Showing posts with label Tattoo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tattoo. Show all posts

Thursday, August 16, 2018

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017)

Title: The Hate U Give
Author: Angie Thomas
Pages: 448
Published: Jun 4th 2017
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd


I can often feel that when a book comes out and gets all the praise and all the attention I’m forced to read it. Not that I’m not already interested - because I was very tempted to read this book - but as if it’s forced on me and then I become reluctant to. So although I kept dumbing into this book I repeatedly decided not to buy it. Until I came to the point where I had one book in the ‘buy one, get one half price’ deal, with a gift card I wanted to spend and no other book in the deal that I was yearning to read this one second. So I turned to the whole shelf dedicated to The Hate U Give and thought “fine, you’ve got me”.

This book is FANTASTIC! It’s absolutely raw and open and deep, every feeling is laid out to the reader and it’s honest and out there. The book is written so beautifully. It’s funny, sad and heartbreaking. It’s a well written YA book, with a good story and strong characters. It was highly enjoyable but also gave some food for thought. Such a reading experience.

The authenticity in the language of this book is so well executed. I am a Swedish white woman living in England. I have not grown up in 'the ghetto'. And although I went to an international school for three years, I lived in an area where the majority of the population consisted of white Brits. So, because of where I’ve lived all my life, up until University life, I have not had the chance to be really exposed to the language that is used in The Hate U Give and even though I was very unused to reading a book with such new use of vocabulary or slang words it was very interesting and quite honestly, quite cool to read. It really gave a new reading experience and felt truly authentic. 

Her voice is heard, by me and all the other readers out this. This book has to be read, by everyone. It covers such an important subject that everyone, American or not, white or black, boy or girl, man or woman should read. Although improved over the years, racism is such an important issue in all countries all over the world and not only between black and whites. It’s about time a book was written about this issue and for our young adults as well. Our generation must bring over a change, and for the better.

I am lost for words. Everyone should read this book. What is important to understand is that although this is a story with fictional characters set in a fictional surrounding it does not mean that what happens is not true. This book has been written because similar events have taken place in the past. It’s important to understand that this is a real issue and not mistake it for a fictional plot device by the author. It is only the medium the author has used to reach the audience, a YA book.

Plot Summary:

Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs.
The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community.
It could also get her killed.

Favourite Quote:

"Daddy once told me there's a rage passed down to every black man from his ancestors, born the moment they couldn't stop the slave masters from hurting their families. Daddy also said there's nothing more dangerous than when that rage is activated."


My Rating:

9/10


Other Books by Angie Thomas:

On the Come Up

Sunday, July 29, 2018

DIVERGENT by VERONICA ROTH (2012)

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #1
Pages: 487
Published: Feb 28th 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books




I was at my friends house on a sleepover when I wanted to read something. We were three other people on a sleep over at her place and she and I decided to have a read. I always enjoy looking at her bookshelf. It's cramped. Having forgotten my book at home, I picked up Divergent and got to bring it home to finish it.



After that I borrowed the second book at the library and the third book I got to read on a friend's Kobo account because the library didn't have it available.



I love Tris' first person narrative (if you think about it The Hunger Games are written by a female first person narrator). It is very personal and her description of the events are crystal clear. The characters are very well developed and carefully picked out for a reason.



The idea that society would be divided into sections scares me and that other people would use one another like that. Not just manipulate them or brainwash them, but skipping that step and only injecting them with serum just to force them without even telling them, without warning. It scares me a lot. Just absolutely terrifying. Because they turned on each other. The fact that Tris had to go to the point and kill her friend, hurting other friends in turn - for not having another choice.
Plot Summary:

She turns to face the future in a world that's falling appart.
Three Flying Birds... One for each member of the family I left behind.
Sixteen-year-old Tris is forced to make a terrible choice. In a decided society where everyone must conform, Tris does not fit.
So she ventures out alone, determined to discover where she truly belongs. Shocked by her brutal new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to booth threaten and protect her.
The hardest choice lies ahead.

Favourite Quote: 

Be brave.

My Rating:

10/10
I was hooked from the first page.

Other Books in This Series:

Divergent (Divergent #1)
Insurgent (Divergent #2)
Allegiant (Divergent #3)
Four (Divergent novella)
Free Four (Divergent novella)
The Transfer (Divergent novella)
The Initiate (Divergent novella)
The World of Divergent (Divergent novella)

Other Books by Veronica Roth:

Carve the Mark (Carve the Mark #1)
The Fates Divide (Carve the Mark #2)

Sunday, July 22, 2018

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by SARAH J. MAAS (2015)

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1

Pages: 416
Published: May 5th 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children


I have been meaning to read this for quite some time and having read the Throne of Glass series I knew this was going to be an amazing reading experience, not to mention all the talk and art there is on social media. So without hesitating I bought all three books in the series and started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses over Easter.

And God, was it good? My first was: why does this get more attention than Throne of Glass? It's just as good, but it's not incredibly 'better'. I'm a huge Throne of Glass fan by the way, and I'm not too keen in pushing it off my favourite ten books of all time any time soon, you see. This does not in any way mean that this was worse. Don't get me wrong, it was phenomenal!

