Scookie Reviews

A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V. E. Schwab 5 Stars Verdict: Slow to start, totally worth it. Kell is a blood magician who can travel between the four worlds, each with a different affinity for magic but sharing the anomaly of the name 'London'. When Kell finds a dangerous artefact, he must return it to the darkest form of London before it falls into the wrong hands. I found the beginning slow with too much exposition, but intriguing nonetheless. At first I struggled to get to grips with the different worlds as they're each very different in description, history, characters - of course there needs to be a lot of world building in a book about multiple worlds, but it made Kell's narrative heavy to read. Yet, it had many redeeming quirks, like the elemental toy and the enchanted coat, which made me think the book could swing either way for me. I kept reading with an open mind. When Kell bumps into Lila Bard, the book really gets going. Lila's a thief who yea...

HOMECOMING (The 100 #3) by Kass Morgan 3 Stars Verdict:  Not much to say. #1 - The 100 #2 - Day 21 The dropships have landed, and now the colonists are being led by the old Vice Chancellor, who I pictured as Governor Ratcliff from Pocahontas. He’s pretty thick, arrogant, with not enough to him to be redeeming. It’s a mystery to me why he’s in charge, but there you have it. Let’s start a war. It’s quick and light read, with not much to say. The idea behind it is brilliant, but the book itself is meh. The target audience is on the younger side of young adult, and maybe the TV series set my expectations too high. The ending went to mush too, like the last book, and that sets me off on a down note. The problem with so many characters in a short book is that none of them really get fleshed out. The author tended to tell exactly how the characters feel or who a character is, when really I wouldn’t have guessed. Whether they were happy or sad, it felt shallow. I’m glad th...

DAY 21 (The 100 #2) by Kass Morgan 3 Stars Verdict:  It's okay. #1 - The 100 #3 - The Homecoming Oops, I forgot to write a proper review for this one when I read it last December, so this might be a bit short. In truth, I read it quickly and moved on. Nothing really stood out, good or bad, that I haven’t already said for book one. It’s an easy read and it's written in a straightforward manner… plus with further explanations to make sure you really get the point. From that, I gather this is aimed at the younger side of the young adult spectrum, so maybe it lost me a little there. I enjoyed the unravelling of the characters’ pasts alongside where are they now. It's not a style I usually enjoy, but Morgan does it well. I think the ending got to me the most. It’s anticlimactic, and once after watching the TV series, I expected depth, grit, and shocking twists, and instead it was easy, simple, and – how dare it – happy. In the end, I just expected to feel more ...

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR by Nicola Yoon 5 Stars Verdict: Loved it! This story is about one momentous day. It’s Natasha last day to stop her deportation back to Jamaica, the place she was born but feels little connection to. It’s also Daniel’s day to shine in an interview for Yale that he couldn’t care less about, but his first-generation Asian immigrant parents believe it is the best thing for him. Their encounter is improbable, their relationship doomed from the start, yet they’re meant-to-be. I fell in love with Natasha and Daniel. Natasha likes observable facts, only believing in what can be studied – not fate, or karma, and definitely not love. Daniel is more comfortable with the unknown and a hopeless romantic. Over the course of one day, he tries to prove that they’re meant to be together. Okay, so one day is a little fast, but I like to think the quality of their interaction is what mattered – how open they were, how much they learned. Or maybe I’m willing to make excuse...

GAMBIT by C. L. Denault 3 Stars Verdict: An unexpected romance novel. It started out strong, with lifelike characters and a rich, warm setting for the tale of the lost heir with genetically amazing powers. It felt a lot like Red Queen in a good way, with enough differences for it to stand out. Our main character Willow starts out naive and rude, but full of spirit, and I hoped she’d grow throughout the story into a strong, feisty woman. However, Willow didn’t exactly grow throughout the book. Although everyone called her strong, I found her immature, rude, aggressive, and stroppy – a complete brat, and that isn’t the same thing as strong to me. When the terribly dystopian-guard Reese was introduced as her love interest, I struggled to go with the flow. I didn’t think it made much sense (for spoiler-related reasons), and the pair had too many petty arguments for my tastes, where the same points would be rehashed with different words, circling over and over until things got ugl...

THE SHOCK OF THE FALL by Nathan Filer 2 Stars Verdict: Not worth it. It took me 307 days to get through this book, which I’m sure is not the intended reading span. It just didn't grip me like I hoped it would. From early on, I already felt like I knew Matt’s story enough to guess what wasn't said. It made it difficult to keep reading, and so I kept putting it down. Maybe I would have got more out of it if I read it one go, but I just couldn’t. It opens with the death of Matt’s brother, and leads on to an uncomfortable relationship with his strange mother. From there, I felt like the book didn’t have much of a plot, just Matt’s life but in a jumbled ordered. I found it bland, and unsurprising. Page 178 is when I managed to push through to the end, but by then, it had already lost me. I think too much was given away at the start. The gaps which were probably meant to keep readers guessing were small enough for me to stride over and reach the finish line long before t...

