Queen of Contemporary

I am a huge fan of John Green and his books so when I was given the opportunity to review this book, I jumped at the chance. Co-written by David Levithan, this novel is written by two of the best YA authors.What happens when two people with the same name meet? When Will Grayson and Will Grayson’s lives collide, a journey of discovery and (quite a few) hilarious moments begins.I think this is one of the hardest review I have ever written. How are you supposed to write about the characters when two of them have the same name?!The first chapter in this novel is written by John Green and from the first sentence, I was hooked. John Green’s Will Grayson was this lost figure who was unhappy, even though he hadn’t realised it just yet. There was one scene that made me want to hug him so badly, but he’s just a fictional character so it’s a bit of an impossibility! I am extremely jealous of John Green; he writes such amazing charactersDavid Levithan’s Will Grayson was quite complicated, but in a good way. It took me a while to get used to the way his parts were written but I got it after a while and actually thought it was interesting.Although not a main character, Tiny really did have a huge part in this novel. Without him it wouldn’t have felt complete. He was just so funny and a character I’ll miss now that I’ve finished the novel.I really loved the plot idea. The whole concept is intriguing and I couldn’t help but put myself in their shoes- how would I react if I met someone with the same name as me?This is a beautifully written novel that made me laugh at many different times. This book is definitely going on my favourites list.

I've loved Ally Carter's novels for a while now and particularly favour the Heist Society books. They're the definition of perfect!I read Uncommon Criminals back in November and loved it. Since then I have been waiting patiently to read this (okay, maybe not so patiently!) and when I read the summary, I knew the wait would be so much harder.In this novel we see Kat and Hale's characters develop a lot more than in the previous two novels. Kat is facing her hardest job yet and the stakes are high. Failing means losing one of her best friends and it is not an option.These books are written in a much more sophisticated style than the Gallagher Girls novels and are clearly aimed at an older audience. I particularly love the descriptions of the time and setting at the start of certain chapters. This is something that I would like to see more of and is also something that I have always liked.Kat is under so much pressure in this novel and it was nice to see a realistic side to her. The change was evident and I actually preferred this new Kat.Hale! Woah! His part in this novel was huge and it was so nice to see his character development.There are a lot of familiar faces in this novel: Gabrielle, Simon and the Bagshaws. Gabrielle was just as kick-ass as usual and I love her character so much.The Bagshaws never fail to make me laugh; they're just so funny!One of the best things about these books are the covers. In this one we can see Hale reflected in one of the lenses and the model who plays Kat has stayed the same for all three books. They are instantly recognisable as the Heist Society books.I read Perfect Scoundrels within a day and it is certainly my favourite of the three novels written so far. It is thrilling, humorous and completely unique.

After reading Tempest, I knew that I had to read Vortex. Tempest left on a huge cliffhanger that left me reeling and I really didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. Vortex, it is safe to say, blew me away. The pressure is on. After making a tough decision, Jackson Meyer must try and get on with his life. It’s not easy to let go of the girl you love but maybe it won’t be so hard, now that Jackson has other things on his mind. In his new role at Tempest, a division of the CIA, Jackson has to work hard. And when a new, conflicting division, Eyewall, turns up, the drama really starts. After reading a few reviews for Vortex, I wasn’t sure what I would think of it. Quite a few people said that this was a very different novel to Tempest and so I was a little wary. I really shouldn’t have been so cautious, though, because, in my opinion, this novel was ten times better. One of the major themes in this novel is change. As a character, Jackson has grown and adapted to fit the focus of the book. We finally see him mature from an inexperienced boy to a full grown adult, with a lot of responsibilities. I certainly thought that this different version of Jackson was a much better one. There really are some shocking twists in this novel, especially the ending. I really had to stop myself from crying at the end because it was extremely emotional. Cross has the ability to make the reader laugh one minute, and cry the next. I may need a box of tissues when reading the third book. The Tempest novels really do have some of the best covers. I know that they’re one of the first books I see when I enter the teen section of my bookshop and that is because they’re quite different to any other covers. Vortex, particularly, is spectacular and I love the bright shades of blue that ensure it’s not missed. Vortex really surprised me; maybe because a lot of sequels are a bit of a disappointment nowadays. I’ll definitely be reading the final instalment in the trilogy because I just have to know what happens next.

