Review: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Published: February 1999
Publisher: MTV books and pockets

Goodreads Summary

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day...or wondering who did the heart breaking and wondering why." Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

This is a rather hard book to review. I was putting this review off for as long as I possibly could as I just can’t seem to form any words to describe how much I loved this book!

Having not watched the movie I decided to tackle this book down after I found a cheap copy in my local store! The book addresses just within the first few pages; suicide, domestic abuse, homosexuality, molestation, rape, abortion, drug use and mental illness. Which is basically a jackpot for me as I’ve been trying to find books that more or less address these issues but are also YA.

Charlie is a freshman who is shy, nervous and not at all popular. Not only that but his bestfriend, his only friend committed suicide. Charlie decides to face the world in a different way, he decides to write letters about his many experiences as a social wallflower to his friend. The way the book was written is original and astonishing. Letters are always somewhat personal and private, you can list all of your fears on a piece of paper and either send it to someone or not. Because Stephen decided to write Charlie’s story this way it’s so much easier to connect with him. To know exactly what he is feeling.

I feel as if this book tackled everything along with the pressure and what it feels like to be a teenager in a new school with no friends.

I can’t praise this book enough, no wonder so many people fall in love with it. 

Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
Date Published: 3rd June 2014
Publisher: Roaring Book Press


Goodreads Summary
Everyone has a lot to say about Alice Franklin, and it’s stopped mattering whether it’s true. The rumors started at a party when Alice supposedly had sex with two guys in one night. When school starts everyone almost forgets about Alice until one of those guys, super-popular Brandon, dies in a car wreck that was allegedly all Alice’s fault. Now the only friend she has is a boy who may be the only other person who knows the truth, but is too afraid to admit it. Told from the perspectives of popular girl Elaine, football star Josh, former outcast Kelsie, and shy genius Kurt, we see how everyone has a motive to bring – and keep – Alice down.

Let me set you the picture. You go to a high school party; people are drinking; everyone is hooking up with each other. Next day you go into school and you’ve managed to be the talk of the town. And it wasn’t because of your impressive beer pong skills either.  

In a town where everyone knows everyone and apparently knows everyone’s business the rumours about Alice and what happened at a party is what everyone is talking about. Supposedly Alice had sex with two boys at a party; and the school just cannot seem to forgive her for this. Especially when one of the boys dies in a car accident.

Let me quickly talk about the book first because I have a ton to say about this “sleeping with two guys in one night shazam” I thought the book was rather good, more than good but not exactly mind blowing. In the book you don’t get to hear from Alice until the very end, it’s mostly just what happened and how they are connected to the night and to Brandan’s death. It was a really great idea to write this novel like that. Not only did each character get to have their say but Jennifer had the opportunity to develop each character further and make them each stand out. It’s hard to make a character seem real if they aren’t a big character or the main one so kudos to her.

The story is also a bit more of a fresh teenage story. It openly talks about sex and parties and there’s some swearing in the book. I don’t know if it’s just me but I think a lot of YA books avoid these things like the plague. So all in all a good story which was written beautifully.

Now let me get to my rant about the storyline. Yes sleeping with two guys on the same night is bad, yes in my eyes it does make you slutty and it’s not something that should be done but IT WASN’T JUST HER. THERE WERE TWO GUYS AND THEY SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN CALLED SLUTS AND WHORES AND PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE MADE THEM FEEL BAD TOO! This annoyed me so much. It annoys me everyday whenever I hear someone say “Oh you banged her?! You’re such a dude/stud/cool” and then the girl has to feel ashamed because she gets called a slut or a whore or not pure. DOUBLE STANDARDS. It doesn’t matter whether or not Alice did have sex with two guys or not in the book. The fact that she lost her bestfriend pretty much because of this, all the rumours and everything was horrible and the guys didn’t get anything for it (well apart from one dying) This just angered me so much. I loved the book but seriously; and no it isn’t the authors fault because it’s exactly how it is in real life and I’m actually glad that she did write it this way but ugh!

Okay rant over. Now go read the book. 

Discussion: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Girl Of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
Series: Anna #2
Published: August 7th 2012
Publisher: Tor Teen


Goodreads Review

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with. Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears. Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Last year Rashika and I teamed up on reading the first book in this series Anna Dressed In Blood and we discussed it; you can check it out here.

