Forget Me Not (1)

Forget Me Not is a new meme hosted by Steph at The Thoughts of a Book Junky. The idea is to show off a book that is fairly old, but one that you still love and enjoy. 

New Followers, Giveaways and Pickles

I just wanted to say a a huge welcome to all of my new followers! It means the world to me that I now have over 50 of you following my blog. Thank you, all of you!


Because of how amazing you all are, I've decided that I'm going to do a giveaway! But wait before you get excited and start happy dancing. I'm not doing a giveaway until I reach 100 followers here on my blog, and 100 subscribers on my YT channel. This isn't because I want more followers (which, you know, I wouldn't mind ;)) it's just because I have no money right now, and it's so close to Christmas I doubt I'll be able to borrow any. So, I'm waiting until I reach those two goals. Okay? :) 


And onto my third point of the day - pickles. Actually, there is no point. I was watching Spongebob and they were talking about pickles. 


Thanks again, and I hope you all have a brilliant weekend!

In My Mail Box - (7)

IMM is a meme created by Kristi at The Story Siren. Basically, you just take a picture/make a video showing what you got in the mail this past week. Pretty simple, yes? So, here's what I got this past fortnight. 

Books:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (Goodreads|Amazon US)

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (Goodreads|Amazