I'm Back

Hello there, readers! As November comes to a close I will be returning to my book blog. As some of you know, I was taking a break to pursue NaNoWriMo, however around the 15 day mark, I had the revelation that I wasn't proud of anything that I was writing. I have learnt through this process that forcing myself to write words to meet a limit by a set time results in writing below my standard. Simply writing for the sake of writing is not healthy for me because it both causes me stress and leaves me unsatisfied. I decided to quit NaNoWriMo at that half-way mark and have been spending the past few weeks giving myself a break from the stress of both writing creatively and writing critically for this blog.

Starting December 1st, I will begin reading again and writing reviews, though the exact date of my next review is unknown.

Unpopular Opinions - A.K.A. Filler Time

As you may know from my previous post about NaNoWriMo, I have very little time to read with daily writing and my school assessments. In order to keep my blog updated and keep myself in the habit of writing blog posts, I decided to write an unpopular opinions post. Yeah, this will end well.

Before I started I just want to say, these are purely opinion. You do not have to agree with them, you likely will not. This is merely my way of presenting my kind of mindset as a reader and reviewer. Let's begin.

#1. Because of Cassandra Clare's previous scandals with plagiarism, I am very skeptical when it comes to starting the Mortal Instruments series or Infernal Devices series.

#2. Despite their popularity, I am not that interested in thriller novels. Even the successful ones like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

#3. I tried to read Illuminae and I really wanted to like it, but I couldn't get into the story so I stopped reading about 100 pages in.

#4. I really liked The Last 13 series despite everyone saying it was cliche and stereotypical.

#5. My least favourite books from both Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus were the last books. I found myself so focused on getting to the end that I didn't pay much attention to the individual plots.

#6. I hate 'pre-loved' books and can barely stand sharing my books. I am extremely territorial when it comes to my books.

#7. As much as I love Les Miserables, I can only stand Les Amis de l'ABC. I have issues with Valjean, Javert, Fantine, Cosette, Eponine and Marius. Might be influenced by the musicals and movies.

#8. Many people say Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is there favourite HP book but I found it a little tedious to finish.

And those are my unpopular opinions. If you have any problems with my opinions, guess what? There is nothing in the universe that says that they are valid. Instead of writing a nasty comment in an attempt to discourage me, go and write a nice comment on something that you agree with. If you agree with any of my opinions, let me know so I can feel a little normal in this large universe of unpopularity.

The Reason For My Lack of Posting - NaNoWriMo

Hello to my readers. For anyone out there who might be wondering why I have not been posting any reviews lately, I have an explanation for you.

As many avid readers and writers know, November 1st sparks the start of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and for the first time I am going to attempt to write and finish a novel. I have been spending the past week planning and getting ready for the tough month ahead.

For those who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it is a non-profit organisation which encourages and challenges people to write 50 000 words of a novel during the month of November. NaNoWriMo has been the origin of many successfully published novels such as Fangirl, The Night Circus and the first three books in The Lunar Chronicles series. As much as I love reading books, it has been my dream to write a book with my name on it that sells and gets recognition.

If you are interested in joining NaNoWriMo click here and if you would like to follow me as I write my novel click here.

Starting December, I will hopefully get back into a schedule of reading and reviewing books for all you lovely readers.

What a Peculiar Book - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is the story of Jacob, a completely ordinary teenage boy, whose life becomes not-so-ordinary after the traumatic death of his grandfather. After hearing his grandfather’s very cryptic last words, Jacob travels to a mysterious island where he finds the titular Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The main focus of the story is Jacob’s journey to discover the truth about his grandfather’s children and the truth about himself.

Going into this book, I was told that it was a good read for Harry Potter lovers and so I expected it to be very similar to that series but, after the first chapter, I was completely surprised by where the story was heading because it was very unexpected. Throughout the story, I could never predict what would happen next and every time I thought I was one step ahead, it would head in a direction. That kept me hooked and I loved every second of the story.

A thing that most people know about this book is that is includes a series of photographs which are referenced throughout the story. This is something I have never seen before in a book. Illustrations, yes. Photos from movie adaptations, yes. Original photographs which contribute to the story, no. The photos chosen really contributed to the mood of the story and added another element of mystery. The cover of the book is merely a glimpse at what is in store.