I cannot put all of my Clockwork Princess feelings into a non-spoiler review very easily and would really like to go into a lot of detail so I've decided to write a spoiler review for this amazing book. I may try and write a quick review some other time but, for now, this is my Clockwork Princess review. I will be talking about all three books in the trilogy so if you haven't read them then please don't click the 'Read More' button.Cassandra Clare ripped my heart out and then stitched it back up. But, just like if you smash a piece of glass, there are some tiny shards missing that will never be replaced. At the end of Clockwork Prince, I was full of despair. Although I never concluded which 'team' I was on, I wanted Tessa to be with both Will and Jem because I loved them both. This is one of the things I love most about the love triangle in this book; the reader feels exactly the same as Tessa. With Jem proposing to Tessa, I knew that she wouldn't want to hurt his feelings even though what she was feeling for Will wasn't normal. I also knew that, if Jem were to die, Will would never want to be with Tessa. Will actually said, when conversing with Magnus Bane: “If Jem dies, I cannot be with Tessa,” said Will. “Because it will be as if I were waiting for him to die, or took some joy in his death, if it let me have her. And I will not be that person. I will not profit from his death. So he must live.” He lowered his arm, his sleeve bloody. “It is the only way any of this can ever mean anything. Otherwise it is only —”So I was left wondering how this beautiful trilogy could ever end in a way that would satisfy readers and I'm pleased to report that I thought it was amazingly well rounded off.I was a little wary at the start- four pages in and we'd already witnessed a death! It was clear to me that, even though she was dead, Adele Starkweather would play a big part in this novel.The other part of the prologue shows Will and Jem's first meeting and I was really pleased to see this. It wasn't something I thought we would ever be able to read and yet it shows us something about Will and Jem's relationship that is vital to the readers understanding of them. I was a little shocked at the things Will came out with in the scene but then he thought he was cursed at the time so I couldn't really blame him.The first chapter was full of witticisms that I have come to recognise from Cassandra Clare and I particularly loved the scene which I like to refer to as the 'Lightworm Incident.' Here are a few quotes from that scene:“And indeed it was, the arrow still protruding from its wet, grayish skin, humping its body along with incredible speed. A flick of its tail caught the edge of a statue, sending it flying into the dry ornamental pool, where it shattered into dust.“By the Angel, it just crushed Sophocles,” noted Will. “Has no one respect for the classics these days?”“Gabriel’s green eyes sought Will. “It was demon pox, wasn’t it? You know all about it, don’t you? Aren’t you some sort of expert?”“Well, you needn’t act as if I invented it,” said Will.”There are various mentions throughout the book of Benedict Lightwood as the 'Lightworm' and I don't think I'll ever be able to see a worm without thinking of Clockwork Princess again.There was also some brilliant relationships between characters, excluding our main one. I loved the interaction between Gabriel and Cecily, who we saw a lot of in this novel. Cecily was a female replica of her brother and I'm hoping that we'll get to see more of her in Clare's future novels, so far named TLH, concentrating on the second generation of Shadowhunters.Sophie and Gideon were also very sweet together and I was really pleased that Sophie got to Ascend because I wasn't exactly sure of what the process would entail and so it was brilliant world building.The way in which Clare has weaved all of her books is amazing and she is an author that I idolise for this reason.Now, I've noticed that this review is getting rather long so I'll start talking about the epilogue now. I had no idea that it would end in the way it did but I was surprisingly pleased. I was very upset, though. The main reason for this was because we, the reader, witnessed Will's death and, even writing this now, it saddens me. I was pleased that, eighty years later, Jem and Tessa met on Blackfriar's Bridge and got back together because Tessa truly did love both Jem and Will. I don't think Will would be upset with this because, at the end of the day, he was willing to let Jem and Tessa get married when he was alive. He cares for them both, just as Tessa cares for Will and Jem and Jem cares for Will and Tessa.But this still isn't over! Even though Clockwork Princess is the last book in the Infernal Devices trilogy, we still don't know how Jem was released from the Silent Brothers and why. I can't wait to read City of Heavenly Fire to find out.

