Weekly Book Round Up! - 2nd September

Weekly Book Round Up!

27th August - 2nd September

Well this week I have a very exciting announcement. I'm going to Leakycon! :D Leakycon is a Harry Potter fan convention and in 2013 they're coming to London. They have Leakycon Lit events which feature YA authors, so I decided to go for that as well so I could get to indulge myself in YA goodness. I can't wait!

Now on to the round up! Here are the books I've been reading this week:

Currently reading: Blue Moon by Alyson Noel. I'm finally starting to move onto some sequels of series I've only read the first book of! Excited about this one. I really liked Evermore.

Books finished: Blood Red Road by Moira Young (review coming soon!), The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, Sabriel by Garth Nix.

Library books: Blood Red Road by Moira Young and Blue Moon by Alyson Noel.

What have you been reading this week?

Review: The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

Goodreads page

Author: Lauren Kate. Website, Twitter

Published: 6 January 2011 (Corgi Children's)

Pages: 288

Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Bought (charity shop)

Plot Summary:
Natalie is utterly determined to cement her position at the top of the high school social ladder by becoming prom queen. When it looks like an interfering ex-boyfriend might get in her way, she devises a little prank to humiliate him. But when the prank goes devastatingly wrong, Natalie starts to lose control of her life.

My Review:
I'm still waiting for Fallen to become available from the library, so when I spotted this book in my local charity shop I decided to grab it and get my first Lauren Kate fix. Natalie Hargrove is the queen bee, and with the prestigious Palmetto ball approaching, Natalie wants nothing more than to be crowned princess alongside her boyfriend and hopeful prince Mike.

I'm going to start out by saying that this book was a total guilty pleasure. It felt like the kind of book I really shouldn't have liked as much as I did! Natalie Hargrove is a totally horrible character. She'll do whatever she can to get exactly what she wants, and holds this influence over her fellow students. After her mum's marriage got her a ticket to the nice side of town, she's determined to stay there and forget her past. Basically, she's pretty ruthless.

Despite this, I found myself completely hooked into the drama. The writing style really grabbed me and even though I knew I should hate Natalie, I just couldn't put this book down and I loved finding out what was round the corner for her. It's pretty typical high school drama for the first half of the book. Everyone's talking about the school ball and there's parties, drinking and plenty of steamy make-out sessions between Mike and Natalie. Just when I thought this was looking to turn into some kind of love triangle, the plot took a completely different turn to what I was expecting, and suddenly lives are on the line.

If you want a book where characters learn from their mistakes or go on a journey then this isn't really that book. If you like American high school drama with a massive order of bitchiness and scheming then it is. I would have liked a bit more depth to Natalie's character. It felt there could have been a lot more to her than there was in the end and I was a bit disappointed by the way it ended. What it definitely has done is tickled my tastebuds and made me want to read more by Lauren Kate.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Fallen by Lauren Kate
Books like this: Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook

Friday Finds - 31st August

FRIDAY FINDS is hosted over at Should Be Reading and showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook - added after finishing The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove and seeing this book was markes as similar on Goodreads.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman - added after it appeared on my Goodreads feed.

Demonglass/Raising Demons by Rachel Hawkins - added after finishing (and LOVING) Hex Hall.

Unremembered by Jessica Brody - added after discovering on Goodreads.

Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Goodreads page

Author: Rachel Hawkins. Website, Twitter
Published: 1 April 2010 (Simon and Schuster Children's Books)
Pages: 336
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback|e-book
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

My Review:
If there's a type of book I can almost guarantee I'll love, it's one set in a magical school. Hex Hall tells the story of Sophie Mercer, a witch whose latest spell mishap lands her in Hectate Hall, a reformatory school for magical students.

Literally within the first few pages I knew I was going to adore this book! Sophie's humour from the very first page was hilarious and instantly I was hooked. It's in the first person so you get her witty, sarcastic view on the world and the people around her and I was laughing all the way through. I just loved the writing style! Sophie as a character is pretty brilliant, too. She's a bit of a klutz and feels totally out of her depth at her new school. Growing up as a witch, separated from the magical world, she's used to living the human life and soon realises she's going to have to embrace her powers.

