Black Heart Blue by Lousia Reid...

Title- Black Heart Blue.

Author- Louisa Reid.

Publish date- July 2012. 

Publisher- Razorbill and Michael Joseph. (Penguin AU)

(Goodreads)

Review...

Synopsis:

Two sisters. One is beautiful. One is disfigured. They live a strictly ruled life,  a life of premeditated choices and terror of their abusive father, with the wish to be free never escaping them- they feel safest when they know he can't get them, when he is too worried about getting drunk to care, but they know they will never truly be safe living in the same house as him. They know they have to find a way out, and, amazingly, they are allowed to go to Collage, which is surely the start. But then Hepzinah dies.

Thank you to Penguin for this review copy!

What I thought:
From the description of Black Heart Blue I knew immediately that it would be a very heavy, intense, book- I have read a few books that deal with abuse, India Dark probably being the main one, but I certainly hadn't read anything of the sort for some time, so I was mildly tentative... yet I also felt sure that I wouldn't be disappointed, which I definitely haven't felt before reading a book I know so little about from an author I've never read anything of before.

The story starts soon after Hepzinah has died, and is told from two POV's, in two time settings- Hepzibah, the beautiful twin, tells her story of being accepted into social circles at Collage, of wanting to fall in love, all from the Before point of view.
Rebecca, the disfigured, outcast twin, tells her own story from the time after the accident that took her sisters life- she tells of entering a world unlike any she ever knew and being welcomed with horrified stares and cruel words.
Both the girls stories, though at times Hepzi's seemed to be a little fickle, are beautiful and end in a crescendo that I never could have expected when I began to read- they are heartwrenching and tear inducing, written superbly and always believeably. They are honest and tragic and scary, and they are, above all, touching... touching in ways that I have neve before felt with a book.

Romi. xoxo

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer...

Title- Between the Lines.

Author- Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer.

Publish date- July 2012.

Publisher- Allen and Unwin.

(Goodreads)

Synopsis:

Delilah loves books more than almost anything- she would happily spent all her time reading and not going to school at all, but that is something she isn't allowed to do. She dreams of the paces she reads of, the perfect worlds and the wonderful characters, she imagines everything becoming real... and then it does. She finds that, amazingly, she is able to talk to one of the characters from a book she got out from her school library, and he wants to be set free of the tale he must repeat every time someone opens the book.

Oliver is the prince- stuck in a story in which he is forced to act out the part of a prince who has a lack of courage, and he is tired of acting out the role- and when he realises that he can speak to Delilah, the first Reader ever to notice that the characters in the story were in fact alive, he knows that now is his chance.

So they start to plan.

Thank you to Allen and Unwin for this review copy!

What I thought:

At first I thought this wasn't a book I would enjoy- the writing within the first pages, with the alternating POV's (more on that later) was extremely confusing and I had no idea where I was in the story or what was happening. I put it aside and didn't think of it for a while. After a week or so I picked it up again and read- this time I could read it without much trouble- I was still startled and a little bewildered by the changing point of view with each chapters, especially as the first three are quite short, but I was able to keep reading- I finished it remarkably quickly for a book of it's size and for the rate I had been getting through books, but, surprisingly, it wasn't a remarkable book, a favourite, for me.

First the problems I had with the story-

Delilah I found to be mildly annoying- she loves books and spends all her time reading, which is not something I find any problem with (it resembles me), but she didn't seem to have any real purpose and I found the things she did and, a lot of the time, the way she spoke to be distasteful.

Oliver I liked more- the role in the book that is is forced to play out is that of a afraid prince, one who has never fancied fighting. Delilah naturally assumes that that is how he is when she begins to speak to him, but he is just a boy written to be a prince who is tired of the life he lives in the book and wants to find a way to get out of it, and later, to be with Delilah. I'm not sure what one thing made me like him, maybe just the fact that I didn't dislike him made that the natural next step. I didn't like the fact that he didn't like the princess that he married in the fairytale, and yet had no qualms kissing her passionately each time the marriage scene occured in the story.. no problem with that what so ever. Yet he didn't like her. Not a friendly or a smart move.

