painting with words.

NEWS: Blog tour announcement

2012-02-26T15:42:00.000Z

~*~*Hi guys, I know I haven't been posting much recently, but please bear with me. I have a couple of exams coming up and I have to focus on revision right now.

But the whole point of this post was to announce that I'm taking part in the blog tour for The Look by Sophia Bennett on Saturday, 3rd March. Y'all should know that I loooooove Sophia Bennett and her Threads series, and I finished The Look last night--so amazing. Look out for my review this week!

♥Iffath

REVIEW: The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg

2012-02-18T19:15:00.000Z

Title: The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg

Pages: 400

Publisher: Razorbill UK (Imprint of Penguin)

Publication Date: 2rd February, 2012

Format: Paperback ARC

Source: Razorbill UK (for review)

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

The Catastrophic History of You & Me is about a girl called Brie, who literally (!) dies of a broken heart after her boyfriend Jacob breaks up with her. Brie goes on to exist and live (well as close to living as you can when you're not... living) in a sort-of limbo, being guided through the five stages of grief by a boy called Patrick.

I've been looking forward to reading The Catastrophic History of You & Me for a while now, because I absolutely love the idea of somebody dying from a real broken heart. Very unique and imaginative premise, and the book itself was those things, pretty much.

Following Brie on her journey through the stages of grief was very intriguing and I loved seeing how her personality could change with each stage; for example: in the anger stage, Brie is presented to us in this revenge-seeking, spiteful way and in the denial stage, she's all upset and wishing she was alive and happy again. The acceptance stage was the big one though, when everything got all twisty and we find out the real secret that the title of the book seems to hint at.

I'd have to say that the one thing, well, the most important thing, that stops me from totally gushing about this book is the ending. Somewhere around the last 100 pages, things started to get a little bit weird and confusing. I can't really talk about it without giving away plot spoilers, but it started to get complicated and my ~~tiny~~ brain couldn't keep up and decipher what was going on at certain points. Having said that, there were times I found it very exciting and I was all like "It all clicks into place now!"--the acceptance bit I mentioned above.

I've seen a lot of reviews from people who said they thought the story was a bit too slow for them, but in my opinion, the slow-pacing gave me more time to think about what was going on, which I think that you need to do when reading a sad book like this one. There was parts where Brie sounded a selfish and I got a little frustrated with her, but I can cut her some slack since she's uh, dead and all that, and there was the fact that she had a really great sarcastic side to her. I didn't fall in love with Patrick's character as the love interest in the novel, but I did think he was very sweet and rather charming. Oh, and the author's references to 80's music was fascinating--Rothenberg had chosen names/lines from old songs to do with love for chapter titles. It was a cute touch, I really appreciated how music was weaved into the story even though there wasn't much to do with music in the actual plot.

I did really enjoy most of this book though. The writing was gorgeous and so elegant, especially during the first half of the novel. Seeing what was going on back home through Brie's eye was upsetting, particularly her family and three best friends who were trying their best not to fall apart. The ending was unexpected, but I always knew that the novel would be sincere, yet quirky, shining light on a pretty dark subject.

Thank you to Razorbill UK for providing me with an ARC of this to review.

♥Iffath

REVIEW: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

2012-02-14T15:03:00.002Z

Title: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Pages: 272

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (Imprint of Random House)

Publication Date: 14th February 2012

Format: eGalley

Source: Netgalley

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

"Let me make it in time. Let me meet Shadow. The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers."

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

Graffiti Moon is about a group of Aussie teens fresh out of high school. Each one is an artist in their own way and they're all on some sort of 'life mission'. There's Ed, who has dropped out of school because of his dyslexia, and the only one person he thought could help him has now sadly passed away. He's finding it hard to find a job, has broken up with his girlfriend, and the girl he thought he liked broke his nose. There's Lucy who is making it her top priority to find Shadow, a graffiti artist whose art she has fallen in love with. Lucy doesn't know that Shadow is in fact, Ed, and um, breaks his nose after a rather unfortunate date. And then there's Shadow's master-in-crime, Poet, also known as Leo, whose utterly magic words can be found on walls all over the city.

