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Hey all,

This was the Books Light the Way book club pick of the month for May 2016.

US Cover

UK Cover

Rating: 4/5 stars (all will be explained :))

Plot Summary:

This book follows two main characters: Kell and Lila. Kell is one of the last magicals with the power to travel between worlds: Grey, Red and White. Lila is a thief who lives in Grey London (the parallel to Kell’s Red London).The doors between the Grey, Red and White are locked to all but those with the power of travel; this causes some resentment among the worlds which escalates in this book when the boundaries of these worlds are brought closer together…

[Yes my summary is vague but I think its best you go into the book with a clear head as there is a long explanation in the beginning]

My Review:

Setting – I feel as the different settings for the different London’s were very well developed thanks to the large amount of world building at the beginning of the book which held a large amount of desciptive language. This made imagining the various London’s very easy

Pacing – This was intially a very slow read for me as the first 1/3 of the book was dedicated to world building which I personally felt compromised the plot a bit. However, once I got past the tremendous amount of world building it became an intriguing read which I got through reasonably quickly.

Character Development – The characters were all built very solidly which I enjoyed. Lila in particular was a solid character who I felt complimented Kell very well and aided strongly in his character development.

Plot – I felt this was a very good plot and unique in concept which I enjoyed immensly; due to the complexity of the plot I can forgive the large amount of initial world building which aids in the reader’s understanding of the plot.

Writing – It was largely a very descriptive style which I didn’t mind as much because I didn’t feel it was extrememly overly descriptive; the descriptions used were necessary to the plot rather than being included just for the sake of it.

Overall… I think it was a solid start to the high fantasy series that I feel could almost be a stand alone. V E Schwab managed to tie up many loose ends and I’m excited to see where she takes the series in A Gathering of Shadows (BOOK 2).

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab Hey all, This was the Books Light the Way book club pick of the month for May 2016.

#A Darker Shade of Magic #Book Review #Bookish #Books #Review #V E Schwab #Victoria Schwab

March and April 2016 Wrap-Up

Hey all😀 long time no post… and I am very sorry about that – but I have been super busy which has held me off reading😦 this means my book count has been low – luckily I am currently on my last week of University so therefore I will have from May to October to dedicate myself to reading So without further ado…lets get into my wrap-up! March: The one and only book I managed to complete was…

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#Bookish #Books #Cinder #Cinder and Kai #Illuminae #ruby red #The Illuminae Files #The Lunar Chronicles #Wrap up

Hey all😀 well Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff was my book club’s book of the month. None of us had read this book and we wanted to see what they hype was all about

So firstly: this book had been getting a lot of hype and its hype well deserved!

Second: the cover and the art style of the book was phenominal!

UK Cover

US Cover

Third: Lets get into the Review!

Rating: 5/5 stars (I would give beyond that if possible!)

Plot Summary:

This book is centered around a young couple who broke up on the day their planet was attacked. They are both rescued from the destruction but are on two different ships. The story recounts their experiences on the seperate ships. – I know my summary is vague but I believe you should go into the story partly blind

My Review:

Setting – I think the settings were made very clear throughout the book due to the format of the book. The format is a series of files and p.m’s (the art styles were as beautiful as the book cover.

Pacing – I thought that the book overall had a good pace. However, talking to people within my book club (Books Light the Way) – they really struggled to get into it at first😦 – but I got into it really easily. Therefore my advice is bear with it the story sucks you in the more you read it!

Character Development – the character I felt I personally connected to the most was Katy as her personal files within the book give us an insight to her own personal torment. However, I felt the majority of characters were given a good basis within the book that I hope is continued in the next book Gemina that is being released in October😀

Kady: Was the primary protagonist to who the story is centered around. I felt that she was a well developed character due to her private files and the p.m’s she had with Ezra and Aidan. I felt her relationships with the other characters added to her depth as a character

Ezra: OK. Just gonna state the obvious: I loved him! I thought he was absolutely adorable😀 The relationship he had with Kady was often serious AND comedic – like they would bicker like a normal couple and have fights about their relationship despite their serious

Aidan: He is another of my favourite ‘characters’😉 he’s a computer that I feel had a human psyche – his relationship with Kady really emphasised upon his human psyche.

4. Plot – I felt the plot was very well developed. To be honest it completely played with my emotions! there were moments I was on the brink of tears or deliriously happy or feeling faint.

5. Writing – This is largly based upon the format of the book which is very unique. I think it was a different writing style that I really enjoyed that gave me a break from just plain text like normal novels. Also, the style of the book meant that I breezed through the book very quickly.

Overall…This was a wonderful start to a series that I am eagerly anticipating the next release in October (If there were one ARC I would die for this year it would be Gemina😀 or maybe Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas :D)

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff book review! Hey all😀 well Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff was my book club's book of the month.

#Amie Kaufman #Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff #Book Review #Books #Illuminae #Jay Kristoff #Review #The Illuminae Files

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

[Quick Statement before the review: SO SORRY about no posts but unfortunately my university coursework has drained my energy and enthusiasm for reading hence I didn’t get much reading done in March (Hence no wrap up and TBR the same as for March)] Ok now onto the review: Rating: 4/5 star Plot Summary: This is an adaptation of the well known fairytale Cinderella whereby she is a cyborg rather than…

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RavenSmart – testing Testing

I know this post is getting out a bit late – sorry!