Delilah's mother troubled me greviously- she ends up sending Delilah to a "shrink" because Delilah seemed to be spending too much time with her nose in a book, she thinks she needs a social life. Which is where her contrary persona begins. She thinks Delilah needs a social life yet she doesn't like Delilah's best friend and so that doesn't count. She wants Delilah to start living in the real world, says she's too old for fairytales, yet decides that she and Delilah should watch The Little Mermaid- WHAT? You think she is too old for fairy tales, but your comfort movie of The Little Mermaid... how does that make sense? Not to mention the fact that you don't seem to realise that your daughter is happy reading, that she enjoys reading the fairy tale. No- she is fifteen and too old to get enjoyment out of a fairytale. That mother made me shudder.

Different POV for each chapter- I mentioned this earlier and will explain now. Each charper changed the POV of the storyline- Chapter one starts with a chapter from the book that Oliver lives in, as Delilah would read it. Chapter two goes to Oliver's POV, inside the story. Then three is Delilah. It seems simple, but on opening it is was terribly mind messing. I do like the different colours for each chapter- Delilah is green, Oliver is purple, and the book is black- a unqiue idea.

Mermaids. Mermaids, mermaids, mermaids. An excerpt, which I have cut a little out of so as not to give out spoilers (the cut is the ...)-

"Marina slips her arm through mine. 'Honey, you've come to the right place. Whoever this guy is, you don't need him.'

(...) These mermaids, who are mancrazy in the fairy tale, are... hard-core feminists?"

Oh no you didn't... I will simply say that that is a perplexing sentence. Because they aren't falling head over heels for every man that walks by, because they stand for the fact that if a man treats you badly you shouldn't go running after him, getting hurt again and again, are thus titled hard-core feminists? That's just not right! It's not exactly promoting wide spread understanding to people who don't completely understand what feminists are, which frustrates me.

The list of things that I liked about the book is short, sadly- it frustrated me more than anything, so I don't have many things that I liked about it.

I liked the alternating font colours, and the way the fonts used weren't the norm- it made it fun and the reading even quicker.

I liked the story of a girl and a boy, one stuck in our world and one stuck in a fairy tale, who fall in love and try to be together- it was interesting and quite enjoyable if I didn't think of it as anything past that.

I liked the idea of characters in a book living lives when the book is closed- it got me thinking and it is certainly an interesting line of thought to ponder upon.

And I liked the dedication of Delilah's best friend, whom she forsakes for Oliver as she tries to free him- the fact that the friend forgave Delilah shows a friendship and dedication, a love, that isn't common- I'm not sure if it was a wise choice, I couldn't say wether I would make the same decision, but it was beautiful.

Between the Lines is a really easy read, once you pass the confusion over the alternating POV's- very quick to read and quite enjoyable, but for me definitely not a re-read. It just annoyed me and I don't think I would recommend it- it's good, as long as you don't think too deeply about the characters and their motives, but reading a story and not thinking deeply about it isn't something I want to be doing with my reading time, that's not what stories are about, for me.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass...

Title- Throne of Glass.

Author- Sarah J. Mass.

Publish date- August 2012.

Publisher- Bloomsbury.

(Goodreads)

Review...

Synopsis:

Celaena Sardothien, an expert assassin, was sent to the salt mines of Endovier after making the biggest mistake she could. She trusted. She was caught.

When, a year after she was placed in Endovier, the Crown Prince of Adarlan, Dorian Havilliard, and the Captain of the Guards, Chaol Westfall, offer her a way out, she knows it is her only chance.

Particepate in a tournament to become the King's Champion, the very man who put her in Endovier, the man who ruined her life before she even became an assassin, fighting against some of the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. If she dies or if she lives, she will eventually be free, and that's all the persuasion she needs.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for this review copy!

