January's Book of the Month!

Well hasn't 2013 got off to a flying start?! I've no idea where that time has gone! I've reviewed so many amazing books this month that choosing just one is going to be hard. Each month I look back on the previous month's reviews and choose one book that stood out from the crowd. It doesn't have to have been released that month, just reviewed on the blog. So, without further ado, my Book of the Month for January is...

Skylark by Meagan Spooner!

This was so tough decision but is Skylark was such a beautiful book that it totally deserves some extra praise. I really enjoyed Lark's journey and the magical world the book took place in. I got absolutely absorbed in this book and can't wait to read more of the world. One I'd highly recommend! Read my full review of Skylark right here or find out more on Goodreads here.

Runners up:
Reached by Ally Condie
What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

WWW Wednesdays: 6th February

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by MizB over at Should be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading: Luminaire by Ciye Cho - the sequel to Florence which I really enjoyed! And I'm re-reading Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty because it's one of my favourite books and it's been too long since I read it.

Recently finished: Entangled by Cat Clarke - really enjoyed it but trying to unscramble my brain to write the review!

What I'm reading next: Well I just got my new Kindle (squeee!) so I'm really excited to read some of the books I have on that. I'll probably read Crewel by Gennifer Albin next and maybe Devilish by Maureen Johnson after that, both books I have ready to read on there.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Memories

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish and I was so, so excited for this week's topic! Here are my top ten bookish memories (and I'm sure there's plenty I've forgotten but there's some enough ones in there - I got quite emotional writing this post which is a good sign!).

1. Meeting J. K. Rowling when I was 9 - Literally this is one of the biggest days of my life and something I will remember for ever. When Goblet of Fire was released JKR did a signing in my hometown and I was lucky enough to win a ticket to go and meet her. The story of how I won it was quite funny. I was up way early (this was before midnight releases so I was up before 6am - very early for a 9 year old!) and I queued outside the book shop with the other die hard fans. They were only giving tickets to the first 10 or so people and I missed out. Still, I had my book so I couldn't complain too much, and as my mum and I walked across town we bumped into some other people who let us know Borders (I know - I miss Borders too!) were still giving away tickets to the event. So we hurried over there and sure enough they were! The actual event was crazy - we queued for hours, there were TV crews there and then eventually I got to go in to the train carriage (where the signing was being held) and meet JKR. She said hi to me - something I still remember!

2. Finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Now the above makes it seem like I was a die-hard Potterhead from a young age, but when the 5th book was released I just wasn't in the same place and so I didn't read it right away. Then life got in the way and it wasn't until the release of the final Potter book, when my mum bought me the last few books as a Christmas present, that I actually got round to finishing the series. So I was a bit behind the times and everyone had read the ending a few months before me, but that didn't stop that feeling off emptiness hitting me any less! In the end I made my mum read the books so we could talk about them together. To this day she's as much of a fan as me.

3. The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 midnight showing. - Now this isn't technically related to the book but because I missed out on the midnight book releases I was determined to make it to a midnight showing of a Harry Potter film, and what an incredible experience it was! It was so good to share that moment with die hard fans and see those emotional moments get the reception they deserved. And of course being surrounded by other people who were dressed up was pretty cool too!

4. Meeting Matthew Lewis - Again, not technically related to the book but if I'm using the above memory then I might as well use this one ;) The actor who plays Neville in the films did a signing in my hometown and so I went!

5. Riding the Hogwarts Express - I know, I know, I'm still going on about Potter. But so many happy memories are associated with those books! Last year a friend and I went to the same place where I met JKR and Matt Lewis to actually ride the Hogwarts Express, something I'd never done before! And yes, it was amazing.

 

6. Visiting platform 9 and 3/4 - Last Potter one I promise ;)

7. Meeting Jodi Picoult - Jodi Picoult is one of the authors who I credit with my love of reading, and so meeting and getting my copy of Sing You Home signed by her was incredible.

