just take a minute to appreciate all that is Mitch Lawson, i mean i fell for him when we first met him in Mystery Man and have been falling harder with each encounter. I just love a good sexy cop. I mean you can't beat it really can you? He really is the cream of the crop, he's sweet, loyal, hot, strong, brave, he's wonderful..

hes perfect photo: hes perfect mCgS3.gif

I've highly anticipated Mitch's story and i have to admit this is my favorite one in the series so far. This story is full of soul, smiles, laughs, crys, squirms, shocks, shouts and full on KA crazyness! All her usual trademarks, the hot alpha's, the glam women, ELVIRA. Damn i love that bitch so much! 

Fantastic addition to an already amazing series, Mitch Lawson is definitely a man only found in dreams.

"If I'm your Mitch, you're my Mara."

REVIEW: SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE BY JILL SHALVIS


Title: Simply Irresistible
Series: Lucky Harbor
Author: Jill Shalvis
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Summary.

Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother—a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career—if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes—and mouth—are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

My Review:

Four Stars!!

Things aren't going well for Maddie Moore. Fresh out of an abusive relationship and getting the sack, Maddie's on the lookout for a new start. After the death of her flighty mainly absent Mum, Maddie and her two sisters Tara and Chloe are left her Mum's Inn, The Lucky Harbor Inn. For Maddie this is the opportunity she's been waiting for- the chance to escape from LA and her old life, homeless, single, fresh out of confidence and in need of a new beginning Maddie sets her sights on the Inn and a dream of running it with her two sisters as a family. 

Sworn off men Maddie isn't on the lookout for love when she arrived at Lucky Harbor, but neither was Jax Cullen when Maddie came speeding into his life. Instant attraction forms between the two and a strong in deniable chemistry between the two is clear to everyone.  But with Maddie sworn off men and Jax not looking for anything serious the idea fun turns a lot more serious. 

This was such a fun story! Perfect fluff material here, not only is it fluffy, it's hilarious, incredibly sweet and hot! I took this book with me into the hospital and i have to say it was a most incredible distraction and had me bursting out laughing which gained me some odd looks from the nurses! 

The characters were likable, the story was fun, nothing heavy just perfect for when you need to let your mind rest or just want to read something for the pure fun of it! Maddie was instantly likable even if she is a total clutz, now i'm a very shy person so every time she wound up in an embarrassing situation i found myself blushing and cringing more than she did! 

Jax was just, perfect. Hot, intelligent, growly (not sure if that's actually word- but damn i love me a growly man!), brooding, sweet and just... Simply Irresistible. Which actually is the perfect title for this book, from the very beginning both our main characters were instantly attracted to each other and found it simply impossible to resist one another! 

I would highly recommend this book if your in need some for some smiles and laughs and just in need of some pure pleasure. I promise Jax will not disappoint you! 

Monday 18 August 2014

Bout of Books 11.0 Day 1 Update.

Bout of Books

So today is the first day in the Bout of Books read-a-thon and i managed to finish a book! Yayyy me!!
So i finished rereading Divergent *swoon* how i love that book! I'm going to swiftly make my way onto Throne of Glass now and hopefully get a chapter or two down before bed!

I also took part in the two challenged which were hosted by The Book Monsters who hosted a Book Scavenger Hunt you can see my entries on my Instagram here.
I also took part in Lulo Fangirl challenge which is to make a playlist for one of the books on your Bout of Books TBR. I chose to do Divergent since it's the only one iv'e read, these are the song i chose:
(i tried to use songs that weren't use for the movie!)

Aly & Aj- No one
Tonight Alive- What Are You So Scared Of?
Christina Perry- Human
Avenged Sevenfold- Nightmare
Black Veil Brides- Perfect Weapon.


Day One Summary- 
Number of Books I've read today- 1
Number of books I've read- 1
Books- Divergent

Bout Of Books 11.0

I'm Joining #BoutOfBooks!!


Bout of Books

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team


I am super excited to tell ya'll that i'm going to be participating in my very first #BoutOfBooks read a thon! I just love a good read a thon and this is like the mother of all 'thons! So i'm super stoked, and iv'e got a selection of pretty freakin awesome books to make my way through! 

I'll be devoting as much time as possible to reading during this week, i'm going to try push myself and put my reading to the test. 

These are the books iv'e chosen to read during this week!  



