Review #66 - Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Deep Blue was always going to be a book I would find difficult to review. On the one hand, I did enjoy it but then on the other hand this book has so many flaws and things I have issues with. So bear that in mind.

Deep Blue is a mermaid book about prophecies, underwater genocide and a force that spends his life chasing mermaids round the seas so quickly it means none of the supporting characters can grow in the slightest.

This is a book with a primarily female set of characters. I love love love books with female characters because I often find that women create more complex characters in books. I struggled with the girls in this because they were extremely simplistic. As a result I didn't really care. I didn't care about their relationships and I didn't care about how tired they were from all that singing and swimming . I also found towards the end all the characters were introduced too quickly as if the author got bored while writing.

The first setting was introduced wonderfully. You have to credit Ms Donnelly, she did do some great world building. It felt a lot like Triton's castle from The Little Mermaid (is this something to do with the fact it's published by Disney Hyperion?). There was also a large emphasis on singing as it is the way the mermaids do magic spells.  I really enjoyed that bit. There were "cliffhangers" at the end of each chapter but they were mostly shockingly bad.

I felt a lot of the book that I was in PSHE or in a Greenpeace seminar as there was a lot of anti-commercial-fishing-propeganda. I do believe that it is important to educate about environmental issues but when it's being presented as statements that you just have to accept I become a little annoyed. I felt like the book was treating me like an idiot. The worst thing is this is marketed at 9-12 year olds and I don't like that this is trying to influence them. 

This book is, of course, the first book in the series. In classic publisher style, there is no hint of this on the cover. This is also your classic "first book in a series" as it is just a set up book and doesn't feel like a book in it's own right. It left me feeling really, really frustrated.

I would recommend this to you if:
You want to read a mermaid book that isn't as adult as September Girls
You want an undersea adventure
You believe passionately in both fantasy fiction and the environment

I gave this three stars

Buy it here

Inactivity

I am really aware I haven't been that active throughout September and I kind of want to explain why and what's happening in my life.

I've started my final year of full time education which I'm both really happy about and really sad about. I truly adore my school (sixth form college) and I'll be gutted to leave but I am excited to go to uni.

I turned 18 this weekend which was amazing and so much fun. I'm now an adult.

I am also involved in the UCAS process. I'm applying for biomedical sciences which I love the sound of and I truly have found my perfect degree. However, I am taking the BMAT so my workload is huge. I don't do many interviews so my personal statement is really important. I'm taking A2s in Maths, Biology and Chemistry.

I will try to keep writing but I'm sorry if I don't keep up. Last academic year I was pretty housebound as I was ill a lot so I did spend a lot more time writing and now I don't so much because I'm going out more. I do keep trying to write all the time even if it's not always on here. And I'm not sad with this change.

Sophie xox

Review #65 - Vivian vs the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle

Vivian vs the Apocalypse is about a girl who lives in America when it is gripped by a religious cult. On a certain day, "the rapture", the church believes that all of it's members will leave earth before the apocalypse. And on the day of the rapture her believing parents are gone, leaving her, two holes in the ceiling and the apocalypse.

This book is a little bit of everything. Primarily, it's apocalyptic and a lot of it is quite bleak which I find a little difficult to engage in as apocalyptic fiction isn't very fun to read. But then it's got this emphasis on friendship and I loved how it wasn't dismissive on friendships you form as a teenager. Then it also has this slightly odd road trip element which did try to inject some "fun" into what otherwise would have been a fairly depressing book. The only problem with that is they are travelling through an emotional apocalypse so it isn't very "let's go to a motel and eat fries and go to Yosemite" or cute.

The main reason to read this book is the plot. It twists and turns even though some bits do feel like the author was padding to get to a decent page number. It's just a very intruiging book.

The characters were very well done as they were strong and interesting and different. Their relationships were set up well. What really shines in this book are the relationships.

I will kind of give this book a trigger warning. It is fairly dark and I won't put an age on it but you do have to be fairly emotionally mature to really read it as it is really dark. I will also put a "trigger warning" as it's pretty anti religious. I did like the way it mocked modern culture (I did laugh out loud at some bits) but it does sort of mock the Bible. If this could upset you or you work for one of those US corporations that bans books I wouldn't recommend it.

I would recommend this if:

You love dystopias

You want a black comedy

You want a book with interesting relationships

I gave this four stars.

Buy it here 

Review #64 - Adorkable by Sarra Manning

Adorkable is about a girl who is internet famous and your preppy senior school guy. And they find out their boy/girlfriend is cheating on them. It's a romance with internet culture and self identity.

The plot was well done and the pace was maintained well throughout the book. I found the style was a little too simplistic and wasn't really "literature". It was more of the type of book people read at the beach. I would recommend it to younger readers because of the simplicity of the style but the romance is pretty intense and I can't guarantee it is suitable for all younger teens.

I really enjoyed the fact the book is about self worth and individuality and accepting yourself. I don't think this is really emphasised enough in teen fiction and it needs to be because so many people suffer with a lack of confidence. And again, I think it's a shame the romance is quite adult because this would have been a godsend to me in year 7/year 8/year 9.

I did find the main female character really really annoying, especially at the beginning. I did struggle to feel empathy at first. Also the two leads hate each other at the beginning which I felt lacked subtlety. However, the dialouge was done really well.

I did feel at times that Sara Manning was a little out of touch with internet culture which was a shame because there is a lot of emphasis on blogging. I just couldn't relate to it at all and I should have because I spend far too much time on social media.

I say all of this, it was an enjoyable book to read in the same way Honey Boo Boo is fun to watch. 

I would recommend this if:

You want something light

You want a book about self worth

You want a slightly different romance

I gave this four stars

Buy it here

Review #63 - The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season is a fantasy novel about Paige, a girl who is a dreamwalker in an undergroud crime circle in Scion London. However, following an event, most of this book is set in Oxford in Magdalen College.

I adored this book. A large part of my love for it comes from the setting of Oxford because it's my home town but also the way the fantasy world and the Oxford architecture are mixed is really well done. There's something very majestic about it. There's also a map at the beginning of the book which I always love.

The dialouge between two specific characters was so strong it physically gave me stomach ache while reading it. I didn't "ship it" so much as this certain male character filled a hole left in my soul by a very strong male character in Heir of Fire. I really disliked Paige as a character but it was fun to read as her. The dialouge was just very believable and sweet. 

The plot starts slowly so you learn to understand the large range of foreign terminology (it is very confusing at the beginning) but it speeds up and is maintained at a really good speed throughout until the end where it's going so fast you won't be able to stop reading.

I normally am not a large fan of books in series but this was a very complete book in its own right but I don't feel like it was too complete to have a sequel. I have preordered the sequel which will be released in January.

I would recommend this if:

You love Oxford

You want great dialouge

You want a good fantasy series 

I gave this five stars 

Buy the paperback here
Buy the hardback here

Review #62 - Popular by Maya Van Wagenen

Popular is the story of a girl in the USA on the border of Mexico who is really unpopular. She finds a book on popularity from the 50s and follows the advice to the word as a social experiment. This is her memoir.

Firstly, I wouldn't recommend this to you if you don't want to feel like you have achieved nothing in your life. Maya is a very young author, still in her teens and she writes really well. The pace was good, the story was told well and you really believe in the story. Non-fiction often doesn't make me feel any emotion, even biographies, but this was heart wrenching. You feel sorry for this girl, you cringe when you find out what the book tells her to wear and most of all you feel such compassion for a girl just trying to navigate high school. 

It's a really different take on non fiction and is really interesting to read. For one thing it depicts American High School in a way that isn't really documented in a non-fictional sense. It was also a really interesting concept. I did find her conclusions a bit twee and American dreamy which I didn't love. I felt like I was back at a Shamu show. It was just a bit over-sickly. That being said certain conclusions where she interviewed everyone were really really interesting and gave such a different take on popularity.

