Book Review - THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

THE MAZE RUNNER

(The Maze Runner Series

Book 1)

BY

James Dashner

When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything - even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrol its corridors, to try and find out.

MY THOUGHTS…

I've been putting off reading The Maze Runner series for a long time. The books have just been sitting on my shelf as I read everything but them. After a couple of months, I picked up this book and read the first sentence... Here I am, four days later. I didn't write a review as soon as I finished the book because I was too busy reading book two. This book is terrific, with drama, the fight for survival and a hint of mystery, my three favourite things merged into one book. My favourite characters are Minho, Newt, Thomas and Teresa, in that order. I still don't know why I like Minho and Newt so much, but I think it's because of how they are both great leaders. The reason Thomas isn't my favourite character is that I feel like too much of everything that happens, happens to him. I think that maybe Newt, Alby, Minho or Gally should be suffering as well as Thomas. All in all, I Highly Recommend this book to everyone, young adult or not, as it is such a great book!

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK?

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Book Review - THE TREASURE OF GWENLAIS by M.T. Magee

THE TREASURE OF GWENLAIS

BY

M.T. Magee

Escape to the award winning mystical realm of Rinefield! Inspired by the majesty of the Scottish Highlands and the beauty of the rolling meadows of Ireland! The romance and beauty of Celtic and Gaelic legend and folklore.

Can a reluctant Princess heal the torn Kingdoms and the heart of a battle hardened warrior Prince? Join Laurel on an extraordinary journey, filled with excitement, treachery, danger and finding a love you only dared dream of! A love story that will leave you breathless, and a world like none imagined! And unforgettable family saga with characters you will hold dear!

MY THOUGHTS…

The Treasure of Gwenlais has quickly become one of my favorite books!

I fell in love with the characters, and I thought that the book was beautifully written, especially the waltz.

I loved the world created by M.T. Magee and thought that this romantic, once in a lifetime read was, as I said, a once in a lifetime read!

The cliffhanger at the end left me wanting to read book two as soon as possible, and I can't wait to read on with the story.

I Highly Recommend this book to everyone!

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK?

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Book Review - BEAUTIFUL CHAOS by Alex Tully

 

BEAUTIFUL CHAOS

BY

Alex Tully

"Full of snappy prose & situations as funny as they are suspenseful...a lot to like here." ~ Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize in Fiction

While most seventeen year-olds work part-time delivering pizzas or whipping up frappuccinos, Brady O'Connell's job is a little less conventional. Helping his dad with the family 'business' is a responsibility he doesn't take lightly, especially when thousands of dollars are being exchanged. There are rules to be followed, timetables to be kept. But when his best friend Jay gets backstage concert tickets, and business interferes with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet their favorite band, Brady decides to break the rules, just one time.

And one time is all it takes to send his life spinning out of control.

When an envelope full of cash ends up in the wrong hands--specifically in the hands of a pretty red-head named Vivienne--things get messy in a hurry. Where Vivienne goes, a whole lot of chaos seems to follow.

But sometimes...chaos can be a beautiful thing.

From the author of Hope for Garbage comes another fast-moving, emotionally-charged tale, full of plot twists that will keep you guessing, and true-to-life characters you will root for. Most of all, this is a story of first love--crazy, chaotic first love--love that hits us hard, and never lets go.

MY THOUGHTS…

This book has to be one of my favorites. I felt that I connected with the characters very well and the plot was an excellent one. I liked both of the main characters, Brady and Vivienne. Brady was always trying to please his father and to succeed in what he was doing. Vivienne was determined not to give up helping Brady and was impatient for her freckles to fade! One character I didn't like was Chad. He was overprotective and not a very pleasant person in general. Every time his name came up, I would get worried for Brady and Vivienne, thinking that Chad would hurt them in some way. I Highly Recommend this book to Young Adult readers, who are looking for a little romance, suspense, and an excellent book!

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK?

Amazon

Book Review - PAPER BUTTERFLIES by Lisa Heathfield

PAPER BUTTERFLIES

BY

Lisa Heathfield

Stand By Me meets We Were Liars - a heartbreaking and stunning breakout novel for teenagers from the award-nominated author of Seed.

June's life at home with her stepmother and stepsister is a dark one - and a secret one. Not even her father knows about it. She's trapped like a butterfly in a jar.

But then she meets Blister, a boy in the woods. And in him, June recognises the tiniest glimmer of hope that perhaps she can find a way to fly far, far away. But freedom comes at a price . . . 

Paper Butterflies is an unforgettable read, perfect for fans of Lisa Williamson's The Art of Being Normal, Sarah Crossan's Moonrise, Jandy Nelson, Jennifer Niven and Louise O'Neill.

'It broke my heart over and over. Destined to be one of THE most important books this year.' - Melinda Salisbury, author of The Sin Eater's Daughter.

'A gripping and harrowing tale . . . best YA proof I've read this year.' - Charlotte Eyre, The Bookseller.

 MY THOUGHTS…

This book touched my heart. The torture that June goes through at home with her stepmother made me want to cry, but the book was written so well that I just kept reading until the end. I was hoping for a happy ending for June. So, as soon as Jacob (Blister) Wick was introduced as a character, June's future seemed to brighten. Blister and June, the two main characters, were my favorite two. This was only to be expected as they are the nicest characters in the whole book (in my opinion). The ending surprised me. I'm not going to give anything away, but there was that small hope at the end which made me wish for a book two to be in my hands immediately. Just when I thought all hope was lost, Lisa Heathfield brought a small ray of sunshine to the last page and hope came back for June. I Highly Recommend this book to anyone as it is one of my favorites and everyone should read it.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK?

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Book Review - SAME LOVE by Tony Correia

SAME LOVE

BY

Tony Correia

At seventeen, Adam has suspected for a while that he might be gay. His sketchbook has become full of images of good-looking men, and he isn't attracted to any of the girls he knows. When he reveals his feelings to his devout parents, they send him to a Christian camp, warning him that there will be no room in their lives for a gay son. The last thing Adam expects is to meet someone he is deeply attracted to; unfortunately, Paul is more committed to his Christian faith than Adam is.
Adam tries to bury his attraction to Paul by concentrating on his art and his new friends Rhonda and Martin. When it becomes clear how unhappy Rhonda and Martin are at Camp Revelation, Adam and Paul are both forced to question what the church tells them about love. But with a whole camp full of people trying to get Adam to change who he is, what kind of chance do Adam and Paul have to find love and a life with each other?

MY THOUGHTS…

This book, I think, is inspirational in a way. Although Adam's parents and everyone at Camp Revelation believe that his way of life is wrong and his feelings should be repressed, Adam does not listen as any other person would. He stands up for what he is and doesn't let anyone pull him down.

The thing I loved most about this book was the interesting mix of characters. The only character I didn't like was Randall. The ones I liked the most were Paul, Adam, Martin, and Rhonda (in order of which I liked the most).

The deep meaning that I felt while reading this book was to be yourself and not to worry about what any one else thinks of you, (even if your wardrobe is full of khakis and polo shirts) because God loves you just the way you are.

I Highly Recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK?

 

Amazon

Book Review - LIA’S GUIDE TO WINNING THE LOTTERY by Keren David

LIA’S GUIDE TO WINNING THE LOTTERY

BY

Keren David

Money can’t buy you love. But it can buy many other very nice things. Lia’s mum is a nag, her sister’s a pain and she’s getting nowhere in pursuit of the potentially paranormal Raf. Then she wins £8 million in the lottery, and suddenly everything is different. But will Lia’s fortune create more problems than it solves? Everyone dreams of winning the lottery - but what’s it really like? Find out in this hilarious story by Keren David, whose acclaimed debut novel, When I Was Joe, was Highly Commended for the Booktrust Teenage Prize.

MY THOUGHTS…

Does winning the lottery bring happiness or more problems?

Lia's family always seem to disagree with her and then she wins £8 million. But this brings the initial problem of her family thinking thatthey have won the lottery. When this initial thought blows over, the comes the issue of popularity at school, hate comments and people asking for things. How can Lia say no? She ends up spending over £1000 on people she doesn't know, and her family keep pestering her with more things she needs to pay for.

My favourite character was Raf. He had such a hard past, although what happened in his past isn't know until the end of the book is nearing. I wanted everything to turn out okay for him, and it did.

I liked this book, and I Recommend it to anyone who hopes to win the lottery or anyone in need of a good book to read.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK?

Amazon

Book Review - A SWIFT PURE CRY by Siobhan Dowd

A SWIFT PURE CRY

BY

Siobhan Dowd

After Shell's mother dies, her obsessively religious father descends into alcoholic mourning and Shell is left to care for her younger brother and sister. Her only release from the harshness of everyday life comes from her budding spiritual friendship with a naive young priest, and most importantly, her developing relationship with childhood friend, Declan, charming, eloquent and persuasive. But when Declan suddenly leaves Ireland to seek his fortune in America, Shell finds herself pregnant and the centre of a scandal that rocks the small community in which she lives, with repercussions across the whole country. The lives of those immediately around her will never be the same again.

MY THOUGHTS…

I loved reading this book. The story is a good one, the main character, Shell, being responsible for her siblings, Jimmy and Trix. Her mother had long since died, leaving her father a drunken, religious mess. But how would Shell cope?

I felt sorry for Shell all the way through the book. Her best friend isn't the nicest of people, and she had no one else to turn to but Declan. But Declan only made things worse for her. I won't give out any spoilers, but I cried when I read about Rosie.

My favourite character was Shell, followed closely by Jimmy, Trix, Rosie and Paul. It seemed such a travesty that Rosie and Paul could not have survived and Shell raised them as well as her siblings. It seemed so sad when no one believed Shell about Rosie and Paul, and I hoped that the ending would bring a little happiness for Shell.

Siobhan Down wrote a fantastic book, and I Highly Recommend this book to all Young Adult readers and anyone else wanting an amazing, yet heartbreaking, story to read.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK?

Amazon