I'm currently making my way through reading Divergent! (Yayyy Four <4) Then i'll be moving on to Throne Of Glass & Crown of Midnight both by Sarah J. Maas in time for her Heir of Fire signing on Wednesday which i will be attending! (FANGIRL ALERT!!) Then i'll be reading The Assasin's Curse and The Pirate's Wish the i'm sure to be fabulous duology by Cassandra Rose Clark. Then if i still have enough time I'm going to try make my way through The Assassin's Blade, the Throne of Glass novellas! Six books are a lot to read within a week especially with work but like i said, i want to push myself so finger crossed i can do it!! 

I also have a few books which I'm currently reading at the moment so if i manage to finish any of them it'll be an added bonus and i'll let you all know in my daily updates!! 

If you guys are taking part in the Bout of Books read a thon let me know and we can chat progress!! 

<3


Sunday 3 August 2014

READING CHALLENGE: THE MONSTER THONS


The Monster Read and Review-a-thons are a great chance for us all to get together, read some fabulous reads, and get to those reviews that we know have been sitting there waiting to be done for a little too long. Sign Up here.

I'm going to be doing both the reading and the reviewing parts of this challenge, since iv'e been seriously sucking at both lately! I'm hoping to read four books, maybe five and hoping to get a lot of over due and new reviews done! 

READING CHALLENGE: ARC AUGUST

ARC August 2015

ARC August is a month long challenge Octavia hosts as a way to help motivate people to tackle their huge (and small) ARC piles. 
Sign up here.

Iv'e got so many ARCs i need to get through and this is the perfect challenge! Iv'e been in need of some ARCish motivation and hopefully this will help me get my ratio up! 

Iv'e got nine ARCs i need to get through, i'm hoping to get through them all but i'm going to make my aim as six! 

STACKING THE SHELVES #4

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!


Hey guys!
I'm back again with another book haul, but i am super excited about the books i got this week! They were all from the charity shop so i only spent around £3.50 and i'm pretty stoked and proud that i got these amazing books for such a steal!

Bought

Ta Daaa!

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen me gushing about this book on there. The Princess Bride is one of my favorite films ever, me and my friend used to watch it on repeat on our days off from school and iv'e been wanting to read it for such a long time now i was so happy to finally found it! To make my find even better this edition has the most stunning cover so check out my Instagram to see it in all it's glory! ( Instagram- @walnutwolff)
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Iv'e never read a Jodi Picoult book before, my mum and sister love her but it was one of my friends who recommended this one to me and it just sounds so good! It's about a boy who is bullied throughout school and ends up committing mass murder at his school. This sounds like something i'll really enjoy and will hopefully get me reading more of this authors books.
The Luminaries by Elanor Catton
This book. Now iv'e seen this book literally EVERYWHERE but iv'e never known what it's about so when i saw it in the shop i couldn't resist snapping it up! 

For Review.


Disobeying Hitler by Randall Hansen

I love history. I especially love WWII so even though this is so very, very different to everything i usually review i am so excited to get this book as it's on a subject that i just find so very interesting and love reading about. 


This weeks hauls been a bit of a mixed up, mash up of books but it's got me so giddy that i cannot wait to get into these books! 

Have any of you guys read any of these? If you have what did you think? 
Any Jodi Picoult fans, which are your favorites? If i enjoy Nineteen Minutes which should i read next? 
What did you guys get this week? 





Sunday 27 July 2014

STACKING THE SHELVES #3

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!


I haven't done a haul in a few weeks so i'm sure you can understand why i'm so pumped about this one! Not only is it my first haul in a while, i personally think it's a bloody awesome haul!


Bought




The Queen Of The Tearling by Erika Johansen
Band Of Brothers by Stephen E.Ambrose
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Paper Towns by John Green
The Quick by Lauren Owen

For Review



The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling
Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas

Paradigm by Ceri A. Lowe
Dark Hope by Monica McGurk



A Song For Ella Grey by David Almond
Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz


What did you guys get this week? And have any of you read anything i got? If you did let me know how you liked it!
  

REVIEW: WE WERE LIARS BY E.LOCKHART


Title: We Were Liars
Series: NA
Author: E.Lockhart
Genre: YA

Summary


A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE

My Review.

Four Stars.

We Were Liars is a story that every reader should read at least once. And when people say it's better you know nothing before going into this book, they weren't lying. 

I was very skeptical about this book, i didn't think it was one for me but when i saw it in Waterstones and saw how thin it was and read the premise i decided to give it a go and boy am i glad i did! 

I personally loved this story, i consumed it within a day, because i wont lie- i was addicted. The writing is so haunting and beautiful, i really just couldn't get enough. The tension is rife throughout the whole book. It's suspenseful and whilst reading We Were Liars i felt totally blinded because i had no idea where the story was taking us and had no clue where the author was taking us. 