I would recommend this if:

You are starting senior school or high school

You want a biography that is accessible to teens

You want an intro into non fiction

I gave this four stars

But it here

Update - 100 Things this Summer 2.0 - #3

1) Run three times a week when possible

2) Watch the Fox and the Hound

3) Make (Vegan-ish) Nachos

4) Write 10,000 words of my book

5) Go to legoland

6) Drive on a motorway (3 months and still haven't done that)

7) Organise a summer party (not a "party" party). 

8) Go to the botanic gardens after school

9) Go to a concert

10) Finally meet Alexia Casale

11) Send Fanmail

12) Read a scientific book

13) Get an ARC

14) Go to Kew

15) Actually visit Notre Dame

16) Visit Shakespeare and Company

17) Read my books from the Strand

18) Finish PLL books

19) Make a birthday list

20) Post to Instagram regularly

21) Use my tripod

22) Run a mile

23) Avoid Parmesan

24) Get to level 10 on Dutch Duolingo

25) Go to Las Iguanas

26) Finish my 5000 word essay on PLP and TENS

27) Write a good personal statement

28) Go to the Harry Potter Studio Tour

29) Go to Birmingham

30) Take a friend to London (Nithya told me by taking her to the Breakfast Club this counted)

31) Go to South Africa

32) Go on a zip wire

33) Get my results

34) Be proud of my results whatever happens

35) Buy more Printics of my summer 

36) See some Shakespeare

37) Watch something at arts week

38) Reread a book

39) Have a picnic (Nandos does not work as a picnic)

40) Take more film

41) Camp

42) Go and visit UCL

43) Go to an author talk

44) Watch TFIOS

45) Go on a bookshop crawl

46) Do something brave 

47) Read 20 books

48) See an exciting animal

49) Play my guitar

50) Go to the theatre 

51) Read a Shakespeare play

52) Blog all the books I read this summer
53) Go on a roller-coaster
54) Go to the funfair
55) Discover a new bookshop
56) Go to the underground silver markets

57) Go to a London six times

58) Buy new clothes

59) Clear out my wardrobe

60) Learn a new piano piece

61) Go to Foyles 107
62) Go to the sea
63) Write every day
64) Take photos
65) Wear my new topshop shorts
66) Wear my lbd
67) Fix my laptop
68) Read more books on my kindle

69) Learn Let It Go on the guitar
70) Watch a Disney film I haven't seen in years
71) Register to vote
72) Actually learn about politics
73) Buy a book I've never heard of
74) Do a read-a-thon
75) Get better at not having "writers block"
76) Swim
77) Sprint faster
78) Get new sandals
79) Send a letter in the post
80) Read a classic
81) Read mermaid books
82) Watch something at the cinema on a whim
83) Cut out chocolate
84) Pick blackberries
85) Wear something I haven't worn in a while
86) Save
87) Reorganise my bookshelf

88) Read an adult fiction book
89) Read a Mark Haddon book
90) Read an HG Wells book
91) Organise my birthday
92) Read a translated book
93) Have a clear out
94) Do nail art 

95) To not get scared of flying
96) Keep tidy

97) Go to a new foursqaure area
98) Go to a beach
99) Use my diary
100) Wear my Dorothy shoes

Review #61 - Landline by Rainbow Rowell

This is Rainbow Rowell's fourth book and her second book for adults. It's about Georgie who's marriage is failing. Her husband has taken the kids to his parents for christmas while she stays at home and works on her sitcom that's finally taking off. One night she finds a "magic" phone that can call her husband in the past.

This is definitely a book for adults and not in the sense that it's not "ok" for teens but in the relationships and experiences. In the same way that I couldn't ever quite "get" the Bridget Jones mind set (or humour), I didn't really get Landline. What I really loved about Fangirl was the fact I felt like the book understood me and as a result I enjoyed reading it more.