The characters is this story were so unique and interesting and their powers only added to my intrigue. I originally thought that the powers of the peculiar children would be the generic ones that I see all throughout fantasy novels. This person can fly, this person can make fire, this person can see into the future. And guess what? I got exactly that . . . but it was the people in which Riggs gave these powers to that made them unique. The person who can fly wears lead shoes to keep her down, the person with fire is a hot-head,the person who can see the future is a little kid who freaks out whenever he sees something. He also introduced powers which no one thought would be written about, like a boy who houses bees on his body or a boy who creates Homunculi and can reanimate the dead. And the most astonishing thing is that all of these powers are put into children, no older (physically) than early teens.

You know what, I’m gonna give this book a 10 out 10. It is only the first book of the series but I am already Peculiar trash. There are two more books in the series and I am just itching to read them. I’m not going to say read this if you love fantasy or if you’re a teenager. I am going to say to just read it.

Goodreads

Book Depository

You Read This For Solangelo - The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo series) by Rick Riordan

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan is Riordan’s first book in his new series, The Trials of Apollo, which exists in the universe of his awarding winning series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This is his eleventh book of his Greek/Roman mythology universe and follows the god Apollo, when Zeus turns him human as punishment. The story follows Apollo, now Lester, adjusting to his new form and trying to help Camp Half-Blood when campers begin to go missing.

For those familiar with Riordan’s work, you will know that his stories have a lot of humour, a lot of action and a lot of reference to mythology and history. He amazes me by connecting all of these elements together and creating unique and compelling stories which are very character-driven. After the PJO and HoO series, I didn’t think he would continue this universe but I believe I can speak on behalf of many that when I say that good old Uncle Rick surprised us with this new series.

I loved Riordan’s decision to make his protagonist a (former) god because it gives us a different perspective. All of his previous protagonists have been, for the most part, human or at least mortal and so they have always known their limits and have never been rendered less powerful they were before. However, with Apollo, we see a character that has always been in control and has never had to fear death being thrust into a situation where everyone else it more powerful than him. With the first person narration, we get an insight into Apollo’s thoughts and see how he reacts to his new situation. The development of Apollo’s character in only this first book was a very important part of this story for me.

One of the best things about this book for me as a Percy Jackson fan was that I got to see my favourite characters again and continue to experience their journey but I also loved being able to see characters from the original series whom I skipped over and didn’t learn a lot about. The combination of new and old characters made the story very attractive to previous fans.

Overall I gave this book a 9.5 out of 10 because I loved the characters, the plot and the universe, but I might be slightly biased because I have loved this universe and Riordan’s books for so long. This is great for young teens up to young adults but I would highly recommend reading the two previous series.

Goodreads

Book Depository - The Hidden Oracle

Book Depository - Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Good vs. Evil: A History - The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is a fantastical story where two girls named Sophie and Agatha, one pretty and one ugly, are kidnapped from their village to attend the School for Good and Evil (roll credits) where Good students are taught to be our beloved fairy tale heroes and Evil students are taught to be their biggest adversaries. However, when Sophie and Agatha end up in the ‘wrong’ schools, they need to find a way to get home . . . but is that what Sophie wants?

I was hooked on this book from the very first sentence. ‘Sophie has waited all her life to be kidnapped.’ From the very first page, I was invested in the story and the characters and couldn’t wait to see what else was in store. The premise of the novel was one that I had heard of before but the way Chainani executes the idea is unlike any other.

The characters of Sophie and Agatha are so intriguing, whether you like them or not. I personally didn’t like Sophie’s personality much and yet she still interested me and drew me further into the story. They are seem like obvious Good vs. Evil stereotypes and I believe that is what Chainani wanted his readers to think. He wanted us to expect things to be as they seem but then he goes deeper into the truth about these characters. He gives everyone a different motive and pits them against each other.

I loved how the story shows the different ideals and beliefs of both the good and evil sides and demonstrated how the segregation had affected their opinions of the opposite side. We hear their beliefs and arguments and then see how the other side truly is. It was also interesting to see how the two girls reacted when they were put in an environment which they didn’t believe suited them. We see Agatha trying to put up with prissy, pink princesses and Sophie gag at the people she is forced to live amongst.