Feyre is an awesome female lead. I can't help but deeply dislike her family, but she is genuinely good. Badass, responsible, selfless, were just a few of her qualities. Hurt, anger, happiness, all the feelings were there and she was truly an empowering character to read about.

Personally, however, I wasn't a fan of Tamlin. I don't know if I was meant to like him or possibly dislike him, but he just didn't agree with me. He and Feyre didn't click. In fact I was a much bigger fan of Lucien. He played the true friend, torn between his loyalty to Tamlin and his building friendship with Feyre. He was the stereotypical annoying best friend that eventually grew on you. who's sarcasm added to banter in conversation and spiced up the plot.

Rhysand on the other hand I couldn't get enough of and he was not mentioned nearly enough. I can't wait to hear more about him in the next book.

The next book, which I can get to reading as soon as I finish reading a book about brains that Dad is forcing me to read (it's surprisingly good), I hope will bring us out of the Spring Court and allow Feyre explore more of Prythian and be more involved with the greater politics.

Plot Summary:

Feyre is a huntress.
She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forest. And she will learn that taking the life of a magical creature comes at a high price...
Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy's kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden to escape. Her captor's body bears the scars of fighting, and his face is always masked - but his piercing stare draws her closer. As Feyre's feelings from Tamlin begin to burn through every warning she'd been told about his kind, an ancient, wicked shadow grows.
Feyre must find a way to break a spell, or loose her heart forever.

My Rating:

9/10

Other Books in this Series:

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)
A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses novella)

Other Books by Sarah J. Maas:

Queen of Shadows Throne of Glass #4)
Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5)
Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6)
Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7)

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

THRONE OF GLASS by SARAH J. MAAS (2012)

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Pages: 404Published: Aug 2nd 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens


It's taken me so long to get to read these books. And it's been all over BookTube and Bookstagram. When I finally got to it though I read half of it in a day (I know, not in one sitting) but I was crazily obsessed.

I absolutely loved the genre!! For those of you who have read high fantasy such as A Song of Ice And Fire series by George R.R. Martin (aka Game of Thrones) there's always loads of politics, dual narratives and characters. But this book managed without crazy complications. There we're enough characters and narratives to keep track of. Nothing got confusing but not once did I get bored because it wasn't enough.

The characters were really strong. I liked that Celeana wasn't just a badass assassin without emotion or girly aspects. She may have had boyish aspects but she loved her dresses and shoes and she liked reading!! Her sass was everything. This is probably why I like Tyrion so much in A Song of Ice and Fire. All the witty remarks!!! I haven't read much about the love aspect of Throne of Glass online because I didn't want my views of the characters to be affected by other people's opinions but personally I am more of a Chaol person. Why was she attracted to Dorian so much? I love his kindness and the fact that he has a library etc. but Chaol is the one! I can't express how much I love his character. The only thing that bothers me is his incredible loyalty to the King, but his loyalty still makes him a good and, well, loyal person. I can't find anything bad except for the fact that he can't admit that he has feelings for Celeana and it's crystal clear that he has. I personally just genuinely believe Celeana should be with Chaol an I don't understand why she chooses Dorian. 



Nehemia's character was another good addition for Celeana's girlier side. She was clearly involved in the greater plot and I thought just like Celeana for a moment that she might be responsible for the murders.
Throne of Glass was almost like a mix between The Hunger Games, Divergent and A Song of Ice and Fire. The Hunger Games because there was a competition where there could only be one winner and she had to train for it. Also, archery. Duh. Divergent because people were eliminated, but not necessarily killed and they similarly train prior to the competition. If Celeana had fallen for Chaol it would have been incredibly similar. And of course A Song of Ice and Fire because of the fantasy and magic and similarity in setting. So if you have had any interest in any of there books or series before, I suggest you check this book out. I promise you, you won't be bored.

As most of you may know Throne of Glass is inspired by Cinderella, as implied by the title. She also dresses up for a masquerade even though she's not allowed to go and dances with the prince. Fairytale come true!

The magic is very cleverly interwoven with the narrative and the involvement of several other characters. The link to the past Queen is also a great satisfaction as it creates two challenges for Celeana that she has to solve or achieve and introduces a bigger picture for the story in the long run.


Plot Summary:

Meet Celeana Sardothien.Beautiful. Deadly.Destined for Greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got fought.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celeana must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament - fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celeana will be free. Win or loose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?- as on the back of the book

Favourite Quote:

"I can survive well enough on my own - if given the proper reading materials." - Celeana from 'Throne of Glass' by Sarah J. Maas

My Rating:

10/10
Completely hooked! 

