Legend- Marie Lu

Book 19 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating 5/5 stars

This book has been on my wish list for quite some time since I saw a lot of hype over this trilogy on social media. So when I found this book in the library there was no chance that I would miss an opportunity to read this book and see what all the fuss is about. I am glad that I did pick up this book because I loved it!

On the front cover of the edition which I got it says 'If you liked The Hunger Games, you'll love this'. Now, when I see these sometimes I feel slightly put off by the book. I really enjoyed the hunger games and when a book claims to be better then I have high expectations for the book and sometimes feel a little let down that it didn't manage to meet the high expectations which I have. But I think that it is safe to say that I was not disappointed in the slightest. Was it better than the hunger games? I'm not sure. It has been years since I read the hunger games and since the movies came out my opinion of it has declined but at the time I really enjoyed it. Maybe this is on the same level?

Found on the back of this edition I was told that this book is 'Based on a retelling of Les Miserables. I had no idea what would be in store when I read this as I never watched Les Miserables as I'm not a huge fan of musicals and I would of found it boring. When I read that my first reaction was 'Oh no, here we go.' but I was pleasantly surprised.

Now onto the story, I thought that it was fantastic. I loved the two different POV so that events which were happening simultaneously were told from the perspective of both of the main characters. Their feelings of their roles were also conveyed through this and it allowed me to get attached to both characters and not just the main character who's point of view we were experiencing.

This book was not predictable. It is harder and harder to find a book now a days which is completely new and you cannot guess what is going to happen at the end. It was obvious that Day would manage to escape but the thing with John surprised me. I expected him to make it out if I'm honest. I also loved the secrecy with June's brother and her having to find the clues to the message that he sent her. I do love a good twist.

This book was so easy to get into and I easily found myself reading a large section of it in one day (even though I had work. If I didn't I would of read this in a day.) All in all, I loved this book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who read and enjoyed books such as The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner or Divergent. (Or books along those lines)

Daughter of Smoke and Bone- Laini Taylor

Book 18 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating: 3.5/5 stars

I try to avoid doing .5 stars when I am rating books as I prefer it to be a whole number but in the case of this book, I just couldn't do it. I thought that the book was too good to be given a 3 star rating but at the same time, I think that it didn't just quite mange to make it to a 4.

While reading this book, I really enjoyed it. I thought that the whole concept of the plot line was really well written and it was quite an easy read, considering that I managed to read a big chunk of the book in one day. The amount of pages which I can read are an indication of how much I enjoyed this book since I just couldn't put it down for very long without wanting to pick it back up again. I would probably of managed to read this book in one day if other things didn't get in the way.

However, the reason that this book didn't get a 4 star rating from me is due to me finding this book a bit slow in areas and my mind kept wondering off during certain parts of the book so it got to the point, where I missed a few pages and didn't know what was going on, but maybe that is down to me so I cant blame the book.

I felt that the book managed to pick itself up again at the end where Madrigal's story was told. I thought it was great that we were getting some more knowledge on the whole world and what happened with her and Akiva in the past.

Another part of the book I really enjoyed was the beginning with Kazimir. Honestly, I wanted to see more of him in the book, even if he was a bit of a jerk, I thought he was a good character who offered more to the book.

Lying Out Loud- Kody Kepinger

Book 17 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating: 2/5 Stars

**Book provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Is that it? That can not be he ending of this book. I feel cheated that the book finishes like that. What is the point in leaving it like that? There is no ending to what happens to the characters, that disappointed me. I wanted to know if they were going to get together. 

Anyhow, I never read The DUFF, although I did watch the film so I was not going into this story world completely blind. And I am torn. At the big inning of this book, I quite enjoyed it but then it started to bore me a bit and it just seemed very repetitive and unoriginal. I feel like this sort of story line has been done before and I couldn't help but feel let down for what I was expecting from this book. 