What I thought:
I have to admit, at first I was hesitant- it is apparently semi-inspired by Cinderella and I thought an assassin trying to kill the prince sounded pretty interesting, though I wasn't totally sure wether I would enjoy it- so I didn't wholly invest myself in the first few pages.
It would have been the worse for me if I hadn't finished reading it.
Three pages in I was suddenly grasped by these words...
"She was standing in front of the Crown Prince of Adarlan."
I don't know what they did to me, but suddenly I found myself totally immersed in the story of Adarlan's Assassin, Celaena Sardothien, a girl who is a deadly killer, has a sharp tounge, and is absolutely beautiful.

The setting of this book isn't like anything I've read for a long time- recently, and indeed for the past few years, I have mostly kept to modern books with modern settings, or at least those written in the 1800-1900's; this, though written in modern day, is set in a world unlike our own... the time for the novel isn't ever mentioned, I don't think, but it feels like it would be set in the 1700's... maybe even in the 1600's, which makes a big change. A change, in Throne of Glass, that I loved.

Celaena Sardothien is a wonderful character- she has fight, she is witty and speaks confidently, she isn't perfect, but gosh was she lovable. I look forward to reading more from her POV.

*Following text may contain spoilers to the book and the text is white- highligh it to read*
The love triangle between Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian was very well written, though sad, too. Love triangles are. I could see how much both the men loved her and she wasn't sure of her own feelings- I was rooting for Chaol... though I loved Dorian I never felt like he and Celaena were right together. 

Clear from spoilers.

Probably my only problem, apart from the white text, was the title. Game of Thrones is massive right now and I do feel that the title was worked to that popularity- it suited the book well enough, but I didn't really like the conflict there.

I really enjoyed Throne of Glass- I can't wait for book two!

Romi.x
P.S. You can enter to win a copy of Throne of Glass on Goodreads right now- here. Open to AU and NZ residents only.

Which cover do you prefer? I like my ARC most- it's like the one on the right except faded out so it's only shadow... it's wonderful!

Shadows by Paula Weston...

Title- Shadows.

Author- Paula Weston.

Publish date-  July 2012.

Publisher- Text Publishing.

(Goodreads)

Review...

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn.

And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be
found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?

Thank you to Text Publishing for this review copy!

What I thought:

The first two things that hit me about this book was the swearing, three pages in seems intense, and the gore- it definitely was not what I expected from the synopsis, cover, ect. and I have to say straight off that I don't like gore. Nor swearing. Sometimes, though, swearing makes a book- This is Shyness and Queen of Night by Leanne Hall would not be the books they are without the ocassional swear word that is peppered between the pages, and I believe that without them those books may loose some of the magic they hold for me. But, sadly, with Shadows it was too much, too soon, and that immediately turned a part of me off.

It was interesting for this book to be set in Australia- I've barely read any books that are set in Australia and having Angles in Australia is a touch that makes me smile... it's strange, I've read a few books by Australian authors, but hardly any of the books, by Australians or not, are set in Australia, so it's nice to have books that are, that you can connect to and picture the scenes perfectly because I know how the environment is here, so that's something that, though at first startled me, I wouldn't change.

But then I get to...

The gore, oh the gore. 

I've read violent novels before; never anything that is excruciatingly violent, not that this was, but never anything that would be classes as "gorey", which I find to be a scary and intimidating word in itself- think of it... Gorey... gore... it creeps me out big time, and this book has quite a few mentions of things that I classes as gore, and that wasn't nice. I'm not going to go into detail, but it wasn't nice.

I would definitely recommend this only as a late YA/New Adult- I've never liked vampire/supernatural/angle ect. novels anyway, but I would recommend this to those who do like that genre and who are looking for something a little darker and out of the teen era of reading, more into the adult but not quite. I think that age group would enjoy it, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 17, though I know that I give high ratings.

Romi.x

Distopia.

I think I've made it pretty clear that I like Dystopian novels. I love them. Capatalize that. I LOVE THEM. I don't know what it is that makes my pulse quicken and my eyes widen upon hearing/reading/finishing/anything to do with a dystopia, I think it has something to do with the fact that, in a way, I feel I am reading about our future lives- we have no idea what will happen a hundred, two hundred years from now, so there's a kind of magic about that that draws me to it... also the fact that it makes me all the more grateful for the life I'm living that isn't ruled by a Government that sends me and twenty three other teenagers into an arena to fight to the death in pennance for uprising... but lately I have found myself getting the feeling that people have forgotten how to do it right. Or at least do it in a way that I find both enjoyable and thrilling. And I feel that that is what happens when a certain genre becomes the BIG THING.

It's happened hundreds of times and will continue to happen hundred of times more- it like clothes, something becomes popular and it gets done over and over and over again until the remanints aren't really anything alike the beginning article, until it's been too overdone to appreciate. It happened with Vampires. Werewolves. Presumably Wizards. And is now happening with Distopians.

Now I'm not saying that Struck wasn't origonal, but the whole point is that I didn't feel that connection with it as I have felt with many other books in the genre, preceeded by the slow, terrifying knowledge that it, the genre, has become too popular... so many books have become half hearted attempts at creating something origonal, vying for the million dollar spot, that the ones that truly matter get lost. And I hate that.

Favourite quotes of July...

Here are some of my favourites quotes, from a few of the books I read in July...

"From that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things that you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."

&


"To the well-organised mind, death is but the next adventure."

&


"'The truth.' Dumbledore sighed. 'It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.'"

&

"He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, 'Alas! Earwax!'"
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling.


"'It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'"
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling.

Paving the New Road by Sulari Gentill...

Title- Paving the New Road. (Rowland Sinclair book #4.)

Author- Sulari Gentill.

Publish date- August 2012.

Publisher- Pantera Press.

(Goodreads)

*May contain spoilers for those who have not read the previous books in the series)

Review Time...

Synopsis:
It is 1933 and life in Europe is darkening as the Nazi movement gains populaity and momentum- it isn't somewhere you would go when one you associate with the kind of people the Nazi's are imprisioning, but Rowland Sinclair is off in a mission, with Milton, Clyde, and Edna in tow, to try and help stop Eric Campbell, Australia's own Fuhrer, from bringing facism back to Australia, and also to try and figure out how the man who was doing the job before died mysteriously.
Along the way they will all meet many people who will eventually change history, all the while trying not to be killed.

Thank you to Pantera Press for this review copy!

What I thought:
Paving the New Road is definitely one of my favourite books in the Rowland Sinclair series- it has a terrific sense of excitement and danger, doubled by the fact that the four characters are in possibly the most dangerous place for them to be at the time this book is set. I had a few guesses who the murderer was, but I didn't quite get it, which doesn't surprise me- I don't think I'm ever very good at picking the murderers, and Sulari Gentill is fantastic at keeping one in suspense until the very end!

The violence was, I think, the most profound out of all the books so far- in a short, about 2-4 pages, there was some serious action happening, unlike anything in the previous novels, and one of my favourite things about these books is the fact that, wether is be murder, fighting, attempted assination ect., it's never sickeningly described, and though it was intense and the most vividly painted of all the previous books, for me personally, it wasn't gruesome or cringworthy, it was very real but not sickening. That is a way of writing that leaves one in awe.

For some time, especially in the very last pages, I was a little concerned that this was the final book in the series- it wrapped everything up very neatly and seemed like an almost definite end, so for those who read the book and feel the same sense of dread, it is not so- there will be another book next year! Rejoice!

Paving the New Road is just as fantastic as all the other books in the series, incorporating some of the most well known events in history to make another excellent and highly intriguing story, that will be giving you much to think about long after you've turned the final page.