BOOK REVIEW | EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING BY NICOLA YOON

Title: Everything, Everything

Author: Nicola Yoon

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Mature YA Contemporary

Publication Date: 1st September 2015

Format: eArc

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads

Since this year started, I've read over 50 books. That's a lot of books. And out of those 50+ books, this one is by far my favourite of the year so far. To me, it was just miles ahead of everything else I have read this year. I am honestly in awe of Nicola Yoon and this BEAUTIFUL book. I am officially obsessed.

So you can probably tell that I'm already gushing and am struggling to form coherent sentences and that is because it is SO RARE that I come across a book such as this one, that makes me go, 'oh my gosh, this is my new favourite book', and it happened with Everything, Everything. 

It follows Madeline who has an extremely rare disease (SCID) that results in her being allergic to pretty much everything in the outside world. She lives indoors through filtered air and carefully cooked plain foods and is cared for by her mother (who is a doctor) and her nurse (who has been her nurse since she was young). Her father and brother were killed in an accident when she was just four months old, so her mother and her nurse, Carla, are the only people she communicates with. Then a family moves in next door and she is immediately drawn to the teenage boy and his living situation (his father is an alcoholic and is very abusive) and they lock eyes through her window. 

I'm not going to say anymore, because there are still MONTHS of anticipation for some of you who have to wait until the release date! :(

This book has everything. It has a beautiful romance that isn't at all cheesy and will literally deposit butterflies into your stomach with each word you read, it has aspects of mental illness (which I think it really important to be incorporated into YA novels), it has an amazing and intriguing plot line that will leave you in awe, it has effortless and stunning writing and it will make you FEEL THINGS. And that's what reading is all about! A book really hits home for me when I feel it in my soul. I am so in love with this book and I can't wait for everyone else to read it. <3

Plot: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Writing: ★★★★★

Romance/Feels: ★★★★★
Ending: ★★★★★
Overall Enjoyment: ★★★★★

Final Rating: 5 stars!

BOOK REVIEW | A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series or standalone: The first in a trilogy

Genre: Mature YA Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling

Publication Date: 7th May 2015

Format: eArc

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads

This book. THIS BOOK. 

I was a bit wary going into this one because I was disappointed with Throne of Glass, but this book honestly exceeded my expectations by a milestone! Scratch that, it exceeded my expectations by 10000000 milestones!

This had everything I look for in a Fantasy book. Firstly, it's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast but it's a whole different story on its' own that is so unique and detailed, it certainly doesn't feel like you're reading a story that you've already read before. The characters were so real to me, it's like there were no holes in their stories. They were fully developed, well rounded characters that had so much depth to them. 

I think one of the things that I preferred about this book to Throne of Glass is that this had so much more romance! It wasn't too much that I was cringing, it was the perfect amount that gave me shivers and made my heart squeal with joy. 

It was such a pleasure reading from Feyre's point of view (the protagonist) because she knew about hardship and she knew about loss and that ongoing feeling of emptiness and in the beginning she reminded me a lot of Katniss Everdeen, but as the story progressed, she grew so much as a character and I honestly admired her courage and strength. She is definitely one of my new favourite female characters! She is so strong, but she is so filled with emotions that are laid bare in this book and I just love her so much. 

I feel as though Sarah J Maas' writing has grown since Throne of Glass and it was honestly just effortless and beautiful to read. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book at all. 

I can't wait for you all to read this book, it was such a delight to read and I can't wait to see where the story goes next! 

Plot: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Writing: ★★★★★

Romance/Feels: ★★★★★
Ending: ★★★★★
Overall Enjoyment: ★★★★★

Final Rating:  5 stars!

BOOK REVIEW | WHO WE ARE BY ONE DIRECTION

Title: Who We Are

Author: One Direction

Series or standalone: standalone

Genre: Non-fiction/autobiography

Publication Date: 25th September 2014

Format: Hardcover

Source: Bought

Goodreads

I never, ever thought I'd be a One Direction fan, but my bestie Chelsea (who you all should follow because she's amazing - link below) got me into them and I just have to say that their music and their videos have really helped me a lot lately. As most of you know, I'm in the middle of getting treated for severe anxiety and depression and to be honest, the boys just make me feel better. 
I just loved reading their individual feelings on everything that's happened to them so far and I have to say that Harry's section was definitely my favourite (not only because he's my favourite band member) but also because I feel that his was the most truthful, emotional and influential. People say all this crap about him and who he's dating and whatever, but they fail to mention the huge heart he has and the incredible things he does for people all over the world without even telling his publicists or anything so you know he's just doing it out of the goodness of his heart. Ed Sheeran said that he spent a couple thousand dollars going around  feeding and getting to know homeless people one day, and no one even knows about it. 
I just love these boys and they have brought me so much joy in the past week that I've become a 1D fangirl and I think they're just great in every single way.

If you think you hate one direction, I definitely recommend getting a closer look into their music and their movie and stuff because you'll probably fall head over heels just like I did. Their movie 'This is Us' is absolutely HILARIOUS and is a fabulous insight into their down to earth personalities dealing with going on tour and also their 'Where We Are Tour Concert' because it is just freaking incredible and some of you may or may not know that they write the majority of their songs. What talent and what a fantastic book!

5 stars!

Chelsea: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/16219087-chelsea-goranson

BOOK REVIEW | THE WINNER'S CRIME BY MARIE RUTKOSKI

Title: The Winner's Crime

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Series or standalone: #2 in the Winner's Trilogy

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Publication Date: 3rd March 2015

Format: eArc

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads

Firstly, I just want to thank Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review. 

I recently read the first book in this trilogy, The Winner's Curse, and was immediately hooked through the beautiful writing weaved in with an intricate and intriguing plot. This book, however, completely blew me away. In the first book, I had felt a slight detachment to the main character Kestrel, but in this book, I have absolutely no complaints. I felt as though we really got to know Kestrel and her emotional turmoil was one that I physically felt in my heart while I was reading this book. It was a complete step up from the first book in every way. We get to meet new characters who sparked extremely strong emotions from me throughout the book. Some I loathed with a fiery passion and others I grew to love and admire. We also get to see some of the minor characters that we knew from the first book. I love how political this book is and usually I would find that boring as a main plot point, but Marie had me hooked and I honestly couldn't put it down, only when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer! Her writing is exquisite without being overwhelming and you can tell how well thought out this entire world is and I honestly just can't wait to see what the final book will bring. I'm even a little scared for it haha.

I honestly have nothing negative to say about this book except, WHERE IS THE NEXT ONE BECAUSE THAT CLIFFHANGER ALMOST KILLED ME. 

Plot: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Writing: ★★★★★

Romance/Feels: ★★★★★
Ending: ★★★★★
Overall Enjoyment: ★★★★★

Final Rating:  5 stars!

Book Review | The Chimera Vector

Title: The Chimera Vector

Author: Nathan M. Farrugia

Series or standalone: First in the Fifth Column Trilogy

Genre: Sci-fi/Thriller/Action

Publication Date: May 1^st 2012

Format: ebook

Source: Author

Goodreads

Goodreads Summary:

The Fifth Column: the world’s most powerful and secretive organization. They run our militaries. They run our governments. They run our terrorist cells.
Recruited as a child, Sophia is a deniable operative for the Fifth Column. Like all operatives, Sophia’s DNA has been altered to augment her senses and her mind is splintered into programmed subsets.
On a routine mission in Iran something goes catastrophically wrong. Bugs are beginning to appear in Sophia’s programming and the mission spins out of control.
High-speed chases, gun fights, helicopter battles, immortal psychopaths, super soldiers and mutant abilities are all in the mix in this edge-of-your-seat action-packed techno-thriller.
Perfect for fans of Matthew Reilly, THE CHIMERA VECTOR melds sci-fi with sizzling espionage action.

REVIEW:

Firstly I want to thank the author for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Although I didn’t give this book the highest rating, I still think that other people may LOVE this book, but it just wasn’t for me. It’s been said to be a lot like Matthew Reilly’s works, but as far as I can tell, the only real similarity was the action. Throughout the book, I couldn’t help but compare it to Reilly’s work (who is one of my favourite authors) and there were some major differences. I feel as though Matthew Reilly’s characters are fleshed out a lot and I felt like I knew them inside and out, but with these characters I felt so detached from them and I just didn’t know them at all.

The plotline itself was interesting, but a lot of the time I couldn’t keep up. It was just too confusing and there were so many scientific terms that I had no idea what any of it meant, so it was really hard to grasp the concept of it. I also found that there were whole paragraphs dedicated just to how someone would reload their gun and a lot of the writing was very matter of fact, for example, “Jay did this. Damien did this. Then Sophia did this”.

One thing I loved about this book was that there was an awesome main female lead who was sooooo badass. I love strong, female leads and I think it’s so great that we’re seeing more of them in the action/adventure genre.

To be honest with you, I think people who love science and genetics and actually know their stuff would LOVE this book. But unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. So if you like action and lots of scientific stuff, this one’s for you!

Plot: ★★.5

Characters: ★★★

Writing: ★★.5

Romance/Feels: ★
Ending: ★★★
Overall Enjoyment: ★★★