This is such an easy read, to get into and it is possible to read in one whole sitting, for me, I sat down to read this book and read a few chapters to get a feel for what it was about and then carry on with it at a later date. However, that did not go to plan and I quickly managed to get about 35% of the way through it before I realised. That shows that I did enjoy the first part of the book. 

At about half way through this book, I stopped reading it for a while because I just wanted the end to come. It just seemed very predictable that the girl got with the guy at the end and there will be ocstibles which they will need to get over to get to the finishing line. 

The reason why I gave Kepinger 2 stars instead of 1 is because I was actually able to relate to the main character and I saw some of myself in her in the way which she could only talk to Ryder about her problems over IMs because she had no one else. This combined with the easy pace of the book earns 2 stars and definitely no more! 

I don't think I will be reading another Hamilton High novel unless absolutely unavoidable (or from sheer boredom).

Monsters of Men- Patrick Ness

Book 16 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating: 3/5 stars

This is the third book in the Chaos Walking trilogy, which is a series which I really enjoyed reading as I read the first two books, 'The Knife of Never Letting Go' and 'The Ask and The Answer'. I rated those books 4 and 5 stars, which shows that I enjoyed them. So much so that I went on to read this book with high hopes for the ending.

I was disappointed. I am so upset about the ending of this trilogy that I don't particularly want to talk about it. I will start off with some things that I liked about the book and then go onto what I didn't like.

What I liked:

~ I really liked seeing all three sides of the battle with the different POV's with Todd, Viola and even 1017 which was a pleasant surprise and I really liked getting into the head of The Spackle and seeing their motivations.
~ The way in which my emotions about different characters varied throughout the book, with the Mayor and Mistress Coyle. One minute they are the good guys and only want what is best and then the next minute they were the ones causing more havoc.
~ The cover. I had the hardback copy and the sleeve is see through with the white lettering on the sleeve, which I think is pretty cool and I haven't seen anything like it before.
~ This story is so original that I love how different it is. I haven't read anything like this series before and I probably never will again.

Things I didn't like [Spoilers ahead]

~ This book was just over 600 pages long. It was totally unnecessary for what was going on. Yes, there was lots of fighting and the whole war thing between 3 different sides, but I don't feel like a lot actually happened in the book and I feel like the author was just trying to make the book longer by adding areas which did not need to be added.
~ Viola did not get with Lee.
~ Lee was blinded.
~ Acorn was killed off. Poor horse.
~ Viola and Todd fell in love. I saw it coming but I didn't think it needed to be done. It was perfectly fine them being in a friendship and not need to ruin it by having them in a relationship.
~ I wanted to see the ship land and the new settlers arrive.
~ Todd and Viola annoyed me through this whole book.

And finally
~ Todd not dying. As I was reading the end, I knew I was going to give this book 3 stars, but then Todd died, and I thought "The author is going to wuss out and find a way to bring Todd back. If he doesn't I will give this book 4 stars." What does he do? He brings Todd back.

Overall, this book deserves no more than 3 stars, I was even contemplating giving it two but I was kind.

The Rosie Effect- Graeme Simsion

Book 15 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating: 2/5 stars

After reading The Rosie Project at the beginning of this year, I really wanted to enjoy this book. However, I felt so disappointed with the outcome.

I found the whole thing boring, and at times I had to sit down and make myself read a large chunk of the book, because otherwise I knew that I wouldn't finish.

The only reason that I managed to give this book 2 stars was because I love the character of Don even though in this book, I found him predictable at times but sometimes a bit funny.

I really hated Rosie throughout this whole thing. I just didn't understand any of her reasons for leaving Don and then deciding to stay with him at the end. It was just so inconsistent and I felt so sorry for Don that he had to be put through that whole ordeal. He was obviously struggling with becoming a father, Rosie is not the only one who needs help when going through the pregnancy stages of having a baby. The father needs some support too and I don't think that Rosie understood that which led me to being so annoyed by her.