You can read more of my reviews at Queen of ContemporaryIn this deep and heartfelt novel, Flood appeals to the readers emotions and sends them on a whirlwind journey of discovery.When a family of travellers move into the paddock behind Iris Dancy’s farmhouse, she is immediately transfixed. Who are these people, and why does her dad hate them so much?This book deals with tough subjects such as prejudice and discrimination and I think those subjects were dealt with in a very good manner. The hostility that was aimed towards the characters was disgusting, but very well written.It’s very hard to read this book and not get hit by a wave of emotions. Iris, our main character, is very mature and has to deal with a lot of hard issues in this book. She was a likeable character and I really did want to read more about her.I was expecting that there would be a heavy romance in this book but there actually wasn’t. I thought this would be something that I would hate because I love romantic novels but, instead, it was full of these incredibly sweet moments and I don’t think you could say that this is a romance novel.This was actually a good thing because it meant that the reader was able to focus on the bigger points in the novel, which there were plenty of.Trick was a very interesting character. I felt like we got to know him, only for him to do something which would change my opinion of him. I don’t mean that in a bad way because I liked him throughout but his character was constantly developing, which was a nice thing to see.I read this book within a day and couldn’t put it down. It was an emotional and thrilling read and I’m looking forward to seeing more from this debut author in the future.

The Hit is all about revolution, rebellion and revolt. With its amazing premise, it's no surprise that this was a book that I really enjoyed reading.Death. It's a drug that will give you the best week of your life and then kill you. So why take it? What's the point? After a famous singer takes Death and then drops dead on stage, a rebellion starts and then people find themselves taking this lethal drug. Adam and Lizzie find themselves in the middle of the revolt and they then find that their lives are changing. But then Adam takes Death. Will he realise his mistake before it's too late?This book is full of twists and turns that kept me reading on. THE HIT isn't something that I'd usually read but I was surprised to find that I really liked it.Burgess has thrown the reader into a world where there are riots, crime and the people have had enough. One of the worrying things was that this world was not actually that far from our own. Burgess has taken the bad aspects of our world and put them altogether. The worldbuilding was one of my favourite things about this novel.I think having this written in third person really added something because it meant that we got to see a wider part of the plot.Adam was a really interested character and, although I didn't agree with all of his actions, I did like him as a person. Throughout the book, we really see him mature. Some of the changes that he goes through are rather sad because they aren't done by choice but thrown at him.Lizzie was also a really good character and I found myself warming to her instantly. Although, just like with Adam, I didn't agree with some of the things she did, her actions always added to the plot and kept me wanting to read on.I really loved the ending. There were so many sub-plots so I was never sure of how it actually would end; I was really worried that I would end up crying. Luckily, I wasn't in need of tissues but I still felt pretty emotional and a wave of relief rolled over me.This book kept me gripped and it's something that I would recommend to anyone who is looking for something a little different and exciting.

With huge dystopian elements and brilliant writing, Wither seemed very promising and I was quick to think it was like The Hunger Games; and although there are many similarities, this is no The Hunger Games. Set in futuristic America, Wither explores the ideas of what would happen if we were to find a cure for cancer. For something that affects a lot of us nowadays (most people know someone who has suffered), DeStefano has shown us that, actually, things could be a lot worse. In this world, the lifespan of people has dramatically dropped; men live to 25, women live until 20. In this thought-proving read, DeStefano has wrenched readers hearts from their bodies and made them feel exactly what the characters are experiencing.Going back to The Hunger Games, I thought that, at the start, the way in which DeStefano wrote from Rhine's point of view was very similar to the way that Collins wrote from Katniss' perspective. Rhine had been thrown in to this crazy situation and torn from her old life. It was very easy for the reader to feel sympathetic because from a young age was responsible for her and her twin brother's life. She had a lot of pent up anger and it was easy to understand her feelings from the narrative.I was horrified by the character of Cecily. Being the same age as me, it was frightening to see the way she was. If that was me, I know that I would act completely different. Cecily was a complete antithesis of Rhine which their interactions with each other more dramatic and it really added tension.Linden was the House Governor and husband to the sister wives- Jenna, Rhine and Cecily. He only wanted his wives to be happy and, having not experienced the things that the girls had, he was a little bit clueless to their needs. But this made him the character that he was and I can see why many people would choose Team Linden over Team Gabriel- Gabriel being the servant that Rhine felt an attraction to.This novel is full of amazing world building and DeStefano really tells the readers the nitty gritty details that makes them a part of the world. I found the illusions interesting. They're intriguing and show the reader that the world that has been written about is very fake.I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already borrowed the second one from my library because I am still living in the world that has been created, even after putting down the book.

