April has been such a good reading month for me - I powered through almost 11 books! I admit, most were re-reads but I did also try out a few new books, too. I just thought I'd share my thoughts on what I've been reading, I hope you enjoy it!
Re-Reads -
Slated by Terri Terry. I bought this book years ago and after finishing it, never really thought about it again. I hadn't enjoyed it too much the first time around, I admit, but this time I'm really loving it. It's basically about a girl who is supposedly an ex-criminal, for which her punishment was being Slated. Slating is a new thing in the world (the book is set about 20 - 30 years from now), where the government decides that instead of death, they simply erase every memory and every personality trait you have, so you're basically born again. Kyla is the main character in the book, and although I do find her quite babyish sometimes in the way she thinks and describes things, she's fairly interesting. I'd describe this as a light-hearted thriller - it's certainly intriguing and has a few twists and turns through-out to keep things interesting. 3.5 / 5 stars.
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I'm not sure what it is with me and re-reads, but I always seem to love things more the second time round. A story centred around two cancer survivors (Hazel and Augustus) who fall in love, this book is refreshing and thought-inducing. I'll leave it there for now, as I have a full review here which explains a little more about the story line and my thoughts. 4 / 5 stars.
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Anyone who knows me knows I adore this book. It centres around Charlie, a teenage boy about to start his first year in high school. It sounds quite cliché, but bear with me. This is honestly the most thought-provoking book I've ever read. Charlie offers opinions and thoughts on things that make you see things in a whole new way and there's always something you can relate to, whatever stage you're in in life. For a full review, click here. 5 / 5 stars.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The final instalment of the Hunger Games trilogy, we follow Katniss's final adventure in her attempts to throw down the Capitol. This book is definitely more of a 'war book' compared to the previous two in the series, as we see Katniss actually step out into the front line of the Capitol VS Rebels war efforts. Katniss experiences a lot of new things in this book - post traumatic stress, the loss of friends and family (I'm not telling you who!) whilst fighting for a cause she's not sure she should be backing. I don't want to give too much away in case you haven't read the previous books (which you totally should!), but I do think this is better written compared to the others. 4 / 5 stars.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. Well, Cassie Clare's books have definitely been a big part of my month! The most recently read, though, is Clockwork Angel, the first instalment in the Infernal Devices trilogy. Set in the 1800s, the story centres around Tessa, a seemingly normal girl who has the ability to change her appearance and touch the minds of whom she transforms into. She bears no warlock or Shadowhunter mark and no one - not even herself - really knows what she is. The main plotline of this book centres around the alarming army of Clockwork creatures that are intent on destroying the Shadowhunters (a group of half-angel demon hunters) and kidnapping Tessa, in order to give her over to their master, The Magister. Witty, fast-paced and beautifully written, this series has fast become one of my favourites! 4.5 / 5 stars.
Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix by JK Rowling. The fifth book in the Harry Potter series, we see Harry return for his fifth year at Hogwarts. Not really much to say about this one - if you don't know Harry Potter, where have you been for the past ten years?! Another brilliant chapter of Harry's story, I thoroughly enjoyed this. 4 / 5 stars.
Divergent by Veronica Roth. The first book in the trilogy, the story opens up into a world set far in the future - a dystopian world, whose inhabitants have been split into five factions to maintain the peace. We follow Tris as she, for the first time, makes her own choices in life and watch as she deals with the consequences. This is a pretty hard-core book, with fights, deaths and alarming plot twists to keep the pace moving. Honestly, though, I'm in two minds about this one. Whilst I adore the storyline, the writing just isn't up to scratch for me and I find the dialogue rather awkward. But that aside, I have high hopes for the next chapter of this trilogy, Insurgent. 3.5 / 5 stars.
New Reads:
Looking For Alaska by John Green. I'm not really going to offer very much on this one, as I abandoned it mid-book. We follow a boy nick-named Pudge as he pushes through a year of school. I think it may be the fact that the characters are a lot younger than me, but their antics and conversations just didn't really register very much interest from me. I often found myself skipping pages as nothing really contributed to the story-line. 2 / 5 stars.
City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare. This is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series. Set in the same kind of world as Clockwork Angel - but two hundred years later, in present day - this book features the same amount of handsome and witty Shadowhunters, a girl who doesn't know much about who she really is and another load of exceptional writing. I really do adore Cassandra Clare's writing style - it's so captivating. I can't offer much opinion on this as I'm only half-way through, but I expect if I enjoy it I'll upload a full review on my blog. So far - 3.5 / 5 stars.
Wonder by RJ Palacio. Such an adorable little read. The story is written from the point of view of a few different characters, but the main character is clear: August, a 10 year old boy with a lot of facial and genetic deformities as he steps into school for the very first time. Despite the sad subject, this book is very light hearted and uplifting. I did cry at the end - but they were happy tears! A few of the characters point of views were unnecessary in my opinion (like Via's boyfriend) and I did find the writing a little skip-able at times due to this, but the main theme is clear - people can be wonderful, despite their lot in life. 4 / 5 stars.
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. The final chapter in the Infernal Devices series, we see all plot points that were built in the previous two books come to a boil. Characters reveal their true nature, relationships are tested and we say goodbye to a few dear characters. I honestly did cry during this book, during the last chapter (not the epilogue). The writing, as expected from this brilliant writer, was beautiful and the plot was thread together wonderfully. Despite the length of this book, I was never bored. 4 / 5 stars.
