Monsters Of Men - Patrick Ness

Just as a warning...Monsters Of Men is the third book in the Chaos Walking series so there may be spoilers in this if you cared....




OH MY GOD. If you have actually wade yourself through the older posts, you would know that I, like others, am a HUGE fan of the Chaos Walking series and of Patrick Ness in general. I loved the two books before, The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and The Answer. 
Those were amazing books...this is even more amazing....

First Sentence: "War," says Mayor Prentiss, his eyes glinting. "At last."

Todd and Viola are in New Prentisstown where the Spackle, the army,  the new settlers and the Answer have arrived all at the same time for battle and the only one who can save it is the Mayor....unfortunately. This book is about what happens in the end and how and most important if a) the war finally ends and b) WILL VIOLA AND TODD FINALLY KISS!
I have been waiting 2 long thick books for this....they better.

The book for me has everything a book could want. Love, Romance, War, Violence, Fantasy....it's just a great book. Everyone that's read it has said. It finally draws up conclusions to the mysteries that have been around since book 1 and we finally find out what was said in Todd's Ma's book. Well...it is obvious!
And the ending....was absolutely amazing. Such a good ending.
AND...if that isn't enough...guess what? I'm meeting Patrick Ness! I was on his website looking at something and saw that he was doing a book signing at Foyles, Charing Cross next Thursday and got places for me and 3 of my friends!
There will be, for anyone interested, him, Mary Hooper (!!!!), Anne Fine, Melvin Burgess, Bali Ali, Jenny Valentine and probably other people....I AM SO EXCITED!

Here is also a Monsters of Men trailer which I thought was really good. Enjoy.
Author's Website: www.patrickness.com/

Me and Mr Darcy - Alexandra Potter

This book I would never have picked. Let's face it. I hate classics that you can't understand what on earth is going on. But Pride & Prejudice, I love the costumes and of course, Mr Darcy (especially Colin Firth in a lake scene, thank you Miss Austen!). So I was in Tenerife on holiday with my family and *shock* I start to run out of books to read, which for me is the most annoying thing in the world. So after searching the bookstore high and low, I found this, brought it, and finished it this morning.

First Sentence: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl in possession of her right mind must be in want of a decent man.

Me And Mr Darcy is about twenty-something New Yorker, Emily Albright who as you can guess, LOVES Jane Austen. Instead of going on a trip to Mexico for alcohol and boys with her best friend Stella, she books a trip to England on a Jane Austen tour with fellow Jane Austen fans. On the trip among many old pensioners is Spike Hargreaves, a messy, annoying reporter, only there to write an article on Mr Darcy, who Emily immediatly hates. But one day, she walks into a room and suddenly Mr Darcy isn't only a fictional character, but a real person.

To be honest, it was okay. The middle got a bit boring but it's more of an adult book reader than someone like me. For those who have actually read Pride and Prejudice, you find out eventually it's at the part when Mr Darcy meets Elizabeth Bennet and then, he doesn't see her for months, where 'anything could have happened' I would read it again and it was good twist to the classic novel and as you can guess, Spike and Emily are like real life Darcy and Elizabeth.
I must admit that if Mr Darcy walked into the room now, I would probably either faint or scream...or go speechless. It made me think 'Hm. Maybe Mr Darcy isn't too amazing as every girl thinks he is.' Though, well done Jane Austen. I don't think anyone could forget the various Darcy's on TV and film (COLIN FIRTH!!) coming out of that lake in only a shirt. Hmmmm.....

Author's Website: www.alexandrapotter.com/

Meet Me at the Boathouse - Suzanne Bugler

I've seen the book in one of those recommended leaflets of teen books but never seen the book in the shops to get it ago. Well, at my spurt at the library, I saw it and picked it up.

DON'T READ IT. It was awful and incredibly boring and tedious. I didn't even finish it.

First Sentence: Danny told me there were seven major houses in Eppingham. I didn't really believe him but I went along with it anyway, just for a laugh.

The story is mostly about Lousie and her mixed up boyfriend Danny. Lousie, in Year 11 at school, knows that Danny loves her so much. It isn't his fault that he gets things wrong. Then something terrible happens and suddenly Danny and Louise are hanging out with dodgy people and doing things that aren't right or fair. Danny's starting to scare her. Was everyone else right from the start?

I thought sounds okay. It isn't. In about the first 30 pages, she had a boyfriend and it's about the continuous lies he tells, the stuff they do and his continue (and irritating) accusations of her not loving him. I was shouting at Louise to just dump the flipping guy.
Basically. If you want to read the book, my advice is to read till about half way (page 126 to be exact) and then read the last couple of chapters. The last chapter I must say it actually really good considering the rest of it. I especially liked the last part. So yeah, the book was a terrible let down. I wouldn't read it if I was you.