Written in the voice of Molly, a typical teenage girl, this is a novel that girls will be able to relate to and enjoy. Plaja has created a fun and realistic environment in which teens can read about and escape into this world full of both hilarious and cringe-worthy moments.Lets face it: teenagers have a hard life. The teen years are all about discovering yourself and this is what is happening to Molly. At the start of the novel we see her fuming over a fight with her best friends and this is the first hint we get at her character. Although not the most commanding person, we gradually see her confidence build and she then turns into a character that the reader feels comfortable getting to know. This is a story all about discovery and it becomes a major theme. Molly's life is changing and a lot of the other, secondary characters' as well. Molly lives in a shopping mall and it's easy to conjure up the image of her surroundings. It's a very clever idea and I'm sure many people dream of living in a place where they can walk out of there front door and come face to face with hundreds of shops. Yet Plaja has flipped these images and created a contrast where Molly begins to regret living where she does. This was a light-hearted and exciting novel that I greatly enjoyed. After reading I definitely felt like finding a shopping mall and seeing if I could find some of the characters for myself! Maybe not...

Jem Halliday has been in love with her best friend, Kai, since she can remember. There's just one problem: Kai is gay. When a tape of Kai gets spread around the school, he can't take it any more and takes his own life, despite always having been a happy and cheerful person.One month on and Jem decides that she can't live without Kai. But then an envelope turns up. Containing twelve envelopes, one to open each month, Jem decides to hang on for a little while and find out who caused Kai to commit suicide.Having not read any of Clarke's novels before, I was looking forward to delving into the author's novels after hearing amazing things about them; I was not disappointed.The protagonist, Jem, was clearly in a bad state. Who wouldn't be if they were in her situation? I've seen a few reviews where people have said that they didn't like her very much but I must disagree. Some people might say that some of the things she did were stupid but I think they were totally right. Her reactions to certain situations were completely right and I really think you need to insert your brain into the head of a grieving and sad person before picking this book up.Having recently suffered a loss, I was blown away by how Clarke managed to write about the feelings that I had bottled up for so long. It was as if she had somehow gotten inside my head and I was a little overwhelmed at times. The pure emotion underlying the words is both magical and sometimes a little scary- how is it that one person can make you feel so many things at once? I was only a few pages in when I started to feel emotional.I loved the way in which Undone was written. The thing that I love the most about UKYA is that I can understand it a lot better than US fiction. This book doesn't proclaim to be written in a fancy way nor does it try and write things simply. Clarke has played with those feelings of darkness and despair in us all and shown us that it isn't wrong to grieve.I loved Undone so much and will definitely be reading more by the author. Words cannot describe just how I felt about this book and I have already gone about recommending it to people.

Stolen: A Letter to My Captor is a thrilling read and one that I greatly enjoyed.In an airport one day in August, Gemma is kidnapped. Held captive in the middle of nowhere, she has two options: survive until she can find a way to escape or give up and face an endless life of torture.Stolen deals with such a controversial topic so I really did wonder about how it would be dealt with. There were so many ways in which this could have been written and I think it was just right.Being written in second person, something that is completely new to me, I was strangely pleased to find that I really enjoyed it. It worked so well and I can't imagine it being written in any other way. I think a lot of novels could take a leaf out of this novels book and I'd like to read something similar in the future. Gemma, the protagonist, is hard to put into words. She was just herself and it was easy to put yourself into her shoes. Because of the way it was written, it seemed as if she was a lot closer than some protagonists that I've read about. I did feel sorry for her because being held captive in a foreign country would be a very traumatic experience.Even though Ty is supposed to be the bad guy, I actually really liked him. Christopher has taken all of peoples assumptions and flipped them on the head to create a sad and captivating tale. It was easy to tell that something was wrong with Ty. After all, who takes a girl against her will and flees to the Australian Outback? Behind the facade he was actually incredibly sweet and caring and a character that I really liked. Lucy Christopher has managed to write a believable setting that immediately interested me. I wanted to know more and was very impressed by the writing's descriptive nature.One of the things that I really loved about this book was that I could feel it. It was so easy to put yourself into Gemma's shoes and this was a tell tale sign that I really liked it.This was an emotional (yes, I was close to tears at a number of times) and profound read that I loved immensely. I'm looking forward to reading more by the author.