I’d give this book a 7.5 out of 10, because I loved to message that it presents and I loved to concept but I found some of the plot to be confusing or not greatly explained. I think anyone who is into fantasy novels read this book because it has a really good moral and the characters are honestly fantastic, whether you like them or not.

Goodreads
Book Depository

This One's a Keeper - Museum of Thieves (The Keepers trilogy) by Lian Tanner

Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner is the story of a young girl called Goldie who lives in a world where impatience and boldness are sinful crimes. For her entire life she has worn a guardchain which keeps her shackled to her parents or the city’s guardians at all times. When her ‘Separation Day’ is cancelled, Goldie runs away and finds herself in the Museum of Dunt, a museum of shifting rooms and peculiar secrets. The book follows Goldie’s experiences in the museum as well as the government’s heinous plans to destroy it.

This was a book that I just one day happened to pick up off the shelf in a bookstore for no particular reason. I was simply drawn to the title and the cover, as well as the brief synopsis in the blurb. When I first read this book it was a bit difficult to get into it and I actually left in for several months before coming back and properly reading it. Although it took me awhile to get engrossed in the story, I absolutely loved it, the characters and the world. I enjoyed how the story played with the ideas of freedom vs. safety and how the city was keeping their children safe at the expense of their ability to grow and flourish into capable adults.

This was one of the first book series which I read before I started regularly reading books and I found it to be a very fun and exciting story. The characters are brilliantly written. The museum’s band of misfits all fit together and are so comfortable with each but their connection doesn’t spoil their individual characters and their is always something more to know about each of these characters.

I also loved how Tanner created a world with unique culture, unique religion, unique animals and unique geography. The detail that she put into this book’s world is fascinating and it felt like she put a lot of thought into the world before she even constructed the story.

I honestly just had a nice time reading this book and I never felt like I was forcing myself to read it. If you do experience what I did and don’t get into the story on your first reading, put it aside for a few months and then come back to it and see what you think. I give this book a 9 out of 10 and recommend it to middle-grade to young adult readers.

Goodreads
Book Depository

13 is the 1st Book - The Last Thirteen series by James Phelan

The Last Thirteen series by James Phelan is a series of thirteen books, each published one after another starting in January 2014, which follows the life of teenage boy Sam after he learns that his entire life has been a lie. His parents aren’t his parents and he is what they call a Dreamer. His ‘parents’ are agents working for a group called the ‘Enterprise’ who watch Dreamers from birth, waiting for them to have dreams of the future. Sam is taken away from his family, captured by the Enterprise, then saved by the ‘Academy’ and given the task to find the thirteen dreamers who will stop an ancient enemy, Solaris.

To begin, I have heard some fairly disheartening opinions on this series, saying it is riddled with cliches and that the author took a massive risk by writing and planning the entire series before the first book even hit the shelves. I admit there is a trace of truth in both of these statements, but I don’t believe it ruined the story. My experience with these books was very fast-paced and intense, which left me turning page after page until I had gone through all thirteen books in a matter of (max.) two weeks.

Phelan knows how to make his books compelling and get the reader interested. All thirteen books begin with an event that happens at the end of the book, seen through one of Sam’s dreams. He fills the reader with questions and makes you follow the story to learn the answer. He plays on human curiosity to get them deeper into the story and become engrossed by the characters.

If you were to ask me why I liked this series, I could not give you a one-sentence answer. I’m not even sure what I liked so much about this series, but I know that I did. Just reading the first book got me so hooked on the series that I bought all others as soon as possible.

The series presents a large range of characters from all corners of the world; Italy, Russia, Japan, Australia (shout-out to ‘Stralians), Cuba, etc. I believe the characters of Sam, Eva and Alex are very well written and each have their own personalities and motives. However, with the large amount of characters that are introduced in each book, it can become hard to remember them all. I can vaguely remember a few characters that are part of the ‘last thirteen’ but many details I have long since forgotten.

I would find it meaningless to rate each individual book, as I didn’t particularly like any book more or less than any other, so instead I will rate them collectively. I give this series a 7 out of 10, because it was fairly entertaining but wasn’t really anything I hadn’t read before. This series is best for a middle-grade readers or younger (8-14 years) but can be nice for anyone who just wants a quick read every now and then.

Goodreads
Book Depository