THE A TO Z OF YOU AND ME by James Hannah 4 Stars Verdict : Depressing but addictive. This is a book about Ivo, who has made a lot of bad decisions in life for not enough reasons. It's about drugs, and illness, and death; ruined friendships, lost love, and forgiveness. It's a depressing book, misery throughout, from rough beginnings to the very end. Somehow I blazed through it like fluff on fire so I know I found it engaging and meaningful. I felt hollow after finishing it. I adore the idea behind the chapters. The story is told through Ivo recalling the A to Z of body parts, each with a story behind them, and most of them reminding him of the girl he loves. It's a beautiful idea, although a soul crushing tale. One of the reasons I enjoyed it, is it explores a different life to my own, a very different set of friends, yet there was still room to relate. It has characters that go against what society prefers, characters who I wanted to understand better But th...

SLATED by Teri Terry  4 Stars Verdict: Like Delirium, but erasing memory instead of love. Just like every young offender, Kyla has been stripped of her memories for a second chance at life.  With her old life forgotten, she must relearn the world around her and of course stay happy, happy, happy, or the device on her arm will render her unconscious. This is her last chance to prove to everyone that she can be a trusted member of society, after all. This story is mostly made up of school, family, teachers, and long distance running. In that way, it reminded me of Delirium. I know it’s YA, but I’ve always preferred a little less normality than the daily routine can provide. I find this meant there were a lot of characters and mundane repetitive scenes (hospital, class, bedroom, running, group - repeat), and generally not a lot to get excited about. Despite that, I found myself enjoying it. I think that’s thanks to the mystery of who was Kyla before she was wiped, ...

RECKLESS: THE PETRIFIED FLESH by Cornelia Funke 3 Stars Verdict: Imaginative storyline, distant prose Once upon a time, Jacob discovered a fairy tale world through a mirror and became a treasure hunter. When his brother is cursed with jade flesh, he promises to find a cure before the jade consumes him. My favourite thing about this book was the magical items Jacob acquired from his treasure hunting and the references to the brothers Grimm. I also loved Fox. She’s a caring, stubborn, and strong friend who Jacob could rely on, and they made a great team. I wasn't so keen on the writing style. The third person narrative was distant and often skipped past scenes which could have been brilliant for character building and general understanding. I had to adapt to the writing style, and that involved, unfortunately, caring less about the details that bring a story to life and sticking with the general idea. For example, Will is cursed before we meet him, and since he's neve...

SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo 4 Stars Verdict:  Enjoyable if you don't overthink it. #2 Rise and Rising #3 Siege and Storm Alina Starkov is a lonely orphan who lacks energy, until she releases a dormant power, one that could destroy the creatures that plague Ravka. She's torn from her best and only friend Mal and forced to learn the ways of the magically elite known as the Grisha. Alina’s transformation is a beautiful thing to read. She sheds her uncomfortable cartographer self and grows into someone completely distinguishable. There were some surprisingly girly parts in this, from appreciating clothes and magical makeovers, to gossiping and best friends. Only a touch, but enough for me to say I understand why the cover is purple. I loved the way magic was used in this book, but I found there was a lot to learn and even more left unsaid. Why is sunlight so amazingly powerful? I never really knew until very late in the book. While I loved the Russian touc...

AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir 5 Stars Verdict : Beautiful. Brutal , but brilliant. #2 - A Torch Against the Night Laia is a slave, spying on behalf of the resistance in order to rescue her brother. Elias is a soldier, facing trials to become the next emperor in a broken kingdom. I’d heard a lot about this book beforehand, but I never thought it could live up to the hype. Maybe that helped manage my expectations, as I absolutely loved it. The writing style is beautiful, igniting imagery from sentence to sentence. It opens on a life-changing moment for Laia where her family is ripped apart, and the pace doesn’t let up after that. When the POV flipped to Elias, the reluctant solider set on escaping his villainous fate, I was hooked. Tahir managed to keep both Laia and Elias' perspectives taut at all times so that each chapter left me longing for the next. The characters are likable, and so are the love interests, which makes room for a sticky love square. I have ...