Youmight’ve seen me mention Graffiti Moon on (I think) all of my end-of-year listsat err, the end of last year. I couldn’t put the review up around that timebecause the release date in the US wasn’t for a while, but I’m so glad to beable to put it up now.

I haven’thad the pleasure of reading A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley, so when I noticed that Graffiti Moon had been put upon Netgalley, I requested it immediately, hoping to get a flavour of thissupposedly awesome author’s writing and see what everybody was so caught upover. Now I want to hug whoever’s idea it was to put Graffiti Moon onNetgalley because they are so totally at the front in my Book of AwesomePeople!

In a wordGraffiti Moon is indescribable. You could say that it’s rare for a book bloggerto be speechless about a book. We’re practically everywhere, right, and mostoften than not, we have a thought - sometimes a hundred - about a book. Hell, youcould say that it’s rare for a readerto be speechless about a book. But I am. Speechless, I mean. Well, I was after turning the last page of this. It's books likeGraffiti Moon and writers like Cath Crowley that make me so thankful that I’mable to read. Her writing is so lyrical it made me want to sit there and sigh my way through the rest of my life. Crowley makes it so simple to imagine the beauty inside your head, painting words like those Ed and Leo's so vividly you'll question anything and everything. The kind of words I wish would come from MY head. A girl can dream.

“I kept dreaming her and me were tangled like that. Kept dreaming of this spot she had on her neck, this tiny country. I wanted to visit, to paint a picture of what I found there, a wall with a road map of her skin.”

The whole premise of the book mesmerized me--it sounded so different to anything I'd read before, and I loved the fact that it was an all-night adventure, the events of the book all happening within the space of one day. Reminded me a bit of Paper Towns by John Green, which I loved, and it had a similar charm to Paper Towns too. The story is narrated by Ed, Lucy and Leo, and I loved the parts where Ed and Lucy's parts overlapped so we'd see something happening from both perspectives.

Ed and Lucy's we-hate-each-other relationship was very entertaining to watch and that little doubt they had about their feelings for each other not only made me smirk, but swoon at the thought of the pair together. Watching them banter and see them learn more about each other's real identities made my heart flutter, and I swear if you took apart my head while I was reading Graffiti Moon, all you'd find is rainbows and unicorns and sparkles because that is what this book did to me. Made me into the soppy girl I am at heart SA-WOON. Lucy was fiesty and awesome and I totally have a girl crush one her. And Ed <3 AND LEO. He was just luv-er-ly. Biggest crush on THAT ONE. I loved the rest of the supporting cast too, Jazz and Daisy especially. They were all quirky, and managed to stand out with their own voice. Teehee at the amazingly giggly moments of Lucy and Jazz (Cubicle of Truth, anyone?).

Also.... you may or may not know, but I love poetry; writing it and reading it... and the poetry in Graffiti Moon? Dreamy. Man, I haven't seen poetry so enchanting since The Sky is Everywhere two years ago. Ahh, I just want it all to be on my bedroom walls! AHHH! AND THE ART. The art was breath-takingly gorgeous, from the blowing of glass "the colour of dusk and night an love" to painting sleeping yellow birds. From what I read. (can somebody please make it real? PLEASE?).

I have fallen head over heels in love with Cath Crowley and her beautiful, beautiful words. The fire in Graffiti Moon will find its way inside you and get under your skin until you read it. (Pun intended. You have to read tHE BOOK). The perfect romantic book to curl up with on this here Valentines Day. Mega-huge-ginormous thank you to Random House and Netgalley for providing me with an eGalley of Graffiti Moon.

♥Iffath

REVIEW: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

2012-02-01T19:11:00.002Z

Title: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Pages: 290

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: 1st December 2011

Format: Kindle Edition

Source: Bought

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

Trust me,the fact that I was going to read this even surprised *me*. That sentencesounds mean and like I'm too good for the book or something… but it’s not supposed to. Lol. It’s not like I have somethingagainst the author because that’s silly (I don’t even know her), but because Catching Jordan is about... football! And me+ football = tres unhappy couple. In fact, me + [insert ~~any~~ most sports]= unhappy couple. But then I read this on a book blogger recommendation… and I thought it was amazing.Seriously. The football didn’t even bother me. Actually, I may have evenenjoyed it! Well, okay, I enjoyed everything I *could* enjoy whilst knowingnothing about the sport. Hehe. (American football is pretty different to English football, yes? Or am I just insanely stupid…?) SEE WHAT SPORT DOES TO ME? *faints* It was really easy to get caught up in the story and what was going on, so points to the author for managing to hook me in and keep me there.

I lovedJordan. She was *really* awesome. Like, kickass awesome. I don’t know about youguys, but usually when I describe somebody as kickass, said somebody is usuallythe snarky, not-to-be-messed-with-under-any-circumstances hero/heroine of aparanormal novel. Or a dystopian novel. Said somebody doesn’t usually live in…the real world. And playfootball. Jordan takes kickass to another level and gives it a freakin’ newMEANING. Why? Because Jordan plays football, and she’s the only girl on herteam and she sure plays better than all the guyson her team and they tease her, and others tease her and act horrible (they’reobvs just jealous of her) but she’s strong and she doesn’t take any crap.

The guys were also really cool; Henry, JJ, Carter etc. I loved how they respected Jordan and looked outfor her, especially when Ty came on the scene. They were so protective andsweet, like they were her older brothers or something and it was just awesome. And everything they did just made me giggle, they were such boys and always seemed like they were doing something they weren't supposed to be doing.

MirandaKenneally’s writing is just fabulous – funny and realistic and fresh. I’m really looking forward to whatever she’s working on next! And Ihighly recommend Catching Jordan, even to people like me who think sports areew and just no: PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. For me. Truly outstanding debut and a gem amongst contemporary YA. xoxoxoxoxo

p.s. I never did like Ty. He was so... I don't know, but I didn't warm to him.

♥Iffath

REVIEW: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

2012-01-30T19:05:00.003Z

Title: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Pages: 370

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: 24th January 2012

Format: eGalley

Source: Netgalley

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

I spotted Everneath on Netgalley and asked Twitter if I should request or not. General consensus was yes, so I did--and I'm so glad! I love stories based on myths, and Everneath was no exception. It's loosely based on the story of Hades and Persephone and a featured a couple of others and I found it all very interesting and also rather romantic.

The Everneath is an underworld where immortals 'feed' on the emotions of humans. And Nikki Beckett? She chose to go there. She's been gone for a century, but in the real world only six months have passed. Nikki chooses to 'return' for six months so that she can say goodbye to her family and her friends, which she didn't have the chance to do before, and when her six months are over, Nikki will be exiled to the Everneath for ever. But now she has another choice... she can be stolen away by the Tunnels and have her emotions sucked away or she can willingly go back, as queen. But being queen means she'll have to feed off of others.

Nikki was fierce and selfless and I found myself really caring about her, rooting for her to find a solution for her problem so that she could stay with her family and Jack. She kept going, even when she knew that she'd end up back in the Tunnels and I really admired her for her determination. And I loved, LOVED that half of the book wasn't just her going on about how plain and boring she is and how exciting and amazing and gorgeous Cole/Jack are when there were way more important things to think about. Thought it was great that bad boy Cole wasn't the one our Nikki found herself falling in love with, although she felt drawn to him, but in fact the actual bad guy. His character was fantastic, he was gorgeous, dangerous and a total rock star. No, seriously, I hear his band, The Dead Elvises, are just amazing. The relationship between Cole and Nikki was very well-written, and I had to giggle at the banter between the two. Jack was lovely, and there was so much more to him than just being the popular hot guy. He was very sweet and I liked that there was no insta-love between him and Nikki, they actually had a history and it was so clear to see that he really cared for her and what he felt for her was real.

One thing though...throughout the whole book, I felt like there was some big important thing that I was missing, which is why I'd probably give it 4 stars out of 5. I'm not too sure what it was, but it was like... y'know when you miss a day of school, and then you come in the next day and your friends are talking about some hilarious thing that happened in you absence, and you just have to sit back and watch them laugh about it because you weren't there when it happened? That. Yeah. Does that make sense? Because it sounded better in my head.