We both had the second book so we decided to read it together yet again! I'm the purple and Rashika is the blue :-) 

What did you think of the second book then?

Ha, that’s a vague thing to ask. Overall I loved it just as much as I did the first one but there were so many things I missed from the first one. Like did you notice that this one wasn’t nearly as creepy as book 1 without Anna in it? DID YOU?

Hey! I was starting with the same question from our last review… Erm I still don’t quite know how I felt about this one. I loved the first book; but there was something off about this one. I think it was the lack of Anna and her “creepiness”.

Hmph I think that did affect how I felt about the book but at the same time I felt like there were so many other interesting things going on. Like trying to unravel the mystery behind Anna’s disappearance. The trio was fun to read about and I loved how they were willing to help Cas.

I found it kind of boring, them trying to figure out where Anna is… But I did love the three of them, especially the stuff going on between Thomas and Carmel.

Carmel may bother some people with her actions but to be honest, I actually liked that she doubted things. I mean she wasn’t born to that kind of life. She is human and if she weren’t at least the slightest bit doubtful.. I would be worried. Also you didn’t hear me say this but like, I found the first third to be BORING. I was just.. bored but then something changed and I become so emersed. I wanted to know how things would turn out. What the final showdown would be like, who this mysterious brotherhood was… we definitely did get more answers in this one.

I know! I felt a bit bored at the start too, I genuinely couldn’t get into the story. I don’t know why; then something changed and the excitement begun and I wanted all of the questions answered! I didn’t like the whole brotherhood stuff though. I found it so cliche. The showdown was sort of exciting but I wasn’t at all shocked with it. It felt really fake :/

You know what or rather WHO I didn’t like? JESTINE. I just… didn’t like her at all. I am not even sure what her purpose was to be honest. She just bothered me and I spent the whole book once she appeared, hating her. I actually didn’t notice any cliches but then again, I was inhaling the book and which was probably why I didn’t pick up on any. The duology on the whole does have a handful but I actually found the showdown to be interesting… and the resolution *cries*

AHH! That was heartbreaking, I nearly cried! Oh God. Do not get me started on Jestine! I didn’t think I could hate a character so much. I don’t understand why she was in the book? Like seriously. And why did Kendare have to chose that stupid name? Did she watch Tracy Beaker before she chose her name or something (It’s a kids tv show with a girl called Jestine who’s pretty much exactly like the one in the book!)

It was heartbreaking wasn’t it? But at the same time.. it seemed like the best thing to do. Not what I would want, but what would make sense but hey at least someone got an HEA. Going back to Jestine though, I was worried would be like a love interest for Cas with Anna gone and while I am glad that didn’t happen.. I just don’t know what her purpose was… she doesn’t even seem like a plot device. Just another character who was just there.. doing nothing…

At first I was hoping she would be this cool chick who’s kickass and a great character but after I think she was properly introduced I wanted to shoot her. She was so useless even if she did help Cas a little… I’m so glad that there wasn’t a love interest! That would have been horrible!

She was right? I don’t actually know why Cas likes her… it’s a weird friendship they share.

Anyway moving on from HER! One thing that annoyed me the most was the London trip! The whole dark alleys and pubs and everything. London isn’t exactly dark. OH! Then the Suicide Forest bit. I wanted to scream and punch something! That’s not in England! It’s in Japan! God damn it. PLUS THEY DIDN’T EVEN DRINK TEA!

WHATTT REALLLY? The suicide forest isn’t in the UK? O_O That sounds like a case of better research being needed to be done :( No way. I am pretty sure they drank tea at Gideons. HOW COULD THEY HAVE NOT? TEA IS LIFE. LIFE IS TEA.

The forest is called Aokigahara and it is most definitely not here!I mean she did get the suicide thing right, and that the forest is beautiful because the pictures are breath taking; but the wrong damn place! It angered me so much. WELL THEN THEY DID NOT DRINK ENOUGH TEA!!

I don’t think anyone can drink enough tea .-. I’d like to think they magically transported there but I don’t think that was the case because I am pretty sure that all happened in Scotland.

