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Exit, Pursued by a Bear - E. K. Johnston

“I will not be a frozen example, a statued monument to  there but-by-the-grace-of-God.”

This book has been on my TBR list for so long now that I actually don’t remember when I put it on there. I finally decided to read it because I got the impression that it would be the type of book that I could read in small increments, in the limited free time I currently have. But, boy, was I wrong.  This book pulled me right in and I wanted to keep reading non-stop. I wouldn’t necessarily say I was drawn in by the suspense or anticipation of wanting to know what happens next. It was more to do with it just being a well-writing, well-developed story, that held my interest. 

Johnston’s writing, in my opinion, is quite lyrical. There where so many quotes in this book that I just loved. Either they seemed like the perfect encapsulation of the situation or emotional state of the main character, or they were just beautiful phrases in and out of context. This is often hard to do, especially on such a delicate subject. That is one of the things I liked, how, despite being an uncomfortable subject for many, Johnston didn’t tip-toe around it, instead she confronted the issue and was able to do so in a way that wasn’t dismissive or underdeveloped. 

“… but I’ve already discovered that rape is different - a word that would prefer not to be understood, much less spoken”

I feel that it is important to note that while this book does revolve around a sensitive subject. I found it to be a lot different from many of the  other books with similar topics. Many novels tell the story of the helplessness and the pain, Johnston presents these aspects, but it is not all that this story is about, it’s about positive support networks and strength. 

The ending. Was it poetic? Yes. Did feel complete and entirely satisfying? No. I’m the type of person that always wants to know more about how things turn out for the characters (which is often why I find stand-alone novels to be lacking when compared to series). So despite this novel ending on such a graceful note, I still wanted to know more about the outcomes and consequences of the decisions made by the characters at the end. 

4/5 ★★★★☆

Started 2/5/19 - Finished 3/5/19

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Mortal Engines - Philip Reeves

“Poor Tom. You’re learning what Valentine taught me all those years ago: You can’t trust anybody.”

Mortal Engines is an engaging amalgamation of dystopia, steampunk and humour.

I started reading this book because I wanted to watch the movie, but obviously I wanted to read the book first, and I can’t say I was disappointed.  I didn’t find the book to be overly mind-blowing but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the adventure. I haven’t read a lot of books of this genre (possible none, actually), so whether my attitude towards the move is a result of my feeling towards the book of the genre is unknown, but I think reading the rest of this series is a good entry into the genre. 

One thing in this novel, I particularly liked was how the concept of Municipal Darwinism was integrated throughout the story, leading to me to constantly question how certain decisions the characters made were going to work for and/or against the concept. 

I wouldn’t say there is anything wrong with the writing in this novel but at times I did find it to be a little young for me. As such, if I was going to recommend this book on writing styles alone, I would do so to younger readers, Especially in regards to some of the wordplay (which despite this I found to be entertaining). 

4/5 ★★★★☆

Started 13/4/19 - Finished 16/4/19

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Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

“When someone tells you somebody’s been murdered, laughing is probably not the best response. You know, for future references.”

For me this was more of a light and fluffy read than any kind of drama. Which I suppose has its good and bad points, depending on what you are looking for.  I found the language, while not simple, was easy to read. 

There were a number of generic tropes in this book but the way that they were approached and treated almost made light of them which, to me, made then seems much less tedious. A boarding school for the ‘abnormal’ is a hard field to compete in considering the vast number of books in the category but Hawkins’ approach, the kind of laidback style in which she wrote made the story into one I thoroughly enjoyed. 

This is a very enjoying story because of the simplistic and easy to follow writing, and the decent, witty humour (see ‘Bad Dog!’). All of which make the novel addicting. 

The character relationships, while they stick within the stereotypical directions of a lot of Y.A. novels for the most part, were unique and well developed. Hawkins manipulated the characters fairly well and was able to manifest interesting conflicts and twist all throughout the novel, most of which being somewhat unexpected (at least for me, especially in regard to expecting something, then not thinking it possible, only for it to turn out to be true). 

4/5 ★★★★☆

Started 7/4/19 - Finished 8/4/19

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All of This is True - Lygia Day Peñaflor

“It’s funny, he thought, the reasons we don’t talk about something are because it’s either not important or because it’s too important.”

To begin with this book was a bit flat for me. Don’t get me wrong, I was intrigued at times and wanted to know how certain aspects turned out. But my enjoyment wasn’t as great as it could have been, given how drawn to the premise I was. However, as I got  closer to the end, I was much more engaged and eager to continue. The concept of the novel itself had a lot of promise and was, in my opinion, successful in its execution. Though I found there to be something missing, interest wise. 

The messages put forward in this novel fit so well with the style and execution that, I think it would be difficult to give the same effect in a varying format. 

Throughout the story, I found myself consistently switching between which of the two interviewed characters that I found to be more accurate in their opinions, basically who’s side I was on. While this did leave me confused, I think this did help to keep me engaged in the story, curious to see what resolution the characters would come to. 

The vaguely open ending that concludes the book, left me a little frustrated and confused. While my interpretation of the ending scenes leads me to believe one thing, it would be interesting to know if this a common interpretation. 

3/5 ★★★☆☆

Started 1/4/19 - Finished 2/4/19

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Switched - Amanda Hocking

“Did you think you could treat me like shit at a dance, then sneak into my room in the middle of the night and tell me that I'm a troll with magical powers, and I'd just be like, yeah, that sounds right.”