So that's what I've been reading through-out April!
xx
Re-Reads -
Slated by Terri Terry. I bought this book years ago and after finishing it, never really thought about it again. I hadn't enjoyed it too much the first time around, I admit, but this time I'm really loving it. It's basically about a girl who is supposedly an ex-criminal, for which her punishment was being Slated. Slating is a new thing in the world (the book is set about 20 - 30 years from now), where the government decides that instead of death, they simply erase every memory and every personality trait you have, so you're basically born again. Kyla is the main character in the book, and although I do find her quite babyish sometimes in the way she thinks and describes things, she's fairly interesting. I'd describe this as a light-hearted thriller - it's certainly intriguing and has a few twists and turns through-out to keep things interesting. 3.5 / 5 stars.
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I'm not sure what it is with me and re-reads, but I always seem to love things more the second time round. A story centred around two cancer survivors (Hazel and Augustus) who fall in love, this book is refreshing and thought-inducing. I'll leave it there for now, as I have a full review here which explains a little more about the story line and my thoughts. 4 / 5 stars.
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Anyone who knows me knows I adore this book. It centres around Charlie, a teenage boy about to start his first year in high school. It sounds quite cliché, but bear with me. This is honestly the most thought-provoking book I've ever read. Charlie offers opinions and thoughts on things that make you see things in a whole new way and there's always something you can relate to, whatever stage you're in in life. For a full review, click here. 5 / 5 stars.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The final instalment of the Hunger Games trilogy, we follow Katniss's final adventure in her attempts to throw down the Capitol. This book is definitely more of a 'war book' compared to the previous two in the series, as we see Katniss actually step out into the front line of the Capitol VS Rebels war efforts. Katniss experiences a lot of new things in this book - post traumatic stress, the loss of friends and family (I'm not telling you who!) whilst fighting for a cause she's not sure she should be backing. I don't want to give too much away in case you haven't read the previous books (which you totally should!), but I do think this is better written compared to the others. 4 / 5 stars.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. Well, Cassie Clare's books have definitely been a big part of my month! The most recently read, though, is Clockwork Angel, the first instalment in the Infernal Devices trilogy. Set in the 1800s, the story centres around Tessa, a seemingly normal girl who has the ability to change her appearance and touch the minds of whom she transforms into. She bears no warlock or Shadowhunter mark and no one - not even herself - really knows what she is. The main plotline of this book centres around the alarming army of Clockwork creatures that are intent on destroying the Shadowhunters (a group of half-angel demon hunters) and kidnapping Tessa, in order to give her over to their master, The Magister. Witty, fast-paced and beautifully written, this series has fast become one of my favourites! 4.5 / 5 stars.
Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix by JK Rowling. The fifth book in the Harry Potter series, we see Harry return for his fifth year at Hogwarts. Not really much to say about this one - if you don't know Harry Potter, where have you been for the past ten years?! Another brilliant chapter of Harry's story, I thoroughly enjoyed this. 4 / 5 stars.
Divergent by Veronica Roth. The first book in the trilogy, the story opens up into a world set far in the future - a dystopian world, whose inhabitants have been split into five factions to maintain the peace. We follow Tris as she, for the first time, makes her own choices in life and watch as she deals with the consequences. This is a pretty hard-core book, with fights, deaths and alarming plot twists to keep the pace moving. Honestly, though, I'm in two minds about this one. Whilst I adore the storyline, the writing just isn't up to scratch for me and I find the dialogue rather awkward. But that aside, I have high hopes for the next chapter of this trilogy, Insurgent. 3.5 / 5 stars.
New Reads:
Looking For Alaska by John Green. I'm not really going to offer very much on this one, as I abandoned it mid-book. We follow a boy nick-named Pudge as he pushes through a year of school. I think it may be the fact that the characters are a lot younger than me, but their antics and conversations just didn't really register very much interest from me. I often found myself skipping pages as nothing really contributed to the story-line. 2 / 5 stars.
City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare. This is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series. Set in the same kind of world as Clockwork Angel - but two hundred years later, in present day - this book features the same amount of handsome and witty Shadowhunters, a girl who doesn't know much about who she really is and another load of exceptional writing. I really do adore Cassandra Clare's writing style - it's so captivating. I can't offer much opinion on this as I'm only half-way through, but I expect if I enjoy it I'll upload a full review on my blog. So far - 3.5 / 5 stars.
Wonder by RJ Palacio. Such an adorable little read. The story is written from the point of view of a few different characters, but the main character is clear: August, a 10 year old boy with a lot of facial and genetic deformities as he steps into school for the very first time. Despite the sad subject, this book is very light hearted and uplifting. I did cry at the end - but they were happy tears! A few of the characters point of views were unnecessary in my opinion (like Via's boyfriend) and I did find the writing a little skip-able at times due to this, but the main theme is clear - people can be wonderful, despite their lot in life. 4 / 5 stars.
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. The final chapter in the Infernal Devices series, we see all plot points that were built in the previous two books come to a boil. Characters reveal their true nature, relationships are tested and we say goodbye to a few dear characters. I honestly did cry during this book, during the last chapter (not the epilogue). The writing, as expected from this brilliant writer, was beautiful and the plot was thread together wonderfully. Despite the length of this book, I was never bored. 4 / 5 stars.
So that's what I've been reading through-out April!
xx