The day i read this book i spent in a horrible mood, honestly i was shocking. I told my sister that i thought it was the book that was making me feel depressed, not because of what was happening but because of the writing that was so haunting and eerie, it was laced with tragedy, you knew nothing about the plot but the whole story had a layer of sadness even in the good parts. 

I clicked on at one part as to what was happening, i figured it out but even figuring it out didn't help with the bombshell of an ending.  We Were Liars is a strange haunting story with such a unique writing style that's in equal parts addictive and tragic.

We Were Liars, will fuck with your mind, tear your heart out and leave you feeling empty inside.  So would i recommend it? Yes. Yes i would. Who would i recommend it to? Everyone who reads. Not only because it's a great story, but because of what this story does to you. The feeling it creates, it will cause emotional turmoil and give you a story so haunting and epic it's something every book lover should experience at least once. 

REVIEW: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT BY SARAH MLYNOWSKI

Title: Don't Even Think About It
Series: Espies/ Don't Even Think About It
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: YA/ Contemporary/ Sci Fi

Summary.

This is the story of how we became freaks. It's how a group of I's became a we.

When Class 10B got their flu shots, they expected some side effects. Maybe a sore arm. Maybe a headache. They definitely didn't expect to get telepathy. But suddenly they could hear what everyone was thinking. Their friends. Their teachers. Their parents. Now they all know that Tess has a crush on her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper. Some of them will thrive. Some of them will break. None of them will ever be the same. 

A smart and funny story about friendship, first love and surviving high school from the bestselling author of Ten Things We Shouldn't Have Done

My Review

Five Fun Stars!

"We were not always freaks.
Sure, most of us occasionally exhibited freakish behavior
But, that's not the same thing .
This is the story of how we became freaks.
It's how a group of Is became a we. "

Imagine having the ability to read everyone's mind. Imagine being able to read the mind of all your class mates in high school. Sounds pretty awesome, right? But wait- not only can you read everyone's mind, people in your homeroom can read your mind too, can you think of a worse possible place of  a telepathy epidemic to take place than in high school? It's every teen's and i'm sure teachers worst nightmare. But after a contaminated batch of the flu vaccine is given to Class 10b, things are about to get a whole lot freakier. 

At first you really have no idea who is telling the story, is it Olivia? Is it Cooper? Mackenzie? Pi? BJ? Well, turns out it's all of the kids who have gained the new talent of telepathy. Told in the fourth person by all of the Espies, i found it highly entertaining how the group would state their thoughts as a whole on each situation, i was a bit confused at first but once i got the swing of it i found my self really enjoying it. 

"Maybe you think Olivia is telling this story. 
Or Mackenzie, or Cooper, or someone else in our home-room you haven't met. 
It could be any of us. But it's not. It's all of us. 
We're telling you the story together.
 It's the only way we know how. "

Before long the Espies make full use of their new power and use it to their advantage, cheating in tests, using the advantage in PE, finding out secrets and forget passing notes! But it's not all fun and games, even the Espie's aren't safe, their secrets soon become 10b knowledge, cheated on your boyfriend? They know. Cheated in a test? They know. Think your best friend should lay off the fries? She knows. No thought is safe anymore and privacy is a luxury these kids no longer have. The shocks don't stay at school, soon the kids are hearing their parent's having sex, discover they were born with six fingers or that their parent's are getting a divorce. 

Don't Even Think About It is one of those books that are just easy and fun to read. You find your self rooting for some of the characters and not so much for some others. I was shipping Olivia and Cooper so hard and cannot wait for Think Twice to see if they get together! This was such a cute read and would highly recommend it for by the pool or on the beach or just if your even in need of something light, funny and highly entertaining.

They thought they could hide. 
They thought they could separate themselves from us. 
Impossible. 
There was no escaping us. 

Tuesday 15 July 2014






Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke And The Bookish.
This weeks topic is Top Ten Other Stories, such as TV shows and movies!

I chose TV shows, i LOVE my TV shows and i'm as much a TV junkie as i am a book junkie!!

So here goes, in no particular order because i just can't choose i love them all so much!!
These are only ten of the shows i watch, i watch a lot more! (Like i said.. JUNKIE!)