But the ending. Oh--the ending was perfect. Totally heartbreaking. *wipes tear from cheek* Well, at least until the last chapter. I kinda hoped it would be a standalone, but judging by those last few pages, we can say that there will probably be a sequel. I kinda liked it how it was, but I will definitely be looking out for the next book. Brodi Ashton has created an utterly gorgeous debut novel. Rich and intricate, Everneath will allure you into the darkness. Highly recommended for fans of paranormal YA and mythology.

Big thanks to HarperTeen and Netgalley for providing me with an eGalley of Everneath.

p.s. there was lots of other things that made this such an awesome read, but I had to leave them out because I don't want this review to be really long and start becoming rambly and bore y'all. Tweet me (@lovereadingx) if you want to know any more!

p.p.s Simon & Schuster UK are publishing this sometime soon for us Brits!

♥Iffath

REVIEW: Fury by Elizabeth Miles

2012-01-21T18:59:00.000Z

Title: Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Pages: 384

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books

Publication Date: 1st January 2011

Format: Hardback

Source: Bookbabblers (for review)

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

In book one of the Fury trilogy, Em Winters and Chase Singer discover that a little guilt isn't the only consequence of doing wrong. After Em hooks up with her best friend's boyfriend and Chase's secret harassment of a social outcast spirals out of control, three mysterious Furies-paranormal creatures that often assume the form of beautiful women-come to town to make sure that Em and Chase get what they deserve. Not everyone will survive-and those who do will discover there are worse punishments than death. But when Em befriends outcast Drea and learns more about who and what the Furies really are, she becomes resolved above all to take them down and stop their plans. Little does Em know that, by confronting the Furies, she could become inextricably bound to them for life.

Random reviews I wrote ages ago that for some reason never got posted number 4! Another review I wrote for Bookbabblers and forgot to post. I should do more posting. yeah.

The students living in Ascension, Maine are currently in winter break. Emily can finally spend time with the boy she really likes and Chase has met a pretty girl he thinks may really like him. BUT. All is not well in paradise because Emily's crush also happens to be her best friend Gabby's boyfriend, Zach. And Chase? Well, his girl may well be hiding something from him, something very big. It looks like both will have to learn that what goes around, comes around. The hard way.

The story begins with us reading from Em's perspective and alternates between her and Chase pretty smoothly, so that we never get confused which doesn't sound like anything special, but trust me, it is. I wasn't sure what to expect in each chapter and was biting my nails, literally waiting for something to go horrible, horribly wrong.

I can't really say I could relate to Chase, but the novel was written so well that I could almost (almost) step into his shoes and feel what he felt. I so wanted it so that things would turn out good for him, but we can't all have what we want, right? Em was different. I thought she was quite selfish, making excuses for what she was doing with Zach and thinking that they'd tell Gabby and it'd all be OK, and I didn't really like her as a character, but both her and Chase progressed as the story went on and Em was a lot more likable than what she started off with, having learnt from her mistakes. And although sorry ISN'T enough, I really felt for her when things got out of control at the end. Oh, and some of the secondary characters were really great,; JD, Zach and Gabby. They each played an important role in the telling of the story and I thought that they were portrayed with a high amount of skill.

The contemporary and paranormal genres have been combined together to create Fury, and can I just say how well they worked together? Miles' writing was clever and unsettling, leaving me at the edge of my seat. There were some parts of the story that I didn't agree with, but I can't deny the fact that Fury was an addictive read. I finished it in one sitting and wanted more more more! The storyline is unique and the plot is intricate. I don't think there was once a moment where it failed to deliver what I expected, no, what I wanted.

I LOVED the greek-mythology aspect of the story! I've read about Furies only once before in Starcrossed (by Josephine Angelini) and it sparked a great interest! Imagine if something like that really happened..? If the furies went around, getting their revenge on people for the bad things they'd done to others? Makes you think twice, doesn't it!

Chillingly dark, Fury will suck you into a world full of drama, intrigue and the I'm sure the furies will be happy to show you exactly how they're feeling about Emily and Chase's choices...

♥Iffath

REVIEW: Brother/Sister by Sean Olin

2012-01-20T18:50:00.000Z

Title: Brother/Sister by Sean Olin

Pages: 256

Publisher: Razorbill UK

Publication Date: 1st September, 2011

Format: Paperback

Source: Razorbill UK (for review)

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

WILL
How many times do I have to say it? Yes, I see the picture. It's a body, obviously. It's a dead body.

ASHELEY
You have to understand, I love my brother. I'm scared of him too, but . . . regardless of what he has or hasn't done, I feel for him, you know.

WILL
I don't care what happens to me, really, I don't. But Asheley . . . she had nothing to do with any of this.

ASHELEY
It's not like it sounds. He had a good heart. He trusted me. And I always did the best I could to help him.

WILL
It's not her fault. None of it. Okay then. The guy in the photo. I killed him . . . but I had to. I had no choice. Why? That's complicated. That'll take a while.

Random reviews I wrote ages ago that for some reason never got posted number 3! This should have been posted while I was on holiday during summer 2011. I have no idea what happened!

I read Killing Britney by Sean Olin a few years ago. It was for sale in my local library for 10p, so I *had* to buy it. I can't remember my exact thoughts on it because it was a really long time ago, but I did enjoy it (and I will try and reread it so I can review on the blog soon). I was book-hunting on Goodreads and came across a Brother/Sister by somebody called Sean Olin. The synopsis doesn't give much about the book away and it got me feeling really intrigued and excited to read the book and I was SO sure that I recognized that name! So I did what any other person would do, and Googled him... not long after, I got an email asking if I would like to review it. Mind instantly went "Yes please!"

It's summer, and siblings Ashley and Will are left to look after themselves. Their mother has just been taken to a rehabilitation centre after a violent incident with involving alcohol and their father left while they were quite young. Will's been bullied for a very long time, but he tries to keep his head up for Ashley. To protect her and keep her safe and because it's his job to do that, and because he believes that nobody else can do that for her. But things start to get out of control when all Will can think about is protecting Ashley.. and Ashley isn't sure how to handle the situation, but she plays along, for Will's sake. But things don't seem to be getting better...

I loved the way the book was written - the story alternates while Ashley and Will are being questioned by the police. It was really interesting to see both sides of the story, especially when it's about something such as incest. Also, I thought that the voices of both Ashley and Will were very distinctive, especially Will's. He came across as such a confused boy who didn't know what to do with the vivid feelings he was having for his sister.

Brother/Sister is disturbing, in all possible meanings of the word. At first, it didn't seem that way, but as the book progressed it got darker...and I couldn't put it down. I don't want to give away the twist near the end, but I thought it was very well played-out. Brother/Sister is quite a heavy read and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you think this is the kind of book you'd be interested in, a thriller that messes with your thoughts quite a bit, I think it's worth picking up!

♥Iffath

REVIEW: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

2012-01-18T18:30:00.000Z

Title: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Pages: 288

Publisher: Egmont Books

Publication Date: 6th June 2011

Format: Paperback

Source: Bookbabblers (for review)

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

With the intrigue of Memento and the romance of The Time-Traveller's Wife, Forgotten is the perfect YA novel. Here's the thing about me: I can see the future in flashes, like memories. But my past is a blank. I remember what I'll wear tomorrow, and an argument that won't happen until this afternoon. But I don't know what I ate for dinner last night. I get by with the help of notes, my mom and my best friend Jamie, and the system works ...Until now. Everything's falling apart. Jamie's going of the rails. My mom is lying to me. And I can't see the boy I adore in my future. But today, I love him. And I never want to forget how much ...Forgotten is the story of a girl for whom yesterday is lost, today is an adventure, and tomorrow is a memory. An unforgettable read.

Random reviews I wrote ages ago that for some reason never got posted number 2! My review for Forgotten didn't get posted on the blog because I wrote it for Bookbabblers and then forgot to post it here. This was one of my favourite of 2011 so I hope you like my review and check it out!

*contains spoilers*

London Lane is pretty much your typical teenage girl except for the fact that, every day at 4:33am, her memory 'reset's' itself, and she finds that she can't remember any of the events of the previous day. For this reason, London has to write detailed notes of everything of significance that happened during the day for herself, so that she can live her life as normally as possible. But when she falls for Luke, a guy who she just can't remember from her future, London must decide whether she can lie to herself and forget him for her own safety or not. And things start to get a bit complicated for her when Luke keeps showing up, even though she still can't seem him in her future.

The concept of Forgotten was really unique and one that intrigued me. I really liked this idea of being able to remember what's going to happen in the future, but not remember past memories. I honestly don't think I would have been able to cope with something like that, and I could see how it could cause difficulties in London's life. I mean, imagine meeting the *coolest person in the world*, or just somebody completely ordinary who just happened to catch your eye and smile at you (even though everybody knows that you're a loser and nobody talks to you), and then completely forgetting that the next day. Like, it never even happened. But it did. But if you never see that person again, did it really happen? (I think I'm reading too much into this.) I'm probably boring you, but it fascinates me.

Writing her own notes means that London can choose what she wants and doesn't want to be reminded of the next day. And it's not like when you just *try* to forget an embarrassing incident that happened..she actually has no memory of it whatsoever, thus saving herself the embarrassment. Although the things she *is* able to see, I have one particular memory in my head, often lead her into questioning the people around her so that she can work out the real explanation behind the confusing things she is seeing.

I have to mention how easy-to-read Forgotten is. I started reading it for a while, then had to go do something and couldn't find a bookmark, so I settled for remembering the page number (I never remember though..). I was on about page seventy-something or somewhere around that mark, and I couldn't believe I was already up to that. It was like..reading the book had all been a dream or something. Bizarre, I know. (or maybe it's just me. Knowing me, it probably is.) There were parts of the story that completely took me surprise when I got up to them, and I found myself racing through the pages because I really had to know what was going to happen next! I can honestly say that there was never a dull moment in the whole novel!

Luke was such a *swoon-worthy* character! I really enjoyed seeing the pair's relationship bloom, it was so wonderful to watch. Even with all the complications they have to face, they make it work and it's perfect.

I really liked London. Despite all the things she has to go through daily, I didn't see her once moaning about how hard it was to be her, and I really admired her for that reason; all she only wanted to do what try to be normal like everybody else. Patrick wrote her character extremely well, I felt like I could totally empathize with her.

Forgotten is like a piece of art, beautiful but also a little disturbing, in many different ways. Reading Forgotten was like one of the most calming experiences I have ever had. The atmosphere of the novel is like the definition of tranquility. Patrick's writing is almost lyrical, and I found it hard not to wish that I'd written it! The idea is extraordinary, and from the way it's written, you can tell that Patrick is going to deliver some impressive stuff. Original and believable, Forgotten had the perfect mix of romance, mystory and drama. It's one you *definitely* won't want to forget!

Thanks to the lovely Jocelyn at Bookbabblers and Egmont for sending me this!

♥Iffath

REVIEW: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

2012-01-16T18:05:00.000Z

Title:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Pages: 480

Publisher: Atom Books

Publication Date: 28th December 2010

Format: Paperback

Source: Atomics (for review)

Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Summary (Goodreads):

She can control her pack, but not her heart ...'I wanted him to kiss me? Wished he could smell the desire that I knew was pouring off me. You can't, Calla. This boy isn't the one for you.'

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: graduation, marriage and then a life leading her pack. But when she defies her masters' laws to save a human boy, she must choose. Is one boy worth losing everything?

Random reviews I wrote ages ago that for some reason never got posted number 1! My review for Nightshade didn't get posted on the blog because I wrote it for Atomics and then forgot to post it here. Lol. Also, it is rather long :/

When I really think about Nightshade and what it was that made me love it so much, I don't think of the characters or the scene, or any of that, even though it was all amazing. It's the elaborately-entwined plot that springs to my mind. I can't explain to you how much I fell in love with this intense, gripping book.

Calla is seventeen years old, and she's the alpha wolf of the Nightshade pack. The time has nearly come for her to 'marry' the leader of their rival pack, Renier. Then, their two packs will merge together as one. Their job will be to protect a special site for the Keepers from their enemies, the Searchers. But then one day, while Calla is on patrol, she fins a human boy being attacked by a bear, and even though it's completely against the Keeper's rules, Calla saves his life.

The next day, at school, there's a new student. Shay Doran. Also known as the-boy-who-Calla-saved. They both know there's a connection between them..but as they spend more and more time together they realise just how wrong it is for them to be together, especially as Calla is already set to mate with Ren. Calla's risking everything for Shay and the things she's doing, which are forbidden, could end in not only her death, but Shay's too.

Calla, in my eyes, was an incredible heroine. Pretty easily she comes across as somebody you would instantly like, solely because of her strong ability as a leader. I love that even though she had two amazing boys fighting over her, she's not afraid to tell them both where to stick it if they dare to cross the line with her. She's fierce in battle and I'm so glad that her role as female alpha wasn't downgraded! She had as much power as her 'other half' Ren did and she was prepared to use it.

Even though most of the characters in the novel aren't exactly humans, but part wolf, Cremer has managed to give them all that special trait that makes them so likeable as well as them all being people you could relate to. There wasn't any trace of some other-worldy characteristic that made them seem a whole world away, somebody who is the furtherest away from being anything like you. I applaud Andrea loudly for successfully handling that!

Ren. What can I say about Ren? Shortly after I finished the book, I logged on to Twitter to converse with my fellow book bloggers to see what they though of Ren, because *I* didn't like him, and then they threatened me and made me read the book all over again (which I didn't protest at) and bribed me with sweets to rethink my impression of him and come back and tell them I loved him. Okay, so part of that wasn't true, but some of it was *grins*. At first, I hated Ren. I hated his cocky, arrogant attitude and the fact that he was so dominant at times. On my second read, I saw that Ren could be such a nice guy if he just toned himself down a bit! He's quite wild, and likes to get around, but the bad-boy image suits him. One thing that was weird was that, in this case, the bad boy is actually the 'right' boy..for once! Ren was very loyal to Calla, especially at the end, so he gets point for that I tuhink. But err, let's talk about Shay. I warmed to Shay immediately. He's clever and likes to read (who would NOT like that?!). I thought the chemistry between Calla and him was so romantic and sweet. Plus, learning about his rebellious behaviour made him sound quite appealing.. At times he could be a bit annoying because he took a lot of risks, some that could have ended really badly, but I guess that comes with the package!

The relationship between Shay and Calla was like one of the really romantic stories where the girl and the boy are forbidden to 'go out', let alone fall in love with each other! Le sigh.

I usually have pretty high standards when it comes to love triangles in books, but the author manages to make it look easy! In the end, I decided that both male leads are equally great (although it doesn't seem that way *cough*Shay*cough*), and I'm not sure who I would want Calla to choose..

I have to give the pack members a mention too! They were great! The whole idea of them sticking together was fantastic and I loved the interactions between them! They were definitely one of my favourites parts of the book. Calla's younger brother Ansel was my favourite of all of them..he was just SO sweet! I wanted to hug him and never let go.

Nightshade is a perfect mixture of everything you could ever want in a novel; a fascinating, storyline, well-developed and extremely likeable characters, as well as the aspect of romance and supernatural creatures. Oh and it has a BEE-OO-TEE-FUL purple, shiny cover. I SWEAR IT'S A PIECE OF ART IN ITSELF!

I need Wolfsbane ~~soon~~NOW!

♥Iffath

Hello

2012-01-12T17:55:00.000Z

Just to let you all know, I'm taking a blogging break for a while, for personal reasons. Not sure how long.

Blog posts posted after this have (most likely) been scheduled.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

(And if I owe you a review, it'll probably go on Goodreads. Apologies for that too. I'll email you. Lol)

♥Iffath