I can drink enough tea. I’m drinking tea right now. There is no such forest in Scotland anyway, I mean there’s a creepy ass bridge in Scotland that I want to visit so badly but apart from that…

Right lets get this show on the road, or at least off the road.

Final thoughts! Go!

Wonderful but it needed a lot more Anna.

I thought it was great and answered all the questions, but not at all close to being as good as Anna Dressed In Blood.

So final verdict??? We have slightly different opinions but in the end we both agree that that ending was heartbreaking.

Rashikas rating-


My rating-

Review: She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedwick My

She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedwick
Date Published: 3rd October 2013
Publisher: Orion Children's
Amazon    Book Depository 

Goodreads summary

Laureth Peak's father has taught her to look for recurring events, patterns, and numbers--a skill at which she's remarkably talented. Her secret: She is blind. But when her father goes missing, Laureth and her 7-year-old brother Benjamin are thrust into a mystery that takes them to New York City where surviving will take all her skill at spotting the amazing, shocking, and sometimes dangerous connections in a world full of darkness. She Is Not Invisible is an intricate puzzle of a novel that sheds a light on the delicate ties that bind people to each other.

I was actually hoping to hate this book, or at least be so bored of it that I wouldn’t get past 50 pages but somehow I managed to hit around 100 pages before I realised that it was late and that the book hasn’t bored me to death. I randomly picked this book out of the mass amount of Young Adult books in my local library mostly for the pretty cover and the interesting title. I admit that. So after having the book for about two weeks and my return date being right around the corner I decided to at least give this book a try.

I was so suprised. I mean the writing and the main characters just. Wow. I wasn’t expecting the main character to be blind, and I wasn’t expecting the writing to portray that in such a way. I guess I would have expected the author to make it very clear from the very beginning about the lack of eyesight that Laurenth has but there were only hints I guess is the right word. It took me a while to notice that the author has not actually described what people look like, the colours that were there or anything like it. I guess I was just blind to that (ha… sorry) The amazing thing about this book is how thoughtfully it has been written. All the other senses are heighted and written; like what Laurenth was feeling or hearing at times.

The story follows a 16 year old blind girl and her little brother on a quest to find their father who seems to be missing. Having travelled from England to New York to follow clues that might not actually be there and having to deal with not being able to take care of everything herself the journey is really unpredictable. There was so much that could have gone wrong and nearly did go wrong and I just still can’t get over the writing.

This book was so cleverly written that I’m still in somewhat shock afterwards. By the last page I was mesmerised by the story and how much it meant to me. I wasn’t expecting it to leave any deep feelings or make me sit in my room for a while and think about what I’ve just read.

Marcus is such an underrated writer; I wish that more people would realise how amazing his work is and that his words  are remarkable.

ARC Review: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Series: Uninvited #1
Release Date: January 28th, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

This book. Is just. It’s hard to form words because it is just so damn good. I am stunned. I was a little wary going into this because I had NOT enjoyed Jordan’s Firelight. Maja’s review did re-assure me to a certain degree and gave me the push I needed to finally read the book.

Which I am really glad I did because otherwise I would have been missing out on a lot of awesome.

The book reels you in right from the start. It has a powerful opening that makes you want to read more. You have the main character finding out she has the kill gene and her life turns upside down. Her friends don’t want to be associated with her anymore, her boyfriend, who had claimed to love her, tries to work things out but even he cannot overlook the fact that his girlfriend may be a killer. What is even worse is that even her own parents turn on her. They treat her like she is bomb waiting to be triggered, like she is some kind of monster and not their child.

My heart broke for this wonderful young girl who had everything snatched from her because there was a ‘possibility’ that she would go all bzerk and kill people. It hurt when I had to see her friends shun her and treat her like crap. It hurt when her parents refused to discuss what was going on and instead avoided it. It broke when her dreams were snatched away from her.

Jordan manages to capture the cruelty of the human nature. She is shunned by society because of something that she had no control over. All these innocent people (and some not so innocent people) were treated like livestock. But humans did what they do best; they blamed a whole group for the crime of certain individuals.

The characters in this book are wonderful. From Davy (whose name reminded me of Captain Davy Jones, it still does) to Sean to Mitchell.