THE UNIVERSE VERSES ALEX WOODS by by Gavin Extence 5 Stars  Verdict: Endearing, funny, thoughtful. I’ve already pestered my significant other and he enjoyed it too. It’s the type of book you just have to share with others to find out what they think of bits here and there. So much to think about, so many funny observations delivered in a way that made me smile throughout and almost cry in other places. How does a seventeen year old end up in customs with an urn, thirteen grams of marijuana, and with half the world in awe of him? From the perplexing opening, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to put this book down for long. I wanted to know how it all came together, how a teenager ended up in such a mess, and how on earth would he get out of it. Alex’s logic is dry and simple, often creating humorous explanations that I just had to share with the nearest person. There was a moment when Alex’s mother has dragged him to Mr Peterson’s front door, and the scene is so perfect...

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins 5 Stars Verdict: More captivating than Gone Girl (controversial, I know!) I like characters to be a bit messed up in the head. I need them to do things I wouldn’t dare to, and get caught up in avoidable messes. This is definitely one of those books. Rachel. Pains me to even think of her. She’s miserable, living to regret, barely getting by. She’s completely hung up on her ex even though he’s clearly no good for her or anyone for that matter. Her life has hit rock bottom in the type of way that breaks both your ankles to stop you from getting back up. She watches a house from the train, or more specifically a young couple living a life she isn’t ready to part with, and because she’s a self-destructive meddler, she gets herself involved in their troubles. This isn’t her story, but she makes herself a part of it against her better judgement. There seems to be a lot of Gone Girl comparison, so I’m just going to say it: both my partner an...

DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver 5 Stars Verdict: A dystopian romance with prose to die for. Imagine a world where love is a disease, one that you’re cured of when you graduate. A disease you live with for years and years, watching others get cured before you, their lives boxed off into neat little ‘compatible’ categories. That’s what Lena is facing, and it all seems a normal-but-scary part of life, until she meets someone who shows her the truth about love. Lena is fairly ordinary. She could be you or me. She’s skin for you wear while you read. I prefer characters with a bit more bite to them, but she grows throughout the book in a way that made me back her. I liked how friendship and familiar love is just as strong a theme as the romantic side, and I found Lena’s friendship with Hana more intriguing than the romance. It was almost painful to read how the two grew up together and drifted apart, and I desperately wanted them to overcome their issues and become stronger than before. ...

THE FIFTH WAVE by Rick Yancey 5 Stars Verdict: Utterly immersive. I picked up this book knowing it will be a rough ride, and so the opening didn’t disappoint. The concept isn’t actually original, but it pulled me in and kept my heart racing. I felt the setting immediately, and became immersed within a page. The blurb is melodramatic, vague , and utterly gimmicky. This book is actually about a girl who has survived waves and waves of unnatural disasters, who needs to survive just that little bit longer to fulfil a promise to her brother, and a boy, who is being trained as a soldier to fight for humanity - a battle that already feels lost. The characters are what make this novel exceptional. They’re broken, fighting for survival, and struggling with trust in a world ruined by the previous waves. Their whole lives are gutted out for us to see, mixing past and present to make us feel the weight of their personal baggage. It’s the questions they asked which really kept me eng...

AMERICAN MONSTERS (Demon Road #3) by Derek Landy 5 Stars Verdict : A brilliant end to the trilogy. #1 - Demon Road #2 - Desolation Amber struggles between her confident but demonic skin, and her average-but-caring human side in her newly acquired position as the ‘Devils Lapdog’. Between her morally questionable tasks, she’s on the hunt for her parents who once tried to eat her, but learns that embracing her demonic instincts doesn’t always leave her feeling satisfied. It’s an easy read, entertaining from start to finish, and always speeding forwards. A creepy house, then an old friend, and all of a sudden Amber finally gets to face her parent’s head on, and that’s only the first few chapters. What I love about the series is not having to trudge through a momentous build up for something exciting to happen – not to have to wait for the finale to feel a sense of danger or solving a mystery. It starts off in a very strange place that I’m going to swiftly pretend never happened ...

AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White 3 Stars Verdict: Not for me, thanks. The imagery, the language, the feels… The writing in this book is fantastic, laced with beautiful lines and natural dialogue that hold a weighty punch. Unfortunately, the heavy politics means this series is not for me, but I would definitely read more from this author. Lada is a fascinating main character based on a gender twist of Vlad the Impaler (if you’re wondering who that is, google it – the context is kind of necessary to read this book). I wouldn’t call her psychotic just yet, but she’s definitely strong-willed and ferocious. On the other hand, her younger brother is beautiful, likable and smart – the complete opposite of Lada. I thought the reversed gender roles works really well. Without giving too much away, the romance in this book felt intense from every angle. Radu’s love is pure and beautiful whereas Lada is much more complicated. Both intrigued me, and I found the idea of love in this book bo...