8. London book shopping! - Last summer I went to London and of course I had to use that opportunity to visit some amazing book shops! I visited Foyles at Westfield Stratford City and Waterstone's Piccadilly and fell in love with both places!

9. Finishing Jane Eyre - So I literally only read this book last month but it was kind of a milestone for me. I'm so bad at reading classics but I was familiar with the story of Jane Eyre so decided to finally give it a go, and I discovered a new favourite book!

10. Reading The Mortal Instruments series - When I first started City of Bones my friend saw my Goodreads update, let me know that she had read the books too and offered to lend me the rest of them. Now we share that love of the series. Recently another lovely friend has started reading the books and that's given us even more to talk about as we fangirl together! I love that a series of books has brought me closer to people <3

Review: Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carrol 

[Goodreads page]

Author: Lewis Carroll. Website
Published: 1871 (Originally published)
Format: Hardback Illustrated Edition (Macmillan)
Pages: 192
Project Gutenberg: E-book 
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback
Challenge: 2013 Children's Classics Challenge
Source: Own

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Nothing is quite what it seems once Alice journeys through the looking-glass, and Dodgson's wit is infectious as he explores concepts of mirror imagery, time running backward, and strategies of chess-all wrapped up in the exploits of a spirited young girl who parries with the Red Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and other unlikely characters.  

My Review:
I really enjoyed Alice in Wonderland when I finally got round to reading it as part of my challenge, so I was excited to read Through the Looking-Glass! Once again we join Alice, only this time she takes a trip through a mirror over her fireplace and finds herself in a topsy-turvey world and meets more wonderful characters.

I liked that this book started out with Alice in her cats, as she spend so much time talking about Dinah in Alice in Wonderland. This book took a little longer to get into the actual story but once it did I absolutely fell in love with the idea. Wondering what would happen if you could get inside your mirror is such a wonderfully imaginative idea that I'm sure we've all guessed and wondered at as a child. It certainly gave me that nostalgic feeling reading it! I love how Carroll played with the idea of things being backwards like time going the wrong way and people doing things in the wrong order.

I was happy to be reunited with Alice as I just think she's a fantastic character. I love how her imagination is so key to everything and it's almost encouraged to be that imaginative.Her attitude and ways of speaking really helped add that humour to the story.

My favourite part of this book was all the little poems and songs throughout the book, from the Jabberwocky to the Knight's song. Just reading them I could hear little tunes or hear the characters voices in my mind and it really helped bring it all to life. As with Alice in Wonderland I loved the play on words. My favourite bits were the mentions of the rocking-horse-fly and the bread-and-butter-fly which just had me grinning from ear to ear.

The story itself was a little lacking in something - it didn't seem to go anywhere or feel like much of a journey - but I don't think it spoilt the enjoyment too much. It's one of those books that's just a pleasure to read even if it doesn't fulfill much. The ending was quite abrupt and took me a little surprise but I think I liked it! There's no reason to read Alice in Wonderland and not read Through the Looking-Glass and it only took me an afternoon to read, so I'd highly recommend them both for a fun bit of escapism.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Books like this: Splintered by A. G. Howard

Weekly Book Round Up! 3rd February

Weekly Book Round Up!

28th January - 3rd February

Are we really into February already?! Let's kick off another round up of the week's blog happenings and book ramblings!

Currently reading: I was expecting some of my library books to arrived by now so I don't really have anything lined up. I might use this week to catch up on some adult reads whilst I'm waiting!

Received for review: I actually got this last week but didn't check my emails in time to include it in my post - oops! Luminaire by Ciye Cho is the sequel to Florence which I reviewed this month and really enjoyed. Thank you to the author for sending me a copy!

Books finished: Entangled by Cat Clarke, If I Stay by Gayle Forman and Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins - reviews of both to come!

Books reviewed: Seizure by Kathy Reichs, Shift by Em Bailey, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (audio) and Defiance by C. J. Redwine.

Other posts: Teaser Tuesdays, Friday Finds

What have you been reading this week? Let me know in the comments or leave a link to your blog and I'll try and stop by!

Review: Defiance by C. J. Redwine

Defiance by C. J. Redwine

[Goodreads page]

Author: C. J. Redwine. Website|Twitter
Published: 6 September 2012 (Atom)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback

Source: Own/received as present

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Rachel’s world is confined to the protective walls around her city. Beyond them are violent wanderers, extreme terrain, and a danger straight out of legend: a beast called the Cursed One that devastates everything in its path.

When Rachel’s father goes missing, she is desperate to search for him. But her attempts to flee the city bring her to the attention of its overbearing ruler. His efforts to control her make the world within the walls seem as dangerous as that outside. 

My Review:
I'd seen a lot of this book on Twitter and Goodreads last year and it was on my Amazon wishlist for a while, so when it finally arrived for Christmas I was delighted! Defiance follows Rachel who is placed under the protection of her father's apprentice Logan when her father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead.

I absolutely love books told from multiple perspectives, especially when we get the male perspective too (Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater etc.) so I was really happy to are we get both Rachel and Logan's point of view through alternating chapters throughout the book. I fell in love with both characters and their voices and it helped give even more insight into the world.

The olden day type city where Rachel and Logan live is ruled by the Commander, a horrible dictator who makes a cracking villain. The residents also live in fear of the Cursed One - a fire breathing creature who lives below the surface of the earth, occasionally breaking the surface and destroying the surrounding wasteland. There was this wonderful atmosphere of fear from all the characters that really demonstrated how powerful the writing was. The nature of the way the city is ruled in that that the citizens are kept behind a wall 'for their own protection' gives it that unnerving element where you as a reader know how wrong the situation is.

One of the things that really made this book one I could get so passionate about was the way women are treated and how Rachel becomes this strong female character who defies the oppression of women that surrounds her. In the city of Baalboden young women must not be out without their 'protector' and at seventeen are 'claimed' by a man. They're even denied a proper education which just made me so angry, but I loved that Redwine has tackled that subject so brilliantly. It made me really root for Rachel as well. She's a real fighter!

The romantic element to the story was done so well. The two main characters have a history together so there's a real connection there - as opposed to something that comes out of nowhere. You can tell they genuinely care for each other, even when their situation is unclear. What they go through together really strengthens that bond and I loved how that developed throughout the story. It just felt so different from other YA relationships - a real breath of fresh air! I think it helped I was so fond of both characters. Logan is so creative and loyal - I adore him! I liked that he played such a key role in the story as well.

There's still so much I want to praise about this book, from the spot on pacing (even when the characters are travelling for days - where the story could have dragged - it didn't at all!) to the rich, creative world it takes place in. The writing in general in this book blew me away. The scenes in the market, for example, were so vivid that I could almost smell the surroundings and taste the food! It's a book I want to go out and recommend to everyone right now, and the climax to the story has me on tenterhooks. I'm dying to read the sequel already! This is really a book to savour and treasure.

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Deception by C. J. Redwine, the unreleased 2nd book in the Courier's Daughter trilogy
Books like this: Skylark by Meagan Spooner

Friday Finds: 1st February

 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).

 

The Archived by Victoria Schwab
Weather Witch by Shannon Delany 
Deception by C. J. Redwine 
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 
Flat Out Love by Jessica Park

I've been hearing a lot of buzz about The Archived which was released recently. Weather Witch was something I came across via a few Sunday round up posts. It sounds really interesting! Deception is the sequel to Defiance which I just finished and absolutely loved! So I'm excited to check that out when it's released. The Mara Dyer books have been popping up on my Goodreads feed lately so decided to add the first one to my TBR! Added Flat Out Love  because I've been wanting to try some New Adult for a while and I've heard good things about this book in particular.

What are your finds for this week? Leave a link in the comments and I'll stop by your post!