I believe it was Mitchell’s character that stuck out the most of me. He was the one person who didn’t turn his back on his younger sister. The one person who would have had more reason to do so then everyone else (siblings rivalry), but he didn’t. He stuck with her. His own heart breaking at how his sister was being treated. I was actually surprised by how sincere his character was. I do hope we get to see more of him in the next book.

 

Davy herself was a very strong main character. She starts of as a naïve privileged girl who cannot quite wrap her head around what just happened to her but she slowly grows as a character. She starts accepting her situation even while seeing the injustice of it. She pays close attention to her instincts and learns to navigate in this new world she has been thrust into.

I don’t have much to say about Sean though, the romance between the two lurks in the background but that isn’t the focus of the book. He was a good enough love interest, I could find no fault with him (I am not implying he is perfect). I’ll have to admit to being initially annoyed with the fact that he seemed to be a cliché (he was closed off) but when he was the first one to make a move, I decided that didn’t matter. At least he didn’t pull the ‘you’re not safe with me’ card.

Their relationship is slow to develop and *gasp* there is no insta-love (unlike in Firelight).

But in the end the book wasn’t about romance. It was about how a girl adjusts into her new life as a possible killer.

This wonderful book reminded me why I love YA and why I was once obsessed with the Dystopia genre.

A book with a strong message and a psychological undercurrent I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good gritty and powerful YA. 

Blog Tour: The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy

Wander Dust by Michelle Warren

Series: Seraphina Parrish Trilogy # 1

Publication Date: November 30, 2011

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Time Travel/Romance

Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish. Unexplainable premonitions catapult her to faraway cities. A street gang wants to kill her, and a beautiful, mysterious boy stalks her.

But when Sera moves to Chicago, and her aunt reveals their family connection to a centuries old, secret society, she’s immediately thrust into an unbelievable fantasy world, leading her on a quest to unravel the mysteries that plague her. In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she’ll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most.

Wander Dust is the breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time, adventure, and love.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords


My Review 

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. My attention was first brought to this book when I was stalking a friend's shelf. The cover grabbed my attention (I'll admit it. I am a complete cover whore) and after reading the synopsis I was further intrigued. 

As someone who is somewhat vary of self-published books, I didn't expect much when I divided in, even though I was curious, I went in hoping this wouldn't be a case of  'curiosity killed the cat' and it wasn't. This book was pretty good. It had it's faults, as well as the obvious cliches but it still managed to stand out.

After a couple of incidents, her aunt comes to pick her up and she is sent to a prestigious 'secret' academy. She finds out that she is a wanderer and she is part of a team with a protector and a seer. They all work together to travel through time. Each member has their own talents. A seer, for example, uses their ability to see the timelines of inanimate objects to find appropriate relics that will help the protector and wanderer travel through time. The job of a protector, is obviously to protect the wanderer and the wanderer is the one who has the ability to travel. Sound interesting? Hells yeah. The idea of teams working together to travel through time was really interesting to me.  

As someone who is somewhat of a nerd, I can be a little touchy about the idea of time travel so I tend to be very picky but I can say without a doubt Michelle pulled it off. She weaves a believable story and there weren't any holes. You might find yourself wondering what was happening at one moment and later on the book it is explained. She doesn't leave any lose ends. Everything fit together. 

The characters were pretty great as well. I had some problems with Sera from time to time but in the end it all worked out, I didn't hate her. She was determined and never let Max (I refuse to call him Bishop) distract her from her goals. She could occasionally be stupid in the way teenagers tend to be but she never went over the top.

And I am happy to say that this book didn't end on a major cliffhanger. Cliffhangers bother me. Unless they are well done, which is so rare that I shouldn't even mention it. It leaves us curious and with questions but it isn't overly dramatic. 

I have read the next two books in the series and while those two didn't work out for me I would recommend the first book. 

About the Author:

Michelle Warren is the author of the Seraphina Parrish Trilogy. She didn't travel the road to writer immediately. She spent over a decade as professional Illustrator and designer. Her artistic creativity combined with her love of science fiction, paranormal and fantasy led her to write her first YA novel, Wander Dust. Michelle loves reading and traveling to places that inspire her to create. She resides in downtown Chicago, not far from her imaginary Wandering world.