THE GIVER by Lois Lowery 5 Stars Verdict : Why didn’t I read this sooner? I almost can’t put my finger on what I enjoyed about THE GIVER. I didn’t necessarily connect with twelve-year-old Jonas, but I felt oddly proud of him as he took his first steps towards adulthood and chose to learn about the world in a different light. The plot seemed so simple and almost slow paced at times, yet I just couldn’t put it down and the pages flew by. Something kept drawing me in… It must have been the mystery. I wanted to know what the community meant, and what the memories would do to someone like Jonas. At the end of book one, his world still doesn’t add up to me, but I’m excited to continue the series. I wish I read this years ago when I was closer to Jonas’ age. I can still appreciate it now, but I’ve gorged on dystopian novels and already experienced a lot of what this book had to offer in a more modern way. I guess that’s what makes this a classic! I also felt united with the book...

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas 3 Stars Verdict: Well, the last 10% was entertaining. This review has taken me a long time to write because I was almost certain I was going to love this book. I loved book one and two of THE GLASS THRONE series, I love Maas’ writing style, and I think she’s a brilliant writer. I love fairy-tale retellings, and the blurb sounded perfect, but I didn’t love this book at all. As it’s taken me a couple of months to get to reviewing this, I can’t remember it too well but I did scribble some notes at the time. Unfortunately, the middle section has almost entirely faded from me – I think that says it all really. Although Maas’ writing is often beautiful, I thought the tropes of the writing style were overplayed. There was too much overlap in voice from the author’s past series. A lot of the time Maas didn’t finish her… Or it would feel jarring – the romance didn’t interest me. I had multiple issues with the plot devices too. The whole...

THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass 5 Stars Verdict: Unexpectedly enjoyable dystopian romance. I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. Just look at how pretty and girly the cover looks – and the blurb screams romance, squabbling girls, pretty dresses… But then again, the book had a lot of popularity so I wanted to know what the fuss was about! Right from the start there’s a dystopian feel to it which lured me in. It’s an easy read, one that I found enjoyable throughout. The main concept is simple: girl enters a contest to win a prince’s hand in marriage. It reminded me of Hunger Games without the physical brutality, although the actual book is more about America and Maxon’s complicated friendship. America heads into the contest broken and conflicted. She’s not like the other contestants because she doesn’t want what they want. I liked her as a character because she seems quietly confident, enough to stay true to herself even at difficult times. Maxon is a slightly… odd p...

THE KIND WORTH KILLING by Peter Swanson 4 Stars Verdict:  Light and thrilling, with darkness and killing. Two strangers meet in a airport bar and plot to kill a cheating wife. It starts fast and builds steadily, with a clever plot and devious characters. There are a couple of truly unpredictable moments making it a very entertaining read. In a book full of unethical characters, I’m surprised I found a character to root for. But I did. I felt sorry for Lilly, and I felt like she had logical reasoning behind her actions. Not that would hold up in court, mind you, but enough so that I wanted her to succeed, and I didn’t want her to get caught. Ted surprised me a lot. He seemed innocent and normal at first, but every character in this book has darkness in their past (and present). The book opens with a promise of murder, but it's getting to know the characters and their reasons for why they ended up where they are now which really drew me in. I found the book fascinating: ...

THE MARTIAN by Andrew Weir 5 Stars Verdict: Original, witty, intelligent - what more could you want? This is a futuristic novel about a man stuck on Mars, yet the details and atmosphere make it feel like it could be based on real events. Sci-fi isn't a genre I roam into often, but I'm glad I did for this one! Mark Watney is a fantastic main character. He’s resourceful and intelligent. He maintains a sense of humour throughout his plight, which turns what could have been a depressing situation into a problem solving adventure. I found it inspiring to read about someone who face countless challenges and failures, especially as they picked themselves up each time. He’s a hero to root for. Watney does a great job of explaining what’s going, using humour as a tool. The technical stuff gladly sailed over my head but I could still understand the point and I enjoyed how real and logical it felt. That said, I wouldn’t read another book like this. It works because it’s utterl...

THE MASTER MAGICIAN by Charlie M. Holmberg (The Paper Magician #3) 2 Stars Verdict : Disappointing. #1 - The Paper Magician #2 - The Glass Magician In book one, Ceony journeyed through a stolen heart and learned to love an intelligent but reserved man. In book two, we learn more about Gaffers and other magics in an action packed sequel. What happened in book three? All I know is, as much as I wanted to, I just didn’t care about any of it. Ceony crosses the line from a strong willed woman, to a rude, reckless, and unreasonably stubborn woman. She talks down to others with a self-righteous attitude, and then ignores perfectly sound advice. Her intentions are good, and she clearly cares about her family and wants to help, but that doesn’t really justify the way she treated people. What bugged me about this book was the general lack of motives. Ceony has very little reason to risk her life the way she did, and is pretty lucky that most of the book glided along without an...

DESOLATION by Derek Landy (Demon Road #2) 4 Stars Verdict: Would work better as a film. #1 - Demon Road #3 - American Monsters DESOLATION was mostly an enjoyable read, and overall I’ve give it 3.5 stars. I enjoy Landy’s quirky style and attention to pace. It wasn’t as good as DEMON ROAD, but I found myself drawn in by the mystery and promise of demon deals and life-or-hell situations. Where book one was a series of episodes leading up to a finale, book two is more like a movie. Actually, most of it would work better as a movie, but I’ll get to that later. I don’t think Amber grew as a character – in fact, most of the book wasn’t about her. Lots of other characters were introduced, and we followed them for sections instead. I didn’t mind the two old TV actors, but the Scooby gang parody felt like too much, too fast, too thin. Sadly, Milo and Glen were my favourite characters of book one. With one down to start with, the story felt like it was missing most of book one’s a...

GLASS SWORD by Victoria Aveyard (Red Queen #2) 2 stars Verdict : Repetitive prose, slow pace, and lacks plot. #1 - Red Queen #3 - King's Cage In my opinion, this book had two flaws: the story and the way it was written. I wanted to love it as much as I enjoyed book one, but I honestly found it dull. The story followed a predictable path. Book one ends with Mare and a list of newbloods to recruit. Book two, Mare travels around collecting newbloods. I didn’t need to read GLASS SWORD to know what would happen. It lacked originality, and the author compensated for this with a rather indulgent prose which killed the pace entirely. Aveyard is the master of tautology; she knows how to say the same thing in so many beautiful ways. If you read a few lines in isolations, it’s easy to gush over the beauty and flow of the writing – it’s a book to quote, and that’s why I’ve given it two stars. Unfortunately, when you put all these sentences together, the narrative becomes repetit...

THE RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard  5 Stars   Verdict: Depth of epic fantasy, speed of YA. #2 - Glass Sword #3 - King's Cage The silver blooded are gifted, magical, and prideful. The red blooded are nothing in comparison – well, except hard workers sent to die in a war that won’t bring them any power. Mare is a skilled thief. It’s the only way she can help her poor, red-blooded family, even though they are uncomfortable with her ways. This book is all about power in society – what the many can do... What the few can destroy. Mare’s outlook starts off grim. I felt sorry for her being cast in her sister’s shadow. She clearly cared for her family and tried to do what she thought was best at the time. Unfortunately, her well meaning decisions tend to have disastrous consequences. Each chapter curves the story in a new direction. It starts fast and doesn’t hang around - just the way I love it. THE RED QUEEN had the potential depth of epic fantasy wi...

THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas 5 Stars Verdict: This is a series I want on my shelf! Hmm, yes, this one is interesting. Dark and cunning are just how I like lead characters to be, and Celaena the assassin is exactly that. If only there were some forbidden romances and – But wait. Yes, we have two. Maybe even a future third. It’s practically a love triangle. Okay, I’ll stop that. Maas has style. Voice. Her writing is strong, and her characters even stronger in all senses of the word. I can’t wait to read the whole series, especially with such as dark leading gal to follow through it. Celaena Sardothien, notorious assassin, has spent the last few years in slavery. She’s snarky, arrogant, and lethal, which is exactly why she’s chosen by the Crown Prince to compete in a competition to become the king’s champion, or personal assassin. The third person POV also hovers over the shoulder of Dorian, a cocky and charming prince who is nothing like his ruthless father, and...

Hey everyone, The last few months have whipped by. Over Christmas, I moved into a cosy flat. It's not a time of the year I'd recommend for this sort of thing, but I'm happy to call this new place home. Mini announcement: I completed my reading challenge for 2015! I ended up reading 53/52 books last year...which is why I'm yet to finish a book this January. I need a little time off reading, which naturally means I'm writing again. THE CLEARING has exceeded my expectations too. So many of the comments have been super supportive, so thanks everyone who's taken the time to let me know. I can't believe how many people have found it and read the whole thing within a day. It even reached #5 on Wattpad in the paranormal section for a bit - I really didn't see that coming! I've edited through yet again, putting the old version to shame, or at least that's how it always feels. I could edit it endlessly, which is why I'm sliding my focus over to...