I really liked the characters and the ways they interacted. I really loved the dialogue between Georgie and young-Neal. Again, that may be because I'm 17 and not 37 and because it was more intimate. Also, I love late night conversations.

This is a very introspective book as Georgie's family are away and it spends a lot of time in Georgie's head. And yet, the pace is maintained and it doesn't get boring. Four for you, Rainbow. You go, Rainbow.

This isn't a fantasy book even with the magic phone. It is first and foremost contemporary with an element that makes the relationships more complex and interesting.

This is a very Christmassy book so it's best not to read it midsummer like I did. If you are going to try it, try it at Christmas. If feels really festive and it's sweet.

I would recommend it if:
You are an adult who wants to read something cute
You want a christmassy book
You want a book of late night chats

I gave it four stars

Buy the hardback here (I got the US copy because I love the cover but it's gotten really expensive so here is the UK cheap one)
Buy the audiobook here

Review #60 - She is not Invisible by Marcus Sedgewick

She is not Invisible is the story of a blind girl, Laureth, who's father goes missing so she takes her brother on a trip to NYC to find him. It's a book about coincidence and numbers and bravery.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book. And I really enjoyed the voice and the writing style. I just had a large problem with how blindness was tackled. Sedgewick was very subtle with how he introduced her blindness. It let you work out that she was blind yourself which treated the reader as smart which was a nice idea. I just think that it should have been more obvious.

"But Sophie you shouldn't define a person by their physical limitations."

It's a really lovely idea that who we are on the outside doesn't alter our self perceptions on the inside. It does though. I am a white girl and my experiences are perceived from blue eyes. And this shapes how I view the world and how I view myself as a result. I am someone who has lived with physical difficulties, and I know they aren't equivalent with being blind, but they affect everything I do and most importantly how I view myself. And by denying Laureth the ability to tell the reader something that defines her I felt like Sedgewick wasn't treating her as he should have.

The book has an obsession with a certain number (but never fear, not in a maths sense). Some things are really really cool like the number of pages in the book is this specific number but sometimes it got a little tedious. I did like the pages from the fathers journal though that were inserted.

I did really enjoy this book though. I whipped through it and it was an enjoyable experience. The pace was great and the interactions and relationships were just fantastic and let me tell you, that is not an easy feat. Also I loved the setting and the characters, especially her younger brother.

I would recommend this if:

You want an entry into YA

You love books on coincidence

You want a quick read

I gave this four stars 

Buy it here

Review #59 - Seven Daughters of Eve by Brian Sykes

The Seven Daughters of Eve is part of my biomedical reading list this summer. It's about mitochondria and their genetics. Mitochondria are only in the eggs, not sperm, so everyone's mitochondria are pretty much identical to their mothers. As a result, Europe has seven mitochondrial ancestors - the "Eves" of the world. (n.b. if you're wondering why there are seven ancestors and not one 1) read the book 2) mutation)

This book goes over the research that Brian Sykes has done over the years. It was really interesting to read about and this was probably the strongest point of this book. If you're really interested in research and specifically research in DNA I would really recommend it.

The pacing in this book is weird. It takes 250 pages to get to the actual "daughters of Eve" and the research is the only bit that is really "exciting" to read. Also the end quickly declines into fiction and how the seven eves may have lived. Honestly the ending just made me feel like I was reading rubbish and took away from the quality of the book.

I feel like a few extra diagrams could have made it more interesting as the book went along just really to break up the text. It could have been much more visual.

The book is quite old which isn't always great for science books but it's still interesting none the less.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this but I feel like I could have got the same amount out of just a summary of the main findings of the book. Often it felt like Sykes was just padding.

I would recommend this if:

You are really interested in genetics

You want a book focused on research

You like learning about caveman history 

I gave this three stars

Buy it here