Find her here

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

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Book Spotlight: The Wind Whisperer by Krista Holle

The Wind Whisperer by Krista Holle 
(young adult—paranormal romance):  

Publication date: Coming this October 15, 2013 

Publisher: (Independent) Sweet River Romance 

Pages: 302 

Buy: Amazon | Kobo 

This love triangle just got dangerous… 

At fifteen, Anaii is the most important member of her tribe—and the most mysterious.  Ever since Anaii can remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting grounds and imminent enemy attacks.  But when her people are ambushed by a brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily silent. As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him.  It’s an old plea—Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior.  Stifled by Elan’s insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief.   Enamored by Jayttin’s carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated.  Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light.   While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes.  Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing—which man Anaii chooses to die. 

Excerpt: 

I looked around cautiously before freezing at the sketchy outline of a muscular man partially hidden in the grass.  A man!  He was sprawled on his back and golden pink from too many hours in the sun.  My heart pounded to see the unfamiliar pattern of a deer on his breechcloth.  I had marched myself directly into the reach of a Zennite warrior!  

I gingerly took a step backwards, but to my horror, the man’s black eyes fluttered open.  I turned and hurled myself back across the meadow, just as the man shot up and flew after me like a predatory bird.  My muscles burned and strained to lengthen the space between us, but getting away was hopeless.  I was not a challenge to even the young boys in the foot races. 

After a few powerful strides, the warrior tackled me to the ground, painfully grazing the skin on my cheek.  I wheezed a few times before my lungs filled with air.  

“A Chippoke?” he asked between breaths.  

I feverishly punched and kicked to free myself.  “Get—off—me!” 

“Stop! I’m not going to hurt you,” the warrior chuckled as he struggled to pin my arms and legs.  His voice was calm and pleasant, but lying was no different than breathing to a Zennite. 

“I cannot promise the same,” I wheezed as I fought.  

“You’re a bobcat,” he said with a laugh.  “A bobcat with no teeth or claws.” 

“Let me go!” 

“I will when you’re calm.” 

Strong hands held my wrists while his full weight pinned my torso against the earth.  Fighting him was as useless as running.  “You are not a boy,” I spat angrily, fully taking in my attacker.  It was little comfort that he didn’t look like a bloodthirsty killer.  He was admittedly handsome with an angular face and sleek black hair that hung well past his shoulders.  He was not as tall as Elan, but his muscles were narrow and built for speed.  There was something different about his eyes too.  They were as black as soot—very unlike the brown woodsy colors from our tribe. 

The warrior smirked down at me.  “My mother will be very surprised to hear that.  All this time she’s assumed…” 

My face heated, but I fiercely met his gaze.  The Zenni were like wild dogs and pumas—they could smell emotions. “What I meant was, you are a man, not a boy.” 

“Oh, I see, but you must understand, I’m not a man yet.”  

“You must understand I’m a squirrel!  Get off!  You’re hurting me!” I ordered with a useless heave.   

“No,” he said with a smirk. 

It was then I realized I might die—right after I was lulled into a false sense of security.  My chest pounded as I searched for the killer’s weapon.  “Are you going to kill me?”     

“I do not feel like killing you just yet,” he said as his long hair swirled in my face.  Were we to play a game before he killed me?  

“I am glad the mood doesn’t strike you,” I snarled.  The warrior studied me with a drawn brow.  Was he guessing that I was the forest witch?  I didn’t think I looked like a witch, but I wasn’t certain what one should look like—evil at least. 

“I don’t understand something,” the warrior said.  “Your eyes are blue—the blue of an angry sky.  Are you the daughter of a god?” 

“Yes,” I said, heaving against his weight again.  “Now get off me, or my father Achak will strike you dead with lightening.”  

Author Bio:  

Krista Holle is an award winning author who stepped up her writing after reading Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series.  It occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true love—not just vampires.  When Krista is not writing, she loves to collect seashells, watch movies, and eat obscene amounts of pizza.  Krista currently resides in Montpelier, Virginia with her husband, four daughters and an eccentric cat with a weird attachment to the family’s socks.   

Find Krista here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Other Books by Krista Holle: 

The Lure of Shapinsay

(Winner of the Reader’s Choice Award for  

Paranormal Romance 2012) 

Published: December 2011 

Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble