The Diviners

The Diviners

Author- Libba Bray
Page count- 529 (hardcover)
Publisher- Little/Brown books
Publication Date- September 18th 2012

Synopsis 

17 year old Evie O'Neil has been exiled from her boring home town of Chicago to New York City, where she will stay with her uncle Will and his museum of the occult, but she couldn't be happier after all dreams come true in New York- quite literally it seems. 

However amongst her euphoria of finally being in New York, Evie is hiding a dark secret. A supernatural ability which she fears her uncle will find out about. But as a string of cryptic murders come to light Will is called to help enlisting in his student Jericho's and Evie's help. 

And whilst Evie Is plunged into a world of murder, mysteries, speakeasies, old and new friends, New York has things to hide.

A chorus girl named Theta is hiding in the shadows of her past. A con artist named Sam is out for revenge. A student called Jericho hides a big secret. A young opportunist named Memphis longs for more. And a blind homeless man sees more than most for an evil has awakened one that no one is prepared for.

My opinion

For fans of Cassandra Clare and Marissa Meyer: 

Where to begin? I have so much love for this book it has everything I've ever wanted all in one, a strong witty female protagonist, fantasy, urban legends, witty dialogue... I could go on and on and on but I think you get it. I laughed, I swooned and I was legitimately sacred at some points.

Bray's portrayal of 1920's New York and the period detail was so brilliantly executed that I felt like I was there; experiencing women's liberation, speakeasies and flappers in and amongst the hight of the Jazz era however Brays representation wasn't all beaded necklaces and marathon dancing. Amongst the clouded euphoria of the roaring twenties Bray shows a much darker side of New York with it being the hight of the civil rights movement, xenophobia, gang wars and prohibition. Amid all of this Bray weaves in a fanatical occult killer and elements of fantasy. Which will have you drawn in immediately. 

Evie O'Neil is a swell ( did you see what I did there? ) character, easily one of my most loveable protagonists! Her development in retaliation to her situation was brilliantly executed. She has this magnetic quality that makes you wish she was real, because having a friend like her? No day would be boring! I Loved Evie's relationship with the other characters, especially with her uncle Will, her polar opposite who she ends up solving murder mysteries with. The witty banter between Evie and Sam was one of my favourite aspects of the book, I was constantly re-reading their scenes, I couldn't get enough!

Now I could beat my gums (eh eh?? ;)) about every single one of these characters all day long but we would be here forever, the book has so many layers with a wide range of characters but you'll just have to take my word that they are all equally brilliant! But don't be fooled because they are hiding secrets of their own too. 

“You can’t blame a fella for kissing the prettiest girl in New York, can you, sister?” Sam’s grin was anything but apologetic. Evie brought up her knee quickly and decisively, and he dropped to the floor like a grain sack. “You can’t blame a girl for her quick reflexes now, can you, pal?” 

I will say though that there dialogue is quite heavy with 1920's slang which takes some getting used to, now me? I loved it, it made the book seem more real for it's period. However I can see how people could get annoyed by it!

Now, for the murderer! Apart from Anna Dressed in Blood books don't normally scare me, films yes, heck yes. But books? Not so much, not until I read this one. Our Murderer/deranged occult believer is one of the most twisted characters I've ever met who gave me the heebie-jeebies (I'll stop with the 1920's slang now), and all I could keep thinking was how has bray managed to go from writing fluffy swoon worthy banter to creating this dark, mutilating killer with his own theme song... Naughty John, Naughty John... 

“Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on. Cuts your throat and takes your bones, sells 'em off for a coupla stones.” 

P.s. I can't do this book justice, Just read it.

P.p.s. If the cover alone doesn't make you want to read it then I don't know what will!

                                                                      Rating: 9/10

New Posts

Hey guys!
I know i've not posted in a while, I've been busy acclimatising to university life. But i'm back now and i'll be posting a lot more frequently. This blog will become much more interactive so look out for giveaways ect!

love, Solin x

Jellicoe Road Review

Jellicoe Road (On the Jellicoe Road) 

Author- Melina Marchetta
Page count- 419 (hardback)
Publisher-  Penguin Australia
Publication Date- August 28th 2006

Synopsis 

Taylor Markham, abandoned on the Jellicoe Road when she was a young girl now lives in the Jellicoe boarding school for the orphaned, criminally inclined, troubled and now erratic, disinterested Taylor has been elected leader of the Territory wars played by her school against the local students (Townies) and the cadets and to top it all off, the cadets, known for their ruthlessness, are now led by Jonah Griggs, the boy from Taylor's past who she never thought she would see again. The territory wars are about to recommence.

But Taylor has other things on her mind like the hermit who whispered in her ear, the mysterious boy from her dreams a cat that looks perpetually scared and a prayer tree, Taylor is trying to piece together the mystery of her past like why her mum abandoned her and how just moments after Hannah her closest friend and mentor seemed to find her. But now that Hannah has disappeared leaving only a manuscript featuring war games, love lost and found and the unshakeable bond of friendship it is up to Taylor to piece it all together.

My opinion

There are some books- and I am talking only a handful- that no matter how long it's been since you have finished them you can't get them out of your head, they find a permanent place in your heart and re-reading them is like visiting an old friend, now, there are even fewer YA books that can leave an effect like this so trust me when I say that Jellicoe Road (or On the Jellicoe Road) is without a doubt one of those books. Melina Marchetta has yet again blown me away with another one of her beautifully told stories, each time I think that her next book could not possibly be any better than the last and each time I have been sourly mistaken. Marchetta's sophisticated, complex and intricately woven stories that deal with many contemporary issues restore my faith in teen fiction. I wholeheartedly believe that Melina Marchetta deserves so much more recognition that what she now gets and I am making it my life's mission to make sure that everyone reads this book.

The story of Taylor Markham on the Jellicoe Road is powerful, tragic and deeply thoughtful that evokes emotion from the very depth of your heart and leaves you raw to the bone but in a good way... if there is such a thing. I cannot put into words how much I love this book and how much it means to me all I know is that this is a story that will stay with me for a very long time now the rest is up to you to find out!

                                                        Rating: 10/10

A New Chapter

So it has been a while since I have posted a review but things have been pretty crazy, getting my A-Level results, I am going to uni! so there has been preparing for that and just general summer life, reading, working, going out etc. So anyway to make up for the lack of reviews I have complied a list of end of summer/ beginning of Autumn book list.

1. Jellicoe Road- Melina Marchetta 
2. We Were Liars - E. Lockhart 
3. Eleanor and Park- Rainbow Rowell 
4. Paper Towns- John Green 
5. If I Stay- Gayle Forman 
6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone- Lani Taylor 
7. The book Thief- Markus Zusak 
8. Throne of Glass- Sarah J. Maas
9. Sea of Tranquillity - Katja Millay 
10. Cinder- Marissa Meyer

I think that if you follow this list, the transition of your summer into Autumn/Winter will go smoothly and I hope you enjoy them!

The Infernal Devices

The Infernal Devices 

Author- Cassandra Clare
Publisher- Simon and Schuster
Book 1- Clockwork Angel: published August 21st 2010, 479 Pages (first edition)
Book 2- Clockwork Prince: published December 6th 2011, 502 pages 
Book 3- Clockwork Princess: Published September 5th 2013, 567 pages

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray arrives in England in the hopes of being re-united with her brother but something dark is waiting for her in London's supernatural underworld. Friendless, hunted and in search of her missing brother Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters. Together they find themselves up against the Pandemonium club a organisation consisting of vampires, warlocks and even humans. Tessa's world has been turned upside down, in a world filled with vampires, Shadowhunters and Warlocks who can she truly trust? and where does she fit in among them?
Drawn ever deeper into their world Tessa finds herself fascinated and torn between between two best friends, but she must be careful as there is a traitor among them and the head of the Pandemonium club will not stop until he gets what he wants- Tessa.
Together with the Shadowhunters Tessa must find a way to stop the Pandemonium Club and save the Shadowhunters, even more so now that one of their own in threatened. 
However in and among all this Tessa soon realizes that love may be the most Dangerous magic of all.

My opinion 

I have been meaning to review this trilogy for a while now but something has kept holding me back but I'm finally writing one so here we go...

Firstly just a fair bit of warning for people who haven't heard of these books, it is the prequel series to the mortal instruments (the City of Bones books) so I would recommend reading those first if you're interested in these!
Secondly I have to say Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter story world is one of my favorites it's so brilliantly thought out every detail included, and this is without a doubt my favorite trilogy.

Now, when I first read the mortal instruments books I was in awe I completely fell in love with this fantasy world that Clare has so brilliantly executed and when I heard of a prequel series I have to admit I was skeptical as I'm sure we are all when it comes to spin-off series or prequels but it blew me away it was such an incredible trilogy and I liked it even more than the mortal instruments which believe me was something i'd never thought if say.

There is something so spellbinding about the way the characters are presented in this book, and for me one of the reasons I loved it more than the mortal instruments was that it felt like more of a mature read because the characters felt more mature. They are mostly of a similar age but there was just something about them that meant I could relate to them better, and expect to see some familiar names pop up *cough* perhaps a fabulous warlock *cough*

"One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us" 

One of the most common criticisms I've seen about these books is about Tessa being 'too girly' and unable to protect herself which I think is a harsh criticism as you have to remember when reading this book it was set in 1878 and back then girls didn't fight or wear trousers and yes men did protect them yet despite all the cultural stereotypes Tessa develops into a strong self-assured character capable of protecting herself  and that for me has been one of the best character developments I've read. 

The infernal devices is a beautiful trilogy about family, betrayal, self sacrifice, self-discovery  and the lengths we will go to for love.

                                                    Rating: I give these book 9.5/10

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight 

Author- Jennifer E. Smith
Page count- 236
Publisher- Poppy/Little Brown
Publication Date- January 2nd 2012

Synopsis

how well can you know someone after 24 hours?

17 year old Hadley Sullivan is preparing for the worst day of her Life, her father's wedding, and if that isn't already bad enough the wedding is in an unfamiliar country, she's flying out alone,she's never even met her soon to be step-mother oh and she's missed her flight.

She's stuck at JKF airport late for her father's wedding waiting for her flight when she meets Oliver, British born, American student, Oliver who is sitting on her row.

The long night that Oliver and Hadley spend on the plane together sparks an unforgettable connection between the two but nonetheless passes within a blink of an eye. Upon arrival Oliver and Hadley loose track of each other but can fate intervene to bring them back together once more?

My opinion

If you were a fan of Anna and the French Kiss you'll love this book!

Although this book only takes place over a 24 hours period.... a 24 hour period for both the characters and the reader it feels like a life time, I developed such an attachment to this book- and I think I read it in like 2-3 hours but then again it is only 236 pages long- whether I loved this book so much due to the way it was written or how the characters were presented I don't know but the statistical probability of this book making you laugh and cry or just feel an epic bout of sympathy is high.

What I loved about this book was that firstly the author managed to give you a deep understanding of the characters and make you fall in love with them in only 236 pages I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW JENNIFER E. SMITH HAS MADE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK IN ONLY 236 PAGES as you can tell that baffles me quite a bit. and secondly the chemistry and flirty banter between Oliver and Hadley was a nice thing to read, it was gradually built up and maintained throughout the story.

“It's one thing to run away when someone's chasing you. It's entirely another to be running all alone.” 

Now this is not necessarily one of my favourite books but it was just so easy to read and despite what you might gleam from the title it's not as cheesy as you might think, and to me it was quite a thought provoking book that expresses the beauty of the teenage mind. I mean we've all played out the meeting your soul mate scenario in an airport in our heads haven't we?

*coughs* no? just me?

                                  
                                                            rating: 7/10

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer overview:

Author- Michelle Hodkin
Page count- 456 pages 
Publisher- Simon and Schuster Books
Publication date- September 27th 2011

Synopsis

Who is Mara Dyer?

After waking up in a hospital with no recollection of how she got there it's up to Mara to piece together what's really going on in her life. 

She is seeing things that shouldn't be there, seeing people that definitely shouldn't be there...

But after loosing her best friend and completely re-shuffling her life Mara doesn't think life can get any worse, and with her sanity now in question is there anyone out there who will listen to her?

Mara Dyer is not who you think she is.


My opinion

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one of my favorite books/series so this review may be a bit bias (ok a lot bias) but I just really adore this book and the characters.

There is just something about Michelle's writing that captivated me from the beginning, and from the beginning I mean the first page, also the way the story comes out in bits and pieces for you to put together really spurs you on to read more. 

"My name is not Mara Dyer, but my lawyer told me I had to choose something. A pseudonym. A nom de plume, for all of us studying for the SATs. I know that having a fake name is strange, but trust me—it’s the most normal thing about my life right now."

But more than this element of who is Mara dyer? the book just has a brilliant set of characters; you have the loving and protective older brother, over bearing parents, the gay best friend *eye roll* (but he really is amazing) and of course the guy...

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a paranormal/fantasy/mystery book with a hint of insanity, and it lives up to these genre's I was genuinely creeped out at some points, which is partly why i think I loved it so much and I don't want to ruin that for you if you decide to read it. 

And the next book; The evolution of Mara Dyer, just had me speechless, the plot and the twists and some of the STILL unanswered questions will have you even more hooked.

Rating: 8/10