1. Teen Wolf

I LOVE THIS SHOW! Like seriously everything about it, I just cannot get enough! Stiles in my most favorite character of all time and Derek is the sexiest! I could just rant and fangirl over this show for hours i love it that much!!!

teen wolf photo: Teen Wolf tumblr_m5c13uGSVz1qbz46qo1_r1_500.gif


teen wolf photo: Teen Wolf tumblr_m7agvxRw9C1rtvheio3_250.gif


2. Supernatural 

This show is phenomenal! I mean if you don't love the Winchesters there is something seriously wrong with you! I've loved this show for years and it never, ever gets old!!

supernatural photo: Supernatural 0018f74q.gif


3. The Vampire Diaries

I remember when this show first came on, my mum and sister were super excited but i wasn't even going to watch it. I just thought it was some twilight dupe, but i ended up watching it and from watching that very first episode has snowballed into a addiction...
katherine pierce photo: vampire diaries tumblr_l8lvera0CF1qd49gbo1_500.gif

4. The Originals.

Spin off series from The Vampire Diaries, following the Original family in New Orleans. It. Is. AWESOME! 
If your a fan of TVD and haven't watched this yet you HAVE to check it out! 


the originals photo: Angry Hybrid Color HybridFaceColor_zps2650c975.gif

5. Game Of Thrones

It's just epic.


game of thrones photo:  tumblr_loqhz01zHL1qg95ve.gif

6. Pretty Little Liars

This show is the definition of suspense.. it's always ten steps ahead of you and not once does it ever get old!


pretty little liars photo: Pretty Little Liars P4.gif

7. The 100

One word... BELLARKE!! ;)

The100 photo: The 100 Cast Poster 1891319_644071315640576_898331372_o.jpeg

8. Reign

Adelaide Kane is just amazing!!


9. Castle

I've only recently started watching Castle (currently just finishing up season 4!) Honestly i watch it for Kate Beckett, she is such an incredible character i just can't get enough of this show it's so much fun!! 
Plus Stans Katic may just be one of my most favorite actors ever, plus she's freakin gorgeous!!



castle photo:  tumblr_m9jkucjn711rsgl7w.gif

10. Criminal Minds

Need i say more....
criminal minds photo:  reidwtf-1.gif




So these are just ten of my favotie TV shows! Like i said i watch ALOT more including Merlin, Orphan Black Bones, Bitten, Salem, American Horror Story and SO many more! So if you enjoy any of these shows or watch a show you think i might enjoy let me know! Or if you are a fan of these shows LETS FANGIRL TOGETHER!!!


ARC REVIEW: DEEP BLUE

Title: Deep Blue
Series: Waterfire Sage
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Genre: YA/ Fantasy (MERMAIDS!)

Summary 

The first in a series of four epic tales set in the depths of the ocean, where six mermaids seek to protect and save their hidden world.

Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe.

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin's arrow poisons Sera's mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence



Review

Two Stars. 


An ARC was provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

mermaid photo: Mermaid tumblr_m66vg0gfAu1rueqolo1_500_large.gif


When i received an ARC of Deep Blue i was ecstatic. I've never really had all that much luck with mermaid books but from the premise this one sounded right up my street and i hoped this one would be the one to give me a good experience with the merfolk. Alas, it was not to be. The first few pages caught my attention with their creepiness and had me intrigued. This how ever did not last once the info dump started, i was rapidly loosing interest between the mer- language that had me baffled and the continuous info dumping i was not all that impressed, until Prince Mahdi arrived! I really thought the Prince's arrival was going to bring me the excitement i craved and it did.. for a few pages but then it was back to the text book.

Now i totally understand that this is the first book in a four book saga so Donnelly has a lot of info to cram in for this complex and intriguing world she's created under the sea. So i know that she needs to set the grounding for the next three books and for people who love mermaids and complex world building this book would be fantastic, however it just didn't work out for me.  To me mermaid books always seem to be compared to The Little Mermaid, i do it without even realizing and maybe that's why i can never really enjoy one.
mermaid photo: Little Mermaid 1M1qbc6a5.gif



One thing that has to be said about this book is how it's presented. Although i received an ARC copy i saw the hardback version for a fiver and i just couldn't resist and although i didn't enjoy reading the book i sure do enjoy staring at it! Deep Blue has to be one of the most beautifully presented books on my shelf, from the page layout to the cover to the stunning maps on the inside, it is flawless in it's presentation.  Designer.. i applaud you! 

Deep Blue, is not an action packed, creepy mermaid story with romance. It's very much all about the world building but is very much a girl power story filled with many puns! I'm disappointed that i didn't enjoy it, but i suppose you can't like everything! 

So i should admit i stopped reading this book around half way through, iv'e tried for WEEKS to get through it and i just wasn't making any progress so i just decided to cut my losses and quit. Now i did this with a heavy heart, i HATE not finishing a book, it goes against the grain and i try my very best to never do it, it leaves me feeling guilty and cheated and rather disappointed in myself. So i have come to the decision that if the second book in the series Rouge Wave gets a whole bunch of amazing reviews i will come back to Deep Blue and once more dive back into it's pages, for now how ever it can just sit and look pretty on my shelf. 



mermaids photo: mermaids mermaids2_zps18ab69d7.gif

Tuesday 1 July 2014

TOP TEN TUESDAY: TOP TEN CLASSICS I WANT TO READ [1]






Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke And The Bookish.
This weeks topic is Top Ten Classics, but since i haven't read any classics, i changed it to the top ten classics i want to read.

Okay so i totally suck when it comes to reading classics and have only read the few i was made to read during High School. But that doesn't mean i don't want to read any, i do! There are a lot i want to read, so as of now i'm setting my self a challenge to read at least three classics this year! 

So here's my classics wishlist!

1. Wuthering Heights- I acutally already own this so there's no excuse as to why i haven't read it! 

2. A Tale Of Two Cities- I will admit, this desire comes from reading Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series..

3. Grimm's Complete Fairy Tale- It think it's pretty self explanitory why i want to read this. 

5. Pride & Prejudice- I need to meet Mr Darcy..
  


8.The Odyssey- I just love everything about the Greeks.
 


10. The Crucible - I know it's a play, but it's about the Salem Witch Trials which i just find so interesting! 

There are so many more that i want to read but these are just some of the few i want to read the most! 
Which are your favorite classics? Have you read any of these? Which classics do you recommend? 

Wednesday 25 June 2014

PAGE TO SCREEN: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, MOVIE EXPERIENCE.

Title: The Fault In Our Stars
Run Time: 126 minutes
Genre: Drama/ Romance
UK Release Date: 19th June 2014

IMDB / Trailer

Summary
(From IMDB) 

Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.


My Experience. 

Would i say The Fault In Our Stars movie is an appropriate and satisfactory adaptation to John Greens masterpiece? That would be a positive. Going to see the Fault In Our Stars was an experience in it's self, from the movie and the actors that breathed life in to a well loved novel to the atmosphere within the audience. 

So i went to see this film with my sister and her boyfriend, and honestly i've never sat through a film where the audience were affected so visibly as a whole. The first half of the film everyone was positively giddy and if you were to only see the first half you actually could claim this to be a feel good film. People were laughing and the atmosphere was jovial the air full of excited whispers and giggles. Then as if a switch had been flipped the air got thick and the tension was rife and choking. Sadness literally clung to each person in the audience choking each one of us. 

I think that this is one of the most beautiful and heart wrenching stories i have ever read/ watched. Everyone from the actors, the screen writers, directors and prop managers (seriously the decorating was beautiful through out the locations and who ever was in charge of them, you are welcome to come decorate my house anytime!) did this film a justice, i think it was as close to perfection in terms of book adaptations i have ever seen, and honestly cannot think of another film that has done a book such justice as this.

I am already a huge fan of Shailene Woodley and her performance as Hazel Grace Lancaster was astounding, i have no trouble putting book Hazel and film Hazel together, she created the girl i imagined and it was a wondrous performance. Ansel Elgort, what can i say about his performance as Augustus Waters? When i read the book i thought it would take someone exceptional to play Augstus, and Ansel managed to pull it off flawlessly. Augustus is my favorite character and i was anticipating his part in the film, worried that he wouldn't live up to my high expectations and my love for him, but he did, oh boy did he ever. Ansel play him perfectly, especially in the last half of the film. I applaud the pair of them for their stunning performances.

It was funny, at the end of the film everyone in the screening didn't really know what to do with ourselves. Everyone was crying as the credits rolled and it was a mix between people fleeing the cinema (so they could probably go sob in private) to people like us who had to remain seated because someone in the group was having a break down (my sister). It was all rather a hysterical mess if i'm honest. Laughs and tears were shared between the three of us and when my sisters boyfriend pointed out 'Gus's leg double' that was kind of it for us, we were laughing she was laugh/crying and then we were the last ones left. I think it just showed me that this film really makes you feel, happiness and sadness, joy and heartbreak and sometimes you just have to take them both together and roll with it. 

Words cannot express what this film made me feel and i have nothing but praise for everyone involved. A phenomenal adaptation for a wondrous and breathtaking novel.