Bright Blaze of Magic by Jennifer Estep Book Review

Bright Blaze of Magic by Jennifer Estep

In general the book is a good ending to the trilogy and wrapped up things in a way which had the right amount of closure and wanting for another book.

Firstly there was a ton of action in the book which isn’t surprising but given the events in the book it was well written and better than the other books. Also the book was way more violent than expected especially in comparison to the previous books. Which isn’t a bad thing, at first it’s surprising because the book is written in a softer tone than what’s in the content but then you get used to it and it’s a good mix.  

From the previous book there is a lot of focus on the black blades and I expected this to carry on because of Victor’s plan however I’m thankful they got that part of the story over with quickly because I didn’t want the main plot or fight scene to be about Victor using the black blades.

I liked the little Loch Ness Monster link and its importance in the book.

The romance in the book is cute for both couples and there weren’t any arguments which caused a break up to be a plotline.

One annoying thing in the book and the rest of the trilogy is the fact whenever she mentions appearances of characters etc Felix she always comments on his good looks and then compares them to Devon…it gets annoying after a while.

Also the book did follow stereotypes etc the bad guy aka Victor unleashing his ultimate power and his origin story linked to Lila by her mum, Serena.  Also the outcome of the book was predictable.

★★★★☆

Why I Went Back by James Clammer Book Review

Why I Went Back by James Clammer

“People hear messages from other places. Voices. They might not want anything to do with them, but that doesn’t stop the messages coming. "

Why I Went Back is written in a certain style but the novel has this element of magic in it which doesn’t suit the book. The book starts off well with the feel of a realistic novel from a male teen perspective with the issues he faces, the bike being stolen and then the chase to the building. However I didn’t like the main story. It was really weird and dragged on because it was mixed in with the subplot of the undelivered mail. The friendship was out of the blue with both of the minor characters and the story of mental illness wasn’t really truly focused on. The story behind the prisoner would have been good if the story wasn’t boring.

★★☆☆☆

Don’t Get Caught by Kurt Dinan Book Review

Don’t Get Caught by Kurt Dinan

“Everyone thinks they know how everyone else is, but they’re usually wrong. People see what they want to see. It makes everything easier.”

Don’t Get Caught is a fun novel with the entire aspect of pulling pranks and I really liked how the pranks were planned/played out and how Max linked them to rules he followed from movies surrounding heists/scams. I liked the group that formed and how each of them had this different aspect they brought to the gang and their individual prank. Also the cat and mouse game with Max and his gang vs the Chaos Club was fun to read as they both tried to out each other and extract revenge. Plus I liked the ending with the video reveal.

What I didn’t like was how Max’s feelings towards Ellie, it was so instant and cringe worthy to the extent that his idolisation made the twist in the book so predictable. Another thing is with the way the book is written about a high school boy facing daily struggles the book wasn’t realistic and the school principle and town police force were are joke. Plus the whole pranks gone to the extreme and MC debating on his morals is such a cliché.

  ★★★☆☆

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes Book Review

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

“I’m going to kick your stupid marathon-running shins so hard you’re going to think 157^th was actually a good result.”

This book isn’t the typical romance book I expected especially if you’ve seen the trailer for the film.

What I love about this book is how real it felt. Typically with books of this nature, they’re cheesy or full of it and this book was neither. The books typically have a message about how although life has obstacles you have to look on the bright side. Here’s the thing – that’s not the message of this book. Lou has that mind set and throughout the book tries to make Will see a life worth living by making him embrace life more and give him happiness but Will is determined to do what he wants to and at the end it’s the only decision he can truly make for himself. 

The book builds up their relationship slowly with all the little cute arguments and insults and then the eventual plans Lou makes leading to other things. I think both of them were adorable together and I loved the character growth.

There’s something about the way the story is written which makes it feel very intimate and I think its Lou’s character and how open she is. But there are breaks in the narrative where it’s the perspective of an additional character and that was interesting to read.

The story also focuses on the family of the two characters and how they both had issues. It was real though like the sister relationship and how honest and rightfully selfish the characters were.

Although the story is about the relationship and characters and there is an underlining sadness to most things, the book is scattered with humour. Take the quote from above which is by Lou’s sister and in context it hilarious and I still laugh about it for some reason. But there’s the cute sarcastic humour with the two main characters.

The characters in the book aren’t all good people and the good characters weren’t always nice which I liked because it presented not only a realistic feel but added to the complex nature of certain things in the book.

Plus the film looks so cute but I hope they don’t make it too romance focused because the romance in the book was very slowly built.

   ★★★★☆

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry Book Review

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

“The boy everyone sees, but nobody knows is with the girl who everybody knows, but nobody sees.”  

If you’re into MC romance or just a general bad boy and good girl romance this book is probably for you. Breanna and Razor are photographed when they’re in a seemingly compromising position and from then onwards Breanna is blackmailed to do someone’s school papers.

The characters both seem to live different lifestyles but they have things in mainly surrounding their families and their baggage. The book does deal with some important issues which I think is essential in particular with Breanne’s situation and how easy it is for a guy to ruin a girl’s reputation with a picture like that.

There’s a subplot surrounding Razor’s mum which gives the book something other than romance which is good. However the main plot is on the slow build up of the romance which is full of stereotypes and angst but with a book like this you expect it. The good thing about this book is, mainly about ¾ of the book the characters have a big argument and thankfully in the book there was little to no arguments.

Generally just a fun book to read

“Don’t let your fears create walls or define you.”  

  ★★★☆☆

Absence From Blogging II

Absence From Blogging II

I made a post a while back explaining why I wasn’t blogging because I was busy and how I was determined to start blogging again. That was an epic fail! However now I’m done with a majority of my exams and have some time off school, I can finally start reading and blogging again. This time I’m way more determined to blog. 

Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor Book Review

Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

“We stay in this never land between our two beds.

  

I think the synopsis of the novel is a bit misleading. I was hoping to do a bit of reading...just until the 2 characters officially meet but here’s the thing, they don’t properly meet until about 60% of the novel.

 The beginning of the book is way too rushed; slam bam in the middle of a certain major event and it’s very sudden which is off putting to me but as the book continues there’s good character building/world building especially surrounding Kettle.

As you’d probably guess the book is a retelling of Peter Pan but it’s done in a way in which we see more into Nora’s life and Kettle’s life and the situation they’re put in. Their lives are full of situations which a child/teenager should never be in which fits the idea of Peter Pan and running away.

When they do finally meet it has a good built up and the aftermath is this cute bit where Kettle is afraid that Nora won’t settle in to his lifestyle but she’s just grateful to be away from her old life.

However similar to the start the ending was rushed with the romance and the happy ending which didn’t suit the book.

  ★★★☆☆