Review: One More Day (Anthology - Various Authors)

One More Day by L. S. Murphy and Various Authors

Published: 2 December 2013 (J. Taylor Publishing)
Format: Kindle e-book (ARC)
Buy the paperback: AmazonUK|Amazon.com

Source: Received free advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks J. Taylor Publishing!

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
What if today never ends?

What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—never happens?

Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying ... that's where you’d be ... forever.

Unless ...

In One More Day, Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley and Anna Simpson join L.S. Murphy to give us their twists, surprising us with answers to two big questions, all from the perspective of characters under the age of eighteen.

How do we restart time?

How do we make everything go back to normal?

The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could,maybe, happen today.

Right now.

What would you do if this happened ... to you?

My Review:
The reason I decided to accept a review copy of this book was down to the fact I don't read many short stories. The whole concept and idea of the collection sounded really interesting, and I liked the idea of a group of stories with a common theme running throughout. One More Day features several shorts all based around the idea of time standing still. For this review I thought I'd recap each story and give my thoughts on it.

First up was Time Piece by Anna Simpson which follows Sadie as she is joined by her future self to try and destroy a time machine causing time to loop itself over and over again. This was probably one of my favourite stories because it was so action packed. The writing was really beautiful and the idea behind the story reminded me a lot of All Out Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, so if you loved that book then I think you'll appreciate the ideas in Time Piece. I struggled a bit with some of the transitions when time jumped back on itself, but overall this was still a highlight of the book for me.

Next came Dark Rose by Marissa Malvorson which tells the story of Scarlett who is sitting in an exam when time seems to freeze around her. Whilst she freaks out and goes outside to find out what the hell is happening, she comes across Letta, a version of herself from a parallel universe, in the midst of a battle to stop the Dark Rose from destroying the world. I loved the idea of parallel universes colliding and addressing characters who exist alongside each other. There was plenty of action and I loved the build up and the climax of the story which felt very complete.

Dragon Flight by J. Keller Ford was another highlight of the anthology. Amber finds herself stuck on a roller coaster, the only person still concious and moving as time stands still. When she finally escapes the roller coaster car, she discovers the real reason she's there in the first place. It's hard to go into this one too much without spoiling but I thought it was a really cool idea and this story will really appeal to fans of technology and sci-fi. Don't be put off by the title - it's not fantasy!

The 13th Month by L. S. Murphy takes on the idea of the apocalypse being imminent. Nixon's brother Jackie is obsessed with the end of the world and ends up on weird websites with crackpot theories. Only one night, one particular theory comes true and Nixon finds himself fighting for his life. I really liked the survivial element to this story as Nixon struggles to stay alive during the apocalypse. I also loved the relationship between Nixon and brother Jackie and the gritty, intense feel of the story.

But it's not all sci-fi! Sleepless Beauty by Kimberly Kay gives a fairy tale twist to the anthology. Princess Clarissa has pricked her finger causing her to fall into a cursed sleep. Aerisa is a servent who is left to try and break the curse by tracking down Clarissa's ex-boyfriend Edwin to deliver the kiss that could wake her. But Aerisa has her own feelings to deal with when it comes to Ben. This was a really sweet love story with that really made my heart swell and provided a refreshing contrast to some of the other stories.

Stage Fright by Erika Beebe follows Hannah who is performing in a play when time freezes and she finds herself encountering boys she's only dreamt about. I found some moments in Stage Fright a little confusing and it took a while to get to the point, but towards the end when the ideas started to come together I really enjoyed it. I loved how it portrayed the power of imagination and dreams coming true and it felt really uplifting.

A Morrow More by Danielle Shipley took high fantasy twist as we enter the world of the Inkborn and meet Raeve, servent of and hopelessly in love with Inkborn Lorrel. When times stops, Raeve discovers there is more to this world than meets the eye. Again, this is one that is hard to explain without spoiling, but it's a very clever idea and plays on the idea of imagination and writing stories. Once I knew what was happening I really enjoyed the concept, but the beginning of the story made it a bit hard for me to understand at first with all the language and terminology. Still, it was an idea that really worked.

Overall I really enjoyed this collection of stories. I liked the sci-fi feel to a lot of them and how they all played with the idea of imagination, something I think a lot of readers will really appreciate. I'd definitely be keen to read more by each of these authors as the writing was of a high standard throughout. For anyone looking for a great anthology or maybe someone who doesn't read short stories very often but would like to, this is a great place to start.