I am keeping this review short because I don't have many good things to say about this book and I do not want to start ranting.

I will say this though, The Rosie Effect should not have been written. It would of been much better if a chapter at the end of The Rosie Project was dedicated to explaining what their life was like and that Rosie was pregnant and just end it there. I feel that this has ruined the whole story for me.

Red Queen- Victoria Aveyard

Book 14 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating: 3/5 stars

I really wanted to give this book a higher rating than average but I couldn't, it was just an average book.

Don't get me wrong, the whole concept of this book was really interesting and during some parts of the book, I really wanted to carry on reading because I wanted to know what the outcome was going to be.

The powers were really interesting! I loved the idea of different houses having different kinds of powers and then the Red/Silvers having even more advanced powers was great!

However, I was slightly let down. I found some of the plot line predictable and I would much prefer to be kept guessing when reading a book. I really had a feeling that Maven was going to be the one to betray Mare for the throne.

The whole idea of there being two sides, the nobles and the 'peasants' who then set up a revolt to overthrow the nobles is not exactly original either but I think that can be overlooked.

Something that needs to be brought up is that she is trying to make out that she didn't know that she was a silver while she was living in the Stilts with the other Reds. Surely at one point she would of bled (and saying she was a silver) which would mean that she would know she had Silver blood and it would not be a surprise to her. Same with blushing, And what annoys me is that none of the other Silvers seemed to question this, they just went along with it. Even the one Silver that did mention that her supposed parents had blue eyes and she had brown eyes was never shown again in the book. What happened to Silvers being untrustworthy that she is also a Silver?

I must admit that the final chapter was pretty epic, I do love a good fight scene so that probably brought the book back to average standards. I think that in the second book of this series, the author needs to sort out what is going on in the story and stick to it.

Overall, I may or may not read the rest of this series when it is published. It would probably depend on if I got a cheap copy of this book. I would not pay full prise.

The Ask and The Answer- Patrick Ness

Book 13 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating: 5/5 stars

When I began reading this book, I wasn't expecting great things, I liked the first book, The knife of never letting go, but I normally find that the second book is a let down but I tried to keep an open mind throughout.

Needless to say, I loved this book! The whole idea of the secret organisation which is fighting for the cause of good really appeals to me, especially at the begging when there was so much secrecy and speculation over what the Answer is. I love it when a book keeps me guessing throughout.

I feel like there is going to be something romantic between Todd and Viola. If I am honest, I am not particularly keen on either of the characters and I think it would just mess up the book if they were to get involved. I like the way this book is written and it does not evolve around the relationship of the two main characters. If anything, I would much prefer Viola to get with Lee who seems like such a nice guy.

I had such conflicting emotions about Mayor Prentiss and Davy. At the beginning, the Mayor was nice to Todd and Viola and I actually started to get the feeling that he was doing what was best. Oh, how wrong I was. Obviously he was just playing with them the whole time I don't know why I didn't see it coming. On the other hand, Davy was horrible to begin with but then he began to grow on me and I started to like him. In the end I just felt sorry for him, all he wanted was for his father to approve of him as he felt like he was such a disappointment his whole life and he was so happy that he found a friend in Todd. It was sad that his father ended up killing him. He makes a much better character than Todd.

I preferred this book, in the way that both sides of the story were told as they were running along side each other. It meant that I could learn more about Viola and her intentions as well as what the other side are doing.

On the whole, this book was much better than The knife of never letting go, and now I hope that the third book lives up to expectations.

The Knife of Never Letting Go- Patrick Ness

Book 12 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating: 4/5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book, and it didn't take me long to finish it. This is a book which is an easy read and great if you want to sit down for a day or two and finish a book quickly. It is easy to get enveloped into the story as events begin quickly in the book, and it doesn't take 2 or 3 chapters of background information before the story actually begins.

As I started this book, I noticed the grammatical errors. This was not a problem for me as it quickly became easy to read and I have recently read 'Blood Red Road' which is also written similar with the errors to point out the characters lack of education. In some ways, I like this as it makes me feel closer to the character in some way and you feel like they are actually speaking in your mind. (My opinion anyway. Other people may find this very annoying.)

Normally with a book, I always get attached to the main character. Unfortunately , I didn't feel this with Todd and I just found him very annoying and I just didn't connect with him. The same with Viola really. This is one of the reasons why this book got 4 stars and not 5 stars for me.

Another reason why this book got 4 stars is that the one character in this book that I did like, which was Manchee was killed. Todd left him to die by Aaron's hand to save Viola which made me hate Todd even more. I would much rather he of handed Viola over than let Aaron kill Manchee. I don't think I will forgive him for that.

I hope that in the next book (As I will continue with this series) is just as good, if not better, as I would like to see how the story develops in New Prentisstown.

Also, I just found out that this book is going to be made in to a film. That could be interesting and I would like to see how they do that.

The Hero of Ages- Brandon Sanderson

Book 11 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating: 5/5 stars

I have no idea where to start with this, I have just finished the last book in this amazing series and I am utterly speechless. That was an amazing ending.

Lets start with the fact that these book covers are so beautiful!

In book 2, I felt so sorry for Zane and I wanted to know more about him and how he thought he was insane and it was revealed that he wasn't in the end. Now that I know he was being controlled through the whole thing I understand why he did what he did and it makes me love him so much more and then I get sad that he died. So vicious.

When  it was revealed in the Final Empire that Reen had died trying to protect Vin, I never believed that he was dead and I just hoped that he would always show up and save the day because I thought he was so kind for protecting Vin all those years even though she thought he hated her. When Ruin showed up as Reen I got so excited that he was back. Until I realised it wasn't him. This was the same reaction I had when Kelsier showed up to Spook. I should know by now not to trust books.

Throughout this whole series, I have loved Sazed. I always thought that he would have a larger part to play in this than just being a keeper and thank god he turned out to be The Hero of Ages. He will be a great god.

Marsh. I loved Marsh in the first book, and then in the second book I hated him for betraying them and helping Ruin. And now I love him again. I know he still tried to kill them all but that was down to him being controlled by Ruin so I think that I can forgive him for that. At the times which he was of his own mind he did want to kill himself though to protect the world so Ruin wouldn't take control.

I will never forgive Sanderson for killing Elend. Vin I can live with. But not Elend.

Anyone else getting a Game of Thrones vibe with the amount of deaths?

Lord Ruler! This was a great series! Definitely will be investing in finding some more!

A Court of Thrones and Roses- Sarah J. Maas

Book 10 of My Summer Reading Challenge

My rating: 4/5 stars

I really struggled to give this book a rating, throughout this book, my feelings varied for it between 5 stars and 3 stars so I thought that I would go in the middle of the two and give it 4 stars.

There were parts in this book where I just didn't enjoy it. It felt more like a chore to read through it, maybe due to the fact that I read this as a group read so it may of been that if I read it on my own accord I would of enjoyed it more.

The only reason that this book didn't get 3 stars was the end when Feyre was in Amarantha's court. I found that the three tasks were interesting and I wanted to continue reading to see how this played out for the characters and if they managed to take of the masks in the end. Before this, I just found that the story was a bit tedious with sections which were just added to bulk out the book.

I found Rhys very interesting, I want to learn more about him and his motives for what he was doing with Feyre, Did he do it to annoy Tamlin? Was he trying to protect the Spring Court? Or does he have some feelings towards Feyre?

I think that I would read the next book when it is published as I would like to see how both the story and the characters develop and how Feyre is handling the Fae life and how she will cope in the Night Court with Rhys. The Hades and Persephone retelling appeals to me.

I would recommend this book, but I don't think that it was much of a YA novel by some of the scenes I read and would probably go into the NA category.