Currently I am reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer – if your following me on Goodreads you will know I am half way through it and really loving it!

I hope that if I have enough time I will get to Scarlet and Cress :)

Also, I hope to continue The Book Thief by Markus Zusak on audiobook :D

I hope you liked this post – feel free to let me know your March TBR!

March 2016 TBR I know this post is getting out a bit late - sorry! Currently I am reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer - if your following me on Goodreads you will know I am half way through it and really loving it!

#Cinder #Cress #March 2016 #Marissa Meyer #Markus Zusak #Scarlet #TBR #The Book Thief #The Islands of Chaldea #To be read

Feburary 2016 Wrap up

As usual for this year: feburary was a bad reading month… My primary focus was on finishing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for the movie release. You can find a full review for this book on my blog at: https://fromparchmenttobooks.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-book-and-movie-review/ Also, I began the Book Thief by Markus Zusak: However, I was starting to get confused…

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#feburary #feburary 2016 #Wrap up

As the title suggests, I will be giving a review for both the book and film adaption of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies :)

Well then lets get right into the review, beginning with the book:

Rating: 3.75/5 star

Plot Summary:

This is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s well known novel and later film adaptation Pride and Prejudice. It follows the protagonist Elizabeth Bennett and her desire to remain a warrior rather than a wife; in contrast to her mother’s and sister’s views on marriage as a necessity. Also, the story follows Mr Darcy and the development of his relationship with Elizabeth which causes him to open himself up more emotionally. Overall, its a regency romance with bits of action incoorporated.

My Review:

Setting – I enjoyed how this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice maintained the regency setting and emphasised upon the troubles of young warrior women finding a balance between fitting into a society with strict views on a ‘proper’ lady.

Pace – The beginning of the book had a very good pace that was not too fast or too slow. However, I felt the middle of the book was very slow in pace due to the limited amount of action to make the plot move forward; hence why the book took me so long to read. Although the ending went very quickly and had me yearning for more!

Character Development – As I referred to previously, I really enjoyed the development of Elizabeth who initially gave a perception of caring very little for her portrayal in society; but as the plot developed I felt that I began to understand Elizabeth more and more. I feel as if she’s a character who yearns for independence in a society that would frown upon this desire. Similarly, I loved reading about Mr Darcy and the slow exposure of his emotions; whereby initially he felt very cold and distant, but as it developed you see his justifications for his actions and therefore feel a sense of empathy for him. Mr Collins is a character that I feel was vital to the entirety of the book; he brought comedy to situations that would normally be awkward or terrifying.

Plot – I feel as if the plot was very well structured; it was designed very well, but at points I felt that there was too much description and back-story rather than actual action.

Writing – It was very well written with plenty of description which aided in visualisation.

Overall… I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it as a read; the only reason I felt that this book didn’t deserve over 4 stars in rating was due to the massive amounts of description that I felt slowed the plot within the middle.

Now onto the movie review:

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Rating: 5/5

I absolutely loved the movie :D

Usually, I absolutely loath any form of horror in movies (I get scared really easily (NO JUDGEMENT)); but this movie had a good range of horror, action, comedy and romance.

Horror:

Well the zombies were absolutely terrifying for me; how they managed to appear in places and their bloody look. Overall, I salute their performance :D

Annabelle (Jess Radomska) chewing her grandfather in Screen Gems’ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES.

Action:

I really enjoyed how badass the girls were; which surprised the guys. From watching a few interviews about the film; the Bennett sisters had to go through a lot of training and needed to be co-ordinated with the zombie stunt teams. So basically: GO GIRL POWER :D

Comedy:

In the film I give the sole credit to Matt Smith’s character Mr Collins; he brought such a light hearted atmosphere to what otherwise would have been quite overwhelming. Remembering the film now – one of my favourite scenes was at the ball when Mr Collins was dancing with Elizabeth; a scene like this stopped the action from overwhelming the film. So bravo Mr Collins :D

Romance:

There were 2 main romances that were emphasised in the film; Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy & Jane Bennett and Mr Bingley. Therefore I cannot do a review without taking a moment to fangirl over the casting of both Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley:

Sam Riley (Mr Darcy) and Douglas Booth (Mr Bingley)

I loved the development of these romantic relationships within the film. I thought that the film conveyed the development very well in reflection of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film and would highly recommend you watch it; even if you are unsure about reading the book :)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Book and Movie Review As the title suggests, I will be giving a review for both the book and film adaption of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies :)

#Book Review #Movie Review #Pride and Prejudice #Pride and Prejudice and Zombies #Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Book #Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Movie

Hey all,

This month was a poor reading month unfortunately as I am settling back into university with a pile of assignments. Anyways as an update:

FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR:

A re-read for me which I highly enjoyed for the fast pace and cool art- for the full review: https://fromparchmenttobooks.wordpress.com/2016/01/26/vampire-academy-a-graphic-novel/

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