I’ve had my copy of this book for I don’t even know how long (seriously, its been like 7 years), and I’ve finally gotten around to reading it. 

I quite enjoyed it overall, but I did have a few issues with some aspects of the novel. For one, I found myself to be quite confused by the pacing/timeline. There were times where I wondered how long it had been between events or how things appeared to develop in what seemed like no time at all. In spite of this, or perhaps because of this, the novel makes for a decent, quick summer read. 

Another issue I had may be completely arbitrary, but there were a few instances where the descriptors used didn’t sit well with me. One specific instance was the following; “… in a beautifully elegant borderline-anorexic way.” My problem with the use of anorexia as a descriptor of beauty in this context, may be due to my studies in the field of psychology, but using terms like this in this way, strikes me as almost insensitive and/or problematic to the people who suffer from such conditions. 

My favourite character in this book has to be Tove. Despite the stereotypical mysterious air he is portrayed to have, my interest in his backstory was peaked, and I enjoyed what little of the character development that we did get to see of him. Hopefully, we get to see more in the rest of the trilogy. 

3/5 ★★★☆☆

Started 25/3/19 - Finished 30/3/19

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Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

"…But what is the worse pain? To me, its alway pain that is present."

I read the first Hunger Games novel something like 4 years ago and from memory, I was quite let down by that book, especially after how I had enjoyed the movies. This book, on the other hand, was significantly better in my opinion. The character have become much more developed, the plot moved at a decent pace and the storyline itself was interesting.

While at some points the book felt a bit like a rehash f the first in the series but in a better way, if that makes sense. However, I still captured my attention and had me intrigued to continue the series.

What I found particularly interesting, as someone who had previously seen all 4 movies, was how much more we got to learn about characters that in the films were glossed over. Specifically, the characters Octavia, Flavius and Venia, who were only mentioned very briefly in the films but played more of a role in the book. Also, I found it funny how characters who were introduced in the book but did not appear in the movies could almost be expected to die or disappear soon after their appearance.

What I didn’t particularly like was the ‘been there done that; love triangle. Even if you already know what is going to happen in this type of situation, it can still be interesting to see the mechanics of how it is going to play out. This wasn’t the case here and I was more bored with it than interested.

3.5/5 ★★★☆☆

Started 20/2/19 - Finished 24/3/19

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Heir of Fire - Sarah J. Maas

“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”

This book had me, I didn’t want to put it down and when I had to I was just waiting until I could pick it up again. In comparison to the 2 other books in this series that I have already read, this was definitely my favourite. There were so many scenes in this book that I loved so much, especially Celaena’s first fight with the skinwalkers and when she ‘demonstrated’ her magic for Maeve. They were enrolling and well executed, keeping me engaged and waiting for more action-packed content. We were introduced to a number of new characters in this book, one, in particular, is Rowan. My first impression of Rowan wasn’t necessarily positive or negative, it was more of an “okay, you’re obviously going to be important,” and that was about it. Though my opinion of him developed quickly as his character became more third dimensional. I’m not usually a big fan of having so many different character’s plotlines being explored in alternating chapters - and when they are largely separated from one another - but I enjoyed how it was done here. While there were some character’s storylines that I was more invested in, being able to see all of the different happenings within this fantastical world answered some of my questions from the previous books and helped to bring this fantasy world to life in a more full, 3-Dimensional manner.

4.75/5 ★★★★★

Started 8/3/19 - Finished 17/3/19

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Seven Ways We Lie - Riley Redgate

“I’ve always thought everybody’s a genius at something; you just have to dig it up and polish the hell out of it.”

I loved it.

I spent the whole book trying to figure out which characters related to which of the seven deadly sins. Even though there was no confirmation of which character related to which sin, the wrap of the novel still felt complete. 

I also liked the use of varying writing styles for each of the different characters, and how it was partially reflective of their personality. I often find certain writing styles irritating and am often put off of the whole book because of this. However, in this case, it was obvious that this was a stylistic choice employed by the author to give more layers to the characters.  So, while I did find certain sections tedious or difficult to connect with, it didn’t diminish my enjoyment for the story. 

The representation in the book, while there wasn’t an overly large amount, seemed, at least to me, to be quite natural and not something it was forced into it, in an attempt to be more political. 

4/5 ★★★★☆

Started 13/3/19 - Finished 14/3/19

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Crown of Midnight - Sarah J. Maas

“Everything in this world is magic. Thank you ever so kindly for stating the obvious..”

I found the first half to be quite slow and it took me a while to get into, especially considering how pumped I was after the ending of the first book. However,  it definietly picked up in the the second half and had me hooked. 

I quite enjoyed the character development in this book, specifically how each character is developing at their own pace, and while their growth is caused or influenced by their relationships with others and events typically experienced with the other characters, how they are effected is unique, which is a nice change of pae from a number of books I’ve read, where characters develop in the exact same way at the exact same timeframe. In regards to this novel, Dorian’s storyline in particular had me hooked and I’m curious to see how this is going to play out. And like with any good character, he made decisions that I didnt necessarily agree with but the consequences and outcomes for such decisions made for interesting fiction. 

I appreciate the ending of this book as, much like with the ending of the first book, left me itching to know what happens next and thus leading to me starting the next book soon after. 

3.75/5 ★★★★☆

Started 4/2/19 - Finished 23/2/19