Rating: 4*
Books like this: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, Prom Nights From Hell by Various Authors

Review: Briar Rose by Jana Oliver

 Briar Rose by Jana Oliver

Author: Jana Oliver Website|Twitter
Published: 12 September 2013 (Macmillan Children's Books)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 480
Buy the paperback: Amazon|BookDepository
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Won: Goodreads first-reads review programme

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
For Briar Rose, life is anything but a fairy tale. She's stuck in a small town in deepest Georgia with parents who won't let her out of their sight, a bunch of small-minded, gossiping neighbours and an evil ex who's spreading nasty rumours about what she may or may not have done in the back of his car. She's tired of it all, so when, on her sixteenth birthday, her parents tell her that she is cursed and will go to sleep for a hundred years when the clock strikes midnight, she's actually kind of glad to leave it all behind. She says her goodbyes, lies down, and closes her eyes . . . And then she wakes up. Cold, alone and in the middle of the darkest, most twisted fairy tale she could ever have dreamed of. Now Briar must fight her way out of the story that has been created for her, but she can't do it alone. She never believed in handsome princes, but now she's met one her only chance is to put her life in his hands, or there will be no happy ever after and no waking up.

My Review:
When I saw I'd won a copy of Briar Rose I was really excited. I love the idea of fairy tale retellings and I was won over by that gorgeous cover. Briar Rose is a twist on sleeping beauty, and tells the story of Briar who is cursed to die on her sixteenth birthday. When she falls into a deep sleep she ends up in a different world, whilst her friends on the outside must help save her.

I struggled from the beginning of this book. I found the writing a bit hard to get into. It was kind of over-descriptive and didn't flow too well for me. There was lots of exposition about unimportant stuff like the history of the town and Briar's classmates, but when it came to the world building and the establishing of the plot stuff was just thrown in. Like for example the curse Briar discovers is placed on her. She finds out about it and within a few short hours has accepted it completely. As a reader, I was still struggling to get my head around the ridiculousness of the situation. It just felt like Briar should have questioned things a bit more. I ploughed on through the first one hundred pages and that was when I had to stop and put it down for a while. It wasn't the writing that had put me off, but I just wasn't connecting with the book and couldn't lose myself in the story.

There were a few problems in those first hundred pages. Firstly, I found the number of male love interest characters off-putting. We're introduced to Pat, who's the good looking one Briar has a crush on, as well as Joshua who is the nice kind boy but who Briar is forbidden from seeing because their parents don't get on. Then Briar's ex-boyfriend Mike thrown into the mix and I had some serious problems with scenes surrounding him. Briar spots him at a party where the following is written:

"The laugh belonged to her ex-boyfriend and it took her only a few seconds to find him near the bonfire, his arm round a tall red headed girl clad in a micro-bikini." - page 42

 

"Briar checked the girl out and found that she wasn't that special: her legs were short, her neck too long and her hair needed serious help." - page 42

"Mike had accused her of being a stupid kid, which in guy speak meant that she hadn't put out. From what she'd heard, his new girlfriend didn't have that problem." - page 43

These few quotes made me absolutely rage. Not only is briar being a complete b****, but it's the first time I've really understood the term "slut shaming". Why is this girl being judged because she dares to wear a bikini and have sex? Does that make her a horrible person?!

The guy drama doesn't end there. When Briar enters the fantasy world a bit later on we're introduced to Ruric, the male character who shows her around. I just didn't like any of the guys enough to become invested in what happened. Joshua seemed like the nicest but I just could not get my head around the whole forbidden friendship thing. It wasn't actually cleared up until very late on the book by which point I had given up caring.

I waited a few weeks before picking up the book and powering through so I could finish it. I think if I was the kind of person who could DNF books (did not finish) then I would have. My problem was that I just didn't enjoy it. The story didn't capture my attention at all and I found myself growing bored. I didn't really like the fantasy world the majority of the book takes place in. It's all set around one town which felt very restricted, and I didn't really get enough world building to be able to understand what was happening and why.

Back to the writing, and the book is written in third person, mostly from Briar's perspective. When she falls into the sleep we get to see chunks from Joshua's point of view. There are also a few chapters written from Ruric's perspective as well. Whilst the book was written in third person, you would get the occasional  sentence in italics which was a first-person thought from a character as a sort of glimpse into their head and what they're thinking. I don't really think they added anything and by the end of the book they were starting to bug me a little bit.

I think the main disappointment for me was just that the book couldn't hold my attention. I would find myself skimming over paragraphs and by the end I just wasn't really fussed about what would happen. The only time I really felt anything was during that scene with Briar's ex-boyfriend and all that did was make me angry. I didn't care about the story or the characters beyond that.

It's possible that people with a more detailed knowledge of fairy tales might be able to pick up on more of the references than I did and be able to enjoy the fantasy elements. I've heard the author's other series is really good and so although I didn't enjoy Briar Rose, I'd still considering seeking out books in her Demon Trappers series. This book just wasn't for me in the end.

Rating: 1*
What to read next: Forsaken by Jana Oliver
Books like this: Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Review: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, #2) by Marissa Meyer

 Spoiler warning! This is the 2nd book in the Lunar Chronicles series and so this review will contain spoilers from the first book, Cinder. If you're yet to read the 1st book then you can read my review of Cinder here instead. You have been warned!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer 

Author: Marissa Meyer Website|Twitter
Published: 7 February 2013 (Puffin)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 464
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. The police have closed her case. The only person Scarlet can turn to is Wolf, a street fighter she does not trust, but they are drawn to each other.

Meanwhile, in New Beijing, Cinder will become the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive – when she breaks out of prison to stay one step ahead of vicious Queen Levana.

As Scarlet and Wolf expose one mystery, they encounter Cinder and a new one unravels. Together they must challenge the evil queen, who will stop at nothing to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner . 

My Review:
I really enjoyed Cinder and I'd been constantly checking my library's catalogue to see when they would have this book available! Scarlet introduces us to a new character and a new twist on a fairy tale.

I was interested to see how this book worked because I was expecting it to largely be about Scarlet, the new character we're introduced to. What you actually get is a book that's 50% Cinder's story and 50% Scarlet's story and I really liked that. I was eager to find out what had happened with Cinder since the end of the last book and yet my curiosity was definitely peaked by Scarlet. I thought the two stories fitted together nicely with interweaving plotlines and chapters flicking between the two of them.

Scarlet's sections of the books take place in France and I loved seeing more of the futuristic world we were introduced to in Cinder. I really enjoyed the relationship between Scarlet and the street fighter Wolf who ends up joining in on her rescue mission. They were both so mysterious and I liked how they were trying to figure each other out and the way they bounced off each other. There was definitely a bit of chemistry there too! It was interesting to see how Scarlet reacted to Cinder (who is all over the news where she lives and works) because she showed a lot of sympathy towards her. I think that helped tie the two stories together even more and really helped endear me to Scarlet.

Cinder also ends up in a bit of a double act with a prisoner she encounters along her journey - Captain Thorne. They're kind of stuck with each other and it made for some absolutely hilarious moments. Cinder makes me laugh anyway but the two of them together were so funny. I loved Cinder's part of the story and how she manages to take control of everything and discovers more about her past. You get to keep up with what's happening in New Beijing as well with Kai and Queen Levana. Those characters added some really dramatic twists to everything!

For a lot of the book I was trying to figure out just how the two girls and their plot lines were going to fit together. There were a few mysteries that needed unravelling and I was definitely hooked waiting for those revelations, and when everything started to click into place I just couldn't put the book down. Add in a whole load of action scenes that blew me away and I became totally immersed in it.

The only thing that really let this book down for me was Scarlet and some of the parts of her story. There were a few moments that felt far too convenient (a random memory appearing from nowhere that is, of course, vital to the plot) and her naivete when it came to things about Wolf. I definitely found myself more interested in Cinder's chapters and what happened to her, although I did like Scarlet and I could see a lot of potential for her.

I definitely enjoyed Scarlet as much as Cinder, possibly a teeny bit more! The writing and setting is fantastic and the characters are just awesome. I'm really excited to read more books in this series and if you're still waiting to pick up this one, then I'd highly recommend you do it soon!

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Cress by Marissa Meyer, the 3rd book in the Lunar Chronicles
Books like this: Legend by Marie Lu, My Name is Rapunzel by K. C. Hilton

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

[Goodreads page]

Author: Marissa Meyer. Website|Twitter
Published: 5 January 2012 (Puffin)
Pages: 400
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Foyles: paperback
Google Play: e-book
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Borrowed from library.

Plot Summary (from Amazon):
A forbidden romance.
A deadly plague.
Earth's fate hinges on one girl . . .
CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.

My Review:
I was completely intrigued by this book and wanted to read it purely to satisfy my curiosity. Cinder is a modern re-telling of the Cinderella story, only set in a futuristic world where Cinder is a cyborg. I'm all for a modern twist on fairy tales and this sounded like a pretty interesting twist!

It took me a little while to get into this book. At first all the talk of cyborgs and androids left me thinking "really?!" and I wasn't totally convinced it was going to work. But as I read on, I settled into the book and started to get used to the world it's set in. It felt a lot like some of the post-apocalyptic/dystopian books I read so I sort of got myself into that frame of mind whilst reading and it seemed to help.

The fairy tale twist is interesting. There's Cinder herself, stepsisters, a prince, a ball (and even an orange carriage of sorts) so all the building blocks of the Cinderella story were there. There's an awful lot more to the book than that, though, and once I started to see the story as a standalone novel with its own plot I found myself able to enjoy it more. I almost wished it hadn't been linked to Cinderella in places so it could focus on the story Meyer has dreamt up, but it's still really fun to spot all the little fairy tale references!

I really enjoyed the plot, and felt that it had a little bit of everything to keep me satisfied: a potential love story, a deadly disease threatening the planet as well as the possibilty of war and conflict with a rival society. It definitely had the feeling that the story was really building to something, and I'm really glad it's the first in a series (Cinder is the first of the Lunar Chronicles) because I really want to read more of this world.

The story flits between several characters point of view throughout the book, but I enjoyed Cinder's POV the most. Her story had so many levels to it and she was a really fascinating character. I liked her relationship with stepsister Peony as well as with her robot buddy Iko. The love story element of the book didn't feel too overwhelming, and I think it was balanced well with everything else that was going on.

I was really enjoying this book by the end already, but then the ending absolutely blew me away! I was on the edge of my seat and totally didn't see the end coming. It really raised my opinion of the book as a whole.

I'd definitely recommend this book. It's worth persevering with, because any doubts about it I had at the beginning were obliterated by the end. It's a very, very high 4*.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, book 2 in the Luna Chronicles series.
Books like this: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Related links:
Win a copy of Scarlet on Goodreads right here! (Competition open internationally - closes 30th Sept)

Be sure to check out some great extras on Marissa's website, too! Click here.

Review: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Author: Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer. Website, Twitter

Publsihed: 5 July 2012 (Hodder & Stoughton)

Pages: 384

Buy: Amazon, Waterstone's, Book Depository

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

My Review:
I'm a huge Jodi Picoult fan and I've been looking forward to this book since she first announced she was writing a YA book with her daughter. Jodi Picoult + YA is literally a dream come true for me! I was worried about how I'd review this; whether I'd be comparing it to her other books etc. but this book completely stands out on its own, and it's going to be pretty easy to talk about!

Firstly, this book is beautiful. Not just the cover, but the stunning illustrations that appear throughout the book, and the way the chapters are given different fonts and even different colour text. It's obvious that so much love and care has been put into making this a book that you'll want to treasure. I had to be so careful reading it because I didn't want to damage it at all! (Ok, so I'm like that with all my books but this one even more so). There's several full page illustrations which are just wonderful, and smaller, cute little silhouettes dotted throughout some of the chapters. I just want to stroke this book all day long!

Now on to the actual story. The book tells the story of Oliver and Delilah. Oliver is a character in a fairy tale. When the story is being read he must act out his part in it, fighting to rescue Seraphima and live happily ever after. But when the book is closed the characters are alive, waiting until the next time someone reads the book and they have to spring into action. Delilah is a misfit teenager; unpopular, always last in swimming races and happiest with her head in a book, particularly this one fairy tale. Then she realises that the characters are alive and strikes up a friendship with Oliver.

The whole story is so brilliantly done. It's such a fab little idea! I think what impressed me most is that it's exactly the kind of story a dedicated reader should love. Not only is Delilah a girl who loves reading, but the whole story bases itself on the idea that characters are alive when we're not reading them. I think the best books and the best characters are those where you play out scenes with the characters in your head, long after you've finished the book. Between the Lines really plays on that idea and turns it into something even bigger. What if the characters are only acting? What if you could change the ending of a story? What would happen if you could speak to your favourite character? What happens when you close a book? Plus, if you've ever read a book and been able to totally relate to a character and wish they were real (who hasn't?!) then you will love this story.

The story is told from both Delilah and Oliver's perspectives, with the chapters alternating between the two, and between chapters of the fairy tale from Delilah's book. Not only is the main story between Oliver and Delilah brilliant but the fairy tale itself is an absolute delight to read! I loved reading those parts and escaping into that world just as Delilah does, with the magical tale of a prince and princess, plus added dragon, mermaids and fairies really hooking me in.

I couldn't put this book down. I just loved spending time with the characters and waiting to find out what would happen. It's not like anything Picoult has ever written, but it makes me want her to write more YA in the future. I'm so glad she helped her daughter's idea come to life! (Samantha originally pitched the idea to her mum and they decided to write it togther). It's a book I know I'll want to re-read over and over.

Anyone who loves and appreciates books should absolutely adore this one. If you love fairy tales then it's a must as well!

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.
Books like this: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, Enchanted by Alethia Contis.