I must read this now. How will I ever be able to wait for a book that is bound to be made of awesome?!

I tried to read this novel a few months ago but never got past the first page so when I saw it in a charity shop, I knew that I would have to try again.Aria has lived in Reverie all of her life- a dome where people can flick between imaginary worlds just by thinking about it.Perry is an Outsider. Living in the Tides, he is a hunter, born to look after his tribe.So when, after a turn of fate, the two meet, an arduous journey of identity and faith begins. The thing that draws the reader- and drew me- in right is the world building. I was asking questions in all of the right places, which were in turn answered. The only problem I had was that I wish we knew more about the Unity, the time when Reverie and the pod was built. There were mentions of it but we never really learned about how the Unity came to happen.The novel had very strong characterisation. The main female protagonist, Aria, is very different to the usual YA females that we are used to seeing. I could really get into her head and anticipate her next moves. A big part of the novel is based around her transformation. It was something that I enjoyed reading about and found very interesting.Perry, our male protagonist, is brave and tough. In the novel we see him open up and change. Really, this is a novel all about discovery. At the start of the novel we see a Perry that is very different from the one that is shown at the end. Perry is definitely one of my favourite male protagonists.I must mention the style in which this novel is written. It is written in third person, which would normally bother me because the majority of books that I read are in first person. I was surprised at how much I liked it and am definitely going to try and read more novels written in the third person.This novel is a unique dystopian. I loved the idea of the Realms which are really just computer games that you can jump in to and control. It was also nice to read a novel where the plot was completely original because most of the novels in the YA genre are the same now.I thoroughly enjoyed Under the Never Sky and can't wait to get started on Through the Ever Night. Rossi has created a thrilling and compelling novel that will keep readers captivated throughout.

I've been meaning to read this book ever since I read and enjoyed Jessie Hearts NYC, and I'm so glad that I finally have because I loved it just as much. When I saw this at my library I actually squealed, causing my friend to give me a rather odd look.When Emma's mother is offered the opportunity to move to LA, Emma isn't exactly pleased. But once there, will Emma enjoy the LA lifestyle? After all, with celebrity Alex and geeky Oscar, why wouldn't it be fun? Emma, the main character, is a very familiar face. After finding her interesting in Jessie, I was excited to read more about her. I was really pleased to find that Emma was even better in this novel! She had an added depth and I liked seeing another side of her. We have two potential love interests in this novel: Oscar and Alex. Oscar was incredibly kind and sweet. I loved his character so much and liked the fact that we could see how much he had changed over the years through Emma's eyes because it felt a lot more personal. Alex's character was well-developed and it was evident what he was like from the start.(Can you tell which team I'm on?!)Emma Hearts LA had a very strong plot line and was beautifully written. My only fault with it was that it didn't include Finn. Yes, he was mentioned, but I wanted a scene! Maybe now is the time to admit that I may be slight obsessed with him...But now I can obsess over Oscar's singing! Do you think I could buy an album?!This is a book that I really enjoyed and would highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of contemporary fiction. It is also a brilliant opportunity to be transported to LA from the comfort of your own sofa (or train seat, or bed, or wherever you're reading it!). Emma Hearts LA is a novel jam-packed with humour and romance.