Other Books in this Series:

The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass Prequel)

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4)
Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5)
Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6)
A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)
A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)
A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses novella)

Thursday, June 14, 2018

CITY OF LOST SOULS by CASSANDRA CLARE (2012)

Title: City of Lost Souls
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #5
Pages: 535
Published: May 8th 2012
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books


I started reading The Mortal Instruments before the film had come out which was a couple of years ago, but I didn't finish the series. At the time the final book "City of Heavenly Fire" had not come out and this book was therefore the last one out so far. And I was not quite ready to let go of the characters yet so I decided to wait until the sixth one had come out until I would read it. But then when the sixth one did come out I hadn't read the fifth book and I took a break of almost three years before I decided to pick up the book again this June. I am so happy I decided to finish of "The Mortal Instruments" though because I've really missed the Shadowhunter world and returning to the series was like saying hi to a long lost friend.

I have to admit that I was lost at times and had to remind myself of what had happened in the previous books, but I soon caught on.

I had a really hard time accepting Jace. I know that he was bound to Sebastian and therefore acted differently and Clary kept on reminding us that but I still thought he was annoying. I missed Jace and after four books about him where I really liked his character I felt as though he had completely disappeared. This Jace was different and not what I remembered and though I knew it wasn't really him I couldn't accept that as an excuse. Spoiler! In the scene towards the end when he has managed to tear his mark that binds him to Sebastian and comes into Clary's room telling her that he's him again I thought I would melt. I was so relieved that he was himself and that the actual Jace that I remembered after my long break of reading the books still existed.

Simon and Isabelle are by far my favourite characters. I have nothing against Clary and Jace, I absolutely love them, don't get me wrong. But they are the perfect couple. He's the perfect hero and she's the perfect protagonist and they're just perfect with perfect obstacles that they handle perfectly and I love it. Simon and Isabelle however have a relationship which I ship more however, because it's so real and believable. Isabelle has the issue of admitting that she loves Simon and Simon is shy. Simon is not the ripped romantic hero with amazing super powers and that makes him perfect. Because despite being undead and a vampire he's so completely human.
I love Magnus's appearance in "The Mortal Instruments" and "The Infernal Devices" and his relationship with Alec is awesome. I understand that Magnus got upset about Alec visiting Camille, but I also understood why Alec did it. Magnus walking away from Alec at the end upset me so much and I was seriously worried that that relationship would be over forever. 

I absolutely ship Jordan and Maia and I think Jordan is absolutely adorable. During the early books when Maia was first introduced to us I was torn between shipping Simon and Isabelle and shipping Simon and Maia. But as Jordan stepped into the picture all problems were solved and Simon and Isabelle may seriously be my OTP at the moment (this changes over time guys, so this statement may pop up again with a new couple in the future).

Plot Summary:

"What price is too high to pay, even for love? when Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith's magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace's soul. She's willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series." - Goodreads

Favorite Quote:

"Speaking of hope. Did you see that shot Alec got off with his bow thats my boyfriend." - Magnus

My Rating:

9/10
The only reason this got a lower rating than the others is because I could not stand Jace's behaviour when he was bound to Sebastian. The lack of the actual Jace was painful.

Other Books in these Series:

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, Book 2)
City of (The Mortal Instruments, Book 3)
City of (The Mortal Instruments, Book 4)
City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, Book 6)

Other Books by Cassandra Clare:

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1)
Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, Book 2)
Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, Book 3)

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices Book 1)
Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices Book 2)
Queen Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices Book 3)

Thursday, June 7, 2018

INK by ALICE BROADWAY (2017)

Title: Ink
Author: Alice Broadway
Series: The Skin Books #1
Pages: 366
Published: Feb 2nd 2017
Publisher: Scholastic Ltd.

I have mixed feelings about this book. First of all, I went in with no knowledge at all. I had no clue what it was about except that people ink their skin based on the things they do in life. Sounds intriguing. And the cover was gorgeous. I really worked up excitement for this book and got really high expectations. And it was such a let down.

Absolutely nothing happened during the first 200 pages. It was boring. I felt like I was just reading about Leora's everyday life where nothing was happening. I suppose it was meant for world building but I don't feel like there was an interesting world. And this world irritated me. These people's view on their society was disturbing. There are no secrets in this world because people ink their every action onto their skin. Everything bad and good. So everything is visible for everyone all the time. Where is the privacy?! And then in order to keep someones soul eternal after their death they make books out of their skin. OUT OF THEIR SKIN! This creeped me out so much I wanted to stop reading. And it felt like this was so out of place in this world as well because it wasn't dystopian enough either. So weird. It reminded me of this tv show where a man came in to try and trade this wallet made of human skin (that was meant to bring luck) and all the traders rejected him cause it's so gross.

I did ending got much better but I was unsure what Leora's decision was in the end. Which side did she choose. I didn't like her attitude and couldn't tell how it actually ended. It was not satisfying at all, but it wasn't a cliffhanger either. I'm so confused.

It was a light read which I'm happy about. It only took about a day and a half to read, and I didn't want it to take any longer. The story was altogether weak and I felt like this dystopian world didn't have enough to offer. It looked like it had potential (yes I judged it by its cover) and it was just so unimpressive. With my thoughts for the book at the moment I don't think I'm going to read the rest of the books.

Plot Summary:

Every action, every deed, every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for ever. When Leora's father dies, she is determined to see her father remembered forever. She knows he deserves to have all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to stand as a record of his good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether she ever knew him at all.

My Rating:

4/10