Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Title and Author: The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Format: Paperback
Pages: 318
Release Date: January 10th, 2012
Publisher: Dutton Books

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Have you ever read a novel that, from the very first page, captivates you and just holds you there long after you've read the last page? Have you ever read a novel that was so heart-warming and heart-breaking and everything in between? One that made you feel a million emotions all at once? The Fault in Our Stars is one of those novels. I don't think I can describe just how amazing this book was. I laughed with the characters and cried for them when times got tough. I was still sobbing after I'd read it. When my eyes had stopped watering enough for me to be able to decipher the words on the pages,  read it all again. I honestly didn't want hazel and Augustus' story to end ever. 

{Characters}

The characters in this novel are like none I've ever encountered before. They are so full of life it's sort of hard to believe they're only fiction. I found myself getting lost in their stories and forgetting that this was all just John Green's imagination. I think it's safe to say I loved every single character. Hazel Grace, our narrator, is one of the strongest, most amazing females in the YA literary world. Having lived with cancer for four years, a quarter of her life, I would never have expected her to be as pleasant and lovely as she was. Her humour and witty comments had me smiling like an idiot and her many interactions with Augustus left me feeling giddy. Augustus was also just as spectacular with his contagiously radiant nature. he was one of those people that could make you laugh when you felt like all you wanted to do was cry. The two of them were perfect for each other and their story broke my heart. I wished with all my being that they would have more time but sadly, there wasn't much left for these two.

There were other characters besides Augustus and Hazel, of course. Isaac, Augustus' blind friend was a joy to read about. He had me on the brink of tears at some points and at others, laughing out loud. I loved their parents and how realistically they dealt with their tragic situations. 

This book is very much character-based and I'm not sure what else to say except that every single moment will touch your heart and some will leave you in tears. Be warned, it will probably leave a lasting impression in your memories and maybe smash your heart to pieces but it really is worth it. It isn't often you will stumble upon a book as brilliant as The Fault in Our Stars so if you haven't already, please do yourself a favour and read it. 

Review: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Title and Author: Hereafter, Tara Hudson
Format: Paperback
Pages: 404
Release Date: June 7th, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life--or her actual death--she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but "will" him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.


Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, "Hereafter" is a sensation you won't want to miss.

Hereafter is the first novel by début author Tara Hudson, and I must say, she did quite an alright job with it. The cover and summary got me interested right away. I had to read it. But I found myself a little bit let down by the end of it all. My high expectations were too high but that didn't necessarily mean Hereafter wasn't enjoyable. It was. It just wasn't as remarkable as I hoped. 

{Characters}

The characters, honestly, weren't anything special. I couldn't really connect with any of them including Amelia, the main protagonist of our story. Amelia's situation was probably the best, most interesting thing about her. She was essentially a ghost who doesn't remember anything of her past and is seemingly doomed to haunt the site of her death, a river, for the rest of eternity. But beyond that, I found she was annoying and a bit selfish in some parts of the novel and no matter how much I tried to like her, the irrational and irritating decisions she made really got on my nerves. 

The love interest here is a somewhat normal boy named Joshua. Joshua is not the best love interest I've read about and he was kind of boring, really. He's popular and good-looking and even though he can have any girl he wants, he finds himself instantly attracted to this ghost of a dead girl. Creepy? I think so. Hudson didn't really  bother to go below the surface with Joshua and he ended up seeming really superficial. 

My favourite character out of the whole lot was probably the villain. Eli was what I call an interesting character.   He had some depth and history that made me sympathise him and feel more emotion than the book as a whole could make me feel. I don't think he was really evil at all. His intentions weren't exactly 'I'll murder you and your whole family and kidnap your children.' He was just an unfortunate guy who died and was thrown off the right path.

{Plot}

There was nothing original with the plot. But I suppose, at least there was a plot. Most of it was really kind of predictable but nevertheless I did enjoy it. I'm not really sure what to say that won't give anything away, mainly because all the plot devices were so simplistic, you'd probably be able to guess what happens in the book right now without having to read it if I gave you a clue.

{Romance}

This was, to be frank, a definite case of insta-love. This was one of the cases where it annoyed me. I mean, Joshua over here is in love with the ghost of a dead girl he saw in a lake when he was about to die. That sounds a bit more like horror-movie stuff than fluffy romance. If I was Joshua, I wouldn't come back to see the ghost again. I'd probably run away as fast as I possibly could. What was it about each other that they liked so much? To me, their romance felt a bit shallow and under-developed. Hudson could have pulled it off better in my opinion.

Honestly, this book wasn't horrible. It just wasn't great either. If you don't mind insta-love and enjoy paranormal romances with under-developed characters, by all means give Hereafter a go. It just really wasn't for me. I'll probably read the sequel but I won't be losing sleep waiting for it to come out. 

Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Title and Author: Legend, Marie Lu
Format: Paperback
Pages: 305
Release Date: November 29th, 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

Legend was a surprise for me. I didn't really expect much from this novel when I first saw it. I'd already had my share of dystopian YA and they'd all been somewhat the same to me. Legend, in fact, did have the same sort of idea as most other dystopian novels: a crumbling society, a corrupt government and a plague thrown somewhere in the mix. But Marie just did something with it that made Legend one of my favourite novels this year. 

Her writing style was easy to read and perfectly suited for the fast pace of the novel. I loved every minute of it and I'm so glad Marie didn't spend forever dragging on and on about details but rather, gave us this action-filled story that had just enough emotion for me to sympathise the characters yet not enough to take away from the kick-ass awesomeness of it all. 

{Characters}

Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal and June is their treasured prodigy. They are both fifteen years old and know how to kick some serious butt. Sounds pretty awesome, right? I really loved June and how she wasn't your average, defenceless female protagonist. She was able to protect herself and had an attitude that I loved. Day was an excellent character as well. The way he so obviously loved his family was just too sweet and his caring nature was lovely for a male character.

Other characters like Metias, June's brother who is murdered, and John, Day's brother,  were really brilliantly characterized. Even though neither really got much view-time, you could still tell what their personalities would be like. Marie did a great job with her characters.

{Setting}

The vivid descriptions of the Republic were such a good help and allowed me to feel as though I was there alongside June and Day. Marie has this way of being able to be good with words that allows her to show us all the details without being over the top with her writing. The world, though it wasn't completely unique, was one of the things that made Legend so amazing.

{Plot}

I've got to say, the secrets June unlocked near the end made my jaw drop to the floor. I honestly didn't see any of it coming. Throughout everything, there are a lot of twists and turns so there's not a single moment spare for you to feel bored. Every second, there's something happening and I absolutely loved that. It was a lot of fun to get in to.

This was definitely one of the best dystopian YA novels I've read and if you haven't already, do check it out. I can't wait for the next instalment, Prodigy, which will be out in September later this year.

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Title and Author: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor
Format: Paperback
Pages: 418
Release Date: September 1st, 2011
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

(Four and a Half Stars)

To describe this word in three words, I'd say: creative, refreshing and enthralling. Oh Laini Taylor, you are an absolute genius. This book was everything I hoped Fallen and all those other angel books would have been. From the very first page, Daughter of Smoke and Bone had captured my interest and I immediately realised there was something special about it.

{Characters}

I'll begin with our leading lady. Karou is probably one of the best heroines I've ever come across in my recent escapades with YA. She's got attitude, awesome blue hair and this mystery that you can't help but be drawn to like a moth to flame. Despite being so not normal, Karou was so easy to relate to. Her thoughts and wishes were exactly what a teenage girl's would be in the same situation. Living two very different lives, the reader gets an insight in to both worlds. Karou can't help but feel like she doesn't really belong in either but she doesn't know why. Truth be told, she doesn't really no much about herself. I'm telling you now, she's not like any other character you've seen before.  

Akiva, the love interest is what a love interest should be. This is definitely a fine specimen that everyone can't help but fall in love with. The other characters including Zuzana and Mik and Brimstone and Issa were all just as interesting. Laini Taylor should be congratulated on creating such a diverse and imaginative range of characters.

{Setting}

Daughter of Smoke and Bone had quite possibly one of the best settings I've read about for a while. The way Taylor described everything and showed rather than told was absolutely amazing. The vivid imagery helped me see everything as it happened and all the worlds were so different and well thought-out. I loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

{Plot}

I don't know what I can say here because I absolutely refuse to spoil anything for you. I'll just say that I loved the mystery in the storyline. He pace was brilliant, not too slow or too fast. I felt like the reader is always on the same page as the characters and we didn't have to wait for them to play catch-up. And ohmigod, the ending. I remember wanting to scream something along the lines of 'No, it can't end there!' and if I remember correctly, proceeded to slam my head against the wall for an unknown amount of time. In short, there's a cliffhanger. I detest and love cliffhangers at the same time and this one left me so conflicted. 

{Romance}

I don't have an issue with insta-love usually. I mean, it's bearable and even if some development would have been nice, I wouldn't let it ruin the whole book for me. The relationship between Karou and Akiva though, even if it could be described as insta-love, felt so right, their really speedy attraction was perfectly fine. Their characters had brilliant chemistry and how Taylor gave us a peek from both parties was wonderful. The mystery of who or what Karou really is plays a huge part in the romance in the book and honestly, it was a twist I didn't expect. I love these two together and will be cheering them on until the very end.  

If you haven't yet, pick this book up right now. You won't be disappointed.