There have been a lot of mixed reviews for this novel so I was a little dubious when starting it. 35 girls have been chosen. Which one will win the prince's heart? When America Singer signs up for The Selection, a competition to become the bride of Prince Maxon, heir to the throne, she doesn't expect to be chosen.Being Selected means leaving her old life at home, and the boy who has stolen her heart. But is it the end for America; or has the adventure just begun?I don't think you could really classify this novel under one sole genre. It has a lot of dystopian elements but some aspects felt so real that it could have been set in the present. I found it very similar to The Hunger Games but could also see that it had a unique storyline so I wasn't all that bothered by it.I do wish there had been a little more worldbuilding at the start but there was plenty in the rest of the novel that compensated for this. The novel is written in America's point of view and I thought she was a very strong character. She didn't really want to be at the palace but she was selfless and stayed because of her family. She thought of others before herself but still had a feisty side that we saw on occasion. She wasn't perfect by any means but her background enabled her to have a quality that the other girls lacked.I really loved Maxon. At first I thought he was a little weird but after a while I began to accept him for who he was and then couldn't get enough of him. He was so awkward but so cute and he is definitely one of my favourite book boyfriends of all time! I think it was nice that the girls got to know him in his natural environment. It was good to see that he was just a normal boy because living in such a way that he did could really turn a person into a spoiled brat.The other girls were also very strong characters but I tended to be able to tell who was going to go before it was even written.I loved the whole concept of this novel. It had twists and turns that made me want to read on and already we are getting clues about the larger plot running in all three novels. The Selection was a novel that took me by surprise and I really don't know how I'll be able to wait until The Elite comes out. It's a novel of despair and fairytales and one of my favourite books of all time.

I was asked to review this book by Scholastic and, having not heard of it before, was immediately interested. As soon as I saw the cover, I let out a squeal and started kissing it. Let's hope nobody saw me!When Vanessa is accepted into the prestigious New York Ballet Academy, she is instantly relieved. Being accepted means being able to go back to the last place her sister was seen before her disappearance. But is the New York Ballet Academy all that it seems? Find out in this novel of mystery, romance and the supernatural.Classifying this novel into one particular genre is rather hard. I really didn't know what to expect at first and then all these different elements started to hit me and I was very surprised. This book had so many twists and turns that kept me captivated throughout.The main character, Vanessa, was passionate and determined. She could be incredibly annoying at times and there were a few occasions when I could have shaken her but this was also a good example of how the author uses dramatic irony to convey her point.I wasn't really sure if there was supposed to be a love triangle going on because it wasn't really clear. I'm looking forward to reading about the romantic aspects, however, in the second book because it has me interested.This is a book all about hopes and dreams. I mean, who hasn't pointed their toes and pretended they were in Swan Lake? My friend does ballet and so I'm looking forward to baffling her when I know all of the fancy ballet terms that were featured in the book.After talking to a bookseller on Twitter, we decided to start a campaign to sell a tutu with every book. So, you see, this book has also brought me a lot of fun conversations!I enjoyed Dance of Shadows a lot more than I expected and am really looking forward to reading the second book. It's a book full of excitement, dark stories and passion.

This is a book that I have wanted to read for a while. It sounded like a good contemporary and so I decided to pick it up.The novel starts in an airport where we meet Hadley, who is on her way to London. She meets Oliver, a boy who is also travelling to London and they immediately have a connection. Set over a 24 hour period, this novel is all about teenage love, woes and adventures.I wasn't too keen on the style of writing in which this book was written. It mean that I couldn't get close to the main character, Hadley, and I felt very detached. It wasn't a style that it commonly used and so it took a lot of getting used to. I liked Hadley, but I just didn't get to know her well enough. Her character was poorly written and I would have liked to have seen more scenes that really revealed her personality. I found that she could act quite selfish, as well.Oliver was a much more likable character but his behaviour was a little erratic. He wasn't very solid and I really don't understand why he would just choose to approach Hadley in a busy airport.My main problem with this novel was that it was so short. There weren't enough pages to get to know the characters well enough and I think that if it were to be made a little longer then I would enjoy it more.Before people start thinking I'm a horrible person, I must add that I loved the romantic side of this novel. It was played out just right and was very sweet.I really wanted to enjoy this novel but it really didn't do much for me. I would like to read another book by the author to see how it compares, though.