What made this book even more awesome was the mix of magical people. Witches, check. Shifters, check. Vampires, check. Faeries, check. It's a winning combination, and throw in all the teen drama and competition between the different magical races and it adds up to a constantly exciting story. The school setting providing everything from cool classes, that give you a glimpse of everybody's powers, to romantic clashes. Sophie's fellow witches Elodie, Chaston and Anna provide plenty of bitchiness and upset to Sophie's school life which upped the drama. Add in the fact that Elodie is dating the gorgeous Archer who Sophie finds herself drawn to and there's plenty of drama and rivalry to get stuck into! Just what I like.

My favourite character, though, was Sophie's best friend Jenna, a vampire with a southern accent, love of pink and wicked sense of humour. She really stood out to me. I loved every moment when Sophie and Jenna were together. They made a hilarious pairing!

Throughout the book there's plenty of mystery and intrigue, from Sophie's family to the "covern" trio of Anna, Chaston and Elodie. There's plenty of things for Sophie to discover about the school itself and the people she meets there. I was totally gripped as the ending provided more and more twists and turns, including some truly jaw-dropping surprises!

I wish I'd picked up this book sooner because I totally fell in love with everything about it. If you love magic school stories then don't miss this one!

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins, book 2 in the Hex Hall series
Books like this: Evernight by Claudia Gray

Teaser Tuesdays - 28th August

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

 

 

 

"Her words sounded garbled, like she was mumbling around a mouthful of marbles. Then I realized that she was mumbling around a mouthful of fangs."

 

- page 44, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Review: Sabriel by Garth Nix

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Goodreads page

Author: Garth Nix. Website, Twitter
Published: 6 May 2003 (Harper Collins Children's Books)
Pages: 368
Amazon: paperback|audio
Waterstone's: paperback|audio
Book Depository: paperback|audio

Source: Bought from a charity shop.

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
For many years Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Charter-Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.

My Review:
I picked up this book up not knowing much about it. I'd heard of Garth Nix and wanted to read more fantasy so it was an impulse buy based on that. I've had it sitting on my shelves for ages and picked it up a few times, but I'd never really felt in the mood for this kind of book. Feeling like now was the right time to read it, I dove in. Sabriel is a necromancer, daughter of the powerful Abhorsen. When her father ends up in trouble he sends a message to Sabriel, who must set out on a quest to find him.

I think the reason I'd been put off when I'd picked it up in the past were the opening few pages. They didn't really grab me, but I soon discovered that this was just a prologue. Once I got into the main part of the story I found myself more interested. I liked the opening, discovering the magical world the book takes place in. Sabriel has the power to reach into death and bring people back from the dead, and can sense death around her. It was a great premise that hooked me in.

I was a bit disappointed when I realised that we weren't going to see more of the school which is the setting at the beginning of the story. I love magic school stories and it seemed like Wyverly College, where Sabriel attends and hones her magic, had a lot of potential. Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the idea of her quest. The pace suffered a bit when Sabriel was alone because there was pages and pages with no dialogue but once she met up with Mogget, a spirit housed in a talking white cat, things picked up again.

The second half of the book was where I started to lose interest. Fantasy can be quite dense sometimes and I found myself a bit in over my head when it came to some of the finer details of the world. I don't think this was helped by the fact I found the writing to be a bit clunky. I was put off the plot when some romantic elements were introduced which just made me flat out cringe. Several plot points bugged me by just being far too convenient as well. The point of view switched perspective between characters a few times at completely random points which was a bit annoying.

The ending did pull it back a little and it built to a great climax. I'm still undecided whether I'll look up the sequel. Part of me wants to know what happens but I just don't know if this series is for me. Overall it wasn't the most enjoyable read. It had a lot of potential, though. A disappointing 2 stars for me.

Rating: 2*
What to read next: Lirael by Garth Nix, book 2 in the Abhorsen trilogy
Books like this: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, Mister Monday by Garth Nix

Weekly Book Round Up! - 26th August

Weekly Book Round Up!

20th - 26th August

Has another week passed already?! Below you can find out what books I've been reading, aquiring and reviewing this week. But the big news is that Total Teen Fiction is now on Facebook! Make sure you visit the page or hit the like button below so you can keep up with all the latest posts and news about the blog.

Currently reading: Sabriel by Garth Nix. I bought this book forever ago and have been meaning to read it for ages. Finally getting round to it!

Books finished: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, Before I Die by Jenny Downham, The Eyes of the Desert Sand by Edwin Wolfe.

Library books: I picked up Blood Red Road by Moira Young from the library this week. Can't wait to read it, finally!

Library holds: I'm currently waiting for Fallen by Lauren Kate and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.