Sorry, Suzanne Bugler doesn't have a website. 

Everything Beautiful - Simone Howell

I have seen Everything Beautiful in Waterstones and though the cover was tempting, I just couldn't bring my self to actually buy it and read it, for some reason. I think the words Atheist and Christain Camp put me off, reminding me of a girl at school. Anyway, as you can tell as I dribble on about nothing, I did read it when I found it in the library. 


First Sentence: I am the maniac behind the wheel of a stolen dune buggy.

Riley Rose, tricked by her father and his annoying new girlfriend, is sent for her summer for a week at 'Christain Camp' called Spirit Ranch. However, the rather large Riley is an atheist and all round rebel on a misson. While she's there, she meets Dylan Luck, recently put into a wheelchair and fellow rebel (even though I didn't think he was that rebellous) and together truths are told, secrets revealed and Riley's dreaded week away turns into actual fun and changes her life.

The book was better than expected. There were times where the blurb sort of caught itself out. I mean Dylan, to me anyway, didn't seem like he was also trying to get in trouble. Apparently, together they ruin the camp but its more Riley. And Riley seems like this confident person who I guess I automatically put her in the normal/thin category but you find out she's actually quite fat or big. I didn't really sense it to be honest. But that maybe me. My favourite characters were Bird and latterly Fleur. Though she was a bit annoying at the beginning. Craig...eurgh, don't get me started on him. Overall, the book was really good with some great characters and I did quite enjoy it. Good read...read it. :)

Author's Website: www.simmonehowell.com/

Phantom of the Opera....

Oh dear god...Two very busy few weeks with exams and now Work experience in the fabulous Marks & Spencers. :)
Anyway, you may notice that my 'I'm Reading' photo has changed (that's if anyone actually goes on here and I'm not talking to myself) from Phantom of the Opera to (yes another) Sarah Dessen book, This Lullaby.
Well. My friend let me borrow it as I'm slightly obsessed with PotO so she recommended the book to me. So I start reading it last week and oh my god...I got to Chapter 4, bored and annoyed that 1) I hadn't met the main girl, Christine and 2) nothing in the show or movie had happened yet.
So I gave up. I don't do it often. I don't think classic books are my forte as I JUST managed Pride and Prejudice a couple of years ago.
Anyway. That's it.
COMMENT if you read this or any other reviews. It will help not think that I'm talking to myself :(

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac - Gabrielle Zevin

I got recommended this book by a friend when I was at her house. She gave me the book, promising me that I'd love it. I've read 'Elsewhere', also by Gabrielle Zevin and even though I thought Elsewhere was good, it wasn't amazing. So, I guess, I was a bit negative when I started this book. But I finished it this morning....oh dear god...I LOVE IT. haha :)

First Sentence: Above all, mine is a love story.And like most love stories, this one involves chance, gravity, a dash of head trauma. It began with a coin toss. The coin came up tails; I was heads.

If the coin had hit heads, there would be no book. But it hit heads... Naomi Porter has woken up in hospital with no idea why she is there and what has happened over the last 5 years. She doesn't know that her parents are divorced, she has a sister, who are friends are and if she has a boyfriend or not. As she pieces together what has happened before she lost her memory, she finds out that some of her life is best forgotton.

To start off with, I was sitting there thinking 'Get on with it.' but to be honest, the opening paragraph is needed and immediatly captured my attention. (That really sounds like something my english teacher would say, sorry). Naomi falls in love with guys (trying not to let too much away) - and if it wasn't a book and real life, she would be classed many things. Though, if the book was real life, you probably wouldn't remember your boyfriend and happen to like the guy that found you at the bottom of some steps. You never know. My favourite characters were Will, her best friend who if, in my opinion, was a real person, I would beg him to be my best friend. And Alice who just comes out with some of the funniest things. Didn't like Ace, you'll find out who he is, he's a bit of a jerk. I found a movie of it release this year but it's a Japanese movie (with Emma Roberts as Alice?) and I don't think it's going to be release over here. Sad. Overall, I would read and recommend this novel to anyone reading this.

I give it 5 out of 5

Author's Website: www.memoirsofa.com/

The Silver Blade - Sally Gardner

Okay. First if you haven't read THE RED NECKLACE which is the first book in this series, you may find some spoilers in this review. Maybe. Though some of the things might be slightly obvious and anyway, to be honest, you don't really have to have read the first book to read this book anyway. But just thought I'd put that just incase someone decides that their comment is an abusive one about ruining the book. :)




First Sentence: There is no more terrifying a  sight in all Paris than that of the guillotine. 

With that sorted, the book. This is the second and last in the series of The Red Necklace. And to be honest, the best.
It's set during the French Revoltution (1700's) and follows Yann, a young gypsy actor who has a double life with his friend, Didier that helps get French aristrocat familes out of the country to England before their sent to the guillotine. In England also lies his love, the beautiful Sido de Villidual whose father was murdered (I think) in The Red Necklace. Count Kalliovski, a murderous, friend of the devil nobleman is also planning something magical with the heads that roll for revenge against Yann and Sido. Will Sido and Yann ever meet again? Will they still be able to be together? And what is Kalliovski planning? Read the book.

It's a good book I must admit. The language and the way it all links is done well. However, there were a number of french words in italics that I didn't understand and kept cropping up. I do French now but still I was struggling translating it and I actually know some french. It would have been useful to have a glossary at the back for the words. I know this is going to sound so weird but I love the feel of the pages. I don't know but they've made the pages more flimsy and the writing slightly bigger and I loved that. :)
You don't really have to have read the last book to read this one though as I read The Red Necklace a year or so ago, I was struggling to remember who some of the people were that claimed they were in the first book. Oh well. Both are good books. Read them is my advice.

I give it 4 out of 5

Author's Website: www.sallygardner.net/

Drawing With Light - Julia Green

I've never read anything from Julia Green before let alone even heard of her. But at the end of a boring Easter holidays, I picked it up in my local library. It was the most interesting looking book there that I hadn't read before.


Drawing With Light follows Emily Woodman. Her life is completely changing. Her older sister, Kat, is just about to start uni; Dad and Cassy (her stepmum) have just bought an old house and now they and Emily have to live in a tiny caravan in the middle of a field which it's being done up; after a throwaway remark about Emily's real mother who left her, Kat and her dad when Emily was a baby. Meanwhile, she meets Seb, a beautiful boy with fine features, dark eyes and a love for running and she embarks on a special relationship with him. Can she keep the relationship going? Who was her mother? What was she like? Why did she go?

When I started the book, the first thing I thought was 'There is entirely too many exclamation marks.' I'm not kidding, until about half way through, there are so many exclamation marks. I counted about 6 in one conversation, mostly coming down Cassy. Apart from the beginning part, it is a good book. You can sort of predict the ending. And the ending does just sort of finish and seems like it was rushed a little. I loved Seb. I wish he was a real person. It is a funny, gripping summer read. A good 2nd book from Julia Green. Could be better but good. I'll be looking out for her stuff again.

I give it 3.5 out of 5
Author's Website: www.julia-green.co.uk/

RELEASE DATE OF NEXT CHAOS WALKING TRILOGY BY PATRICK NESS

Just after I wrote the last review, I looked on Patrick Ness' website and found the name of the last, final book in the series for anyone that wanted to know.

On Page 430 of The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd has a flash of memory: “War makes monsters of men, I hear Ben saying.”
On Page 102 of The Ask and the Answer, Viola remembers it, too: “War makes monsters of men, I say, quoting Ben...”

The name is.....
Monsters of Men

Out 3 May in the UK, Ireland and Australia, 12 May in New Zealand, 28 September in the US
Hope that helps anybody. Oh my, it's out in only 15 days :)

Chaos Walking Trilogy: The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Sorry I finished this book ages ago but it's Easter holidays here so I was away and then this week I was ill. First, if you haven't read the first book in the series, The Knife of Never Letting Go then, there's no point reading this review until you have. The book does refer to the first one, which was amazing and had me asking some of my friends what happened because I wanted to know so much. They never told me. :(

First Sentence: "Your Noise reveals you, Todd Hewitt."

The trilogy is about a young, nearly 13 year-old boy, Todd Hewitt and a young, about the same age girl from another planet, Viola. They've finally got to Haven, the place where Viola can contact her ships to help them, and as you know from the first book, come face to face with the person they were running away from: Mayor Prentiss. Haven has changed completely. The famous Noise echos again through the town which is full of secrets and violence under the new name of New Prentisstown. As they are separated, Todd is forced to learn the new ways of the Mayor's new order. But where is Viola? Is she alive? Is she under the new mysterious Answer?
Then. The bomb explodes and both are forced to keep their secrets under the most extreme pressure as their relationship seems to develop.
The last book was ended on a cliffhanger as is this book. It isn't as fast-moving as the first book but I liked that. It was less exhausting to read and I prefered it. You get to know Todd and Viola more and see their relationship develop. Which is nice. It isn't a book for those people who want happiness as there are some unhappy bits as well as gory, so you can't watch your thumb bleeding, maybe don't read it. The chapters have Viola's and Todd's point of view which I loved as the first book I think only had Todd's point of view and only near the end included Viola's.
Read it. They are great books. I can't wait for the next one :)

I give it a 4.5 out of 5
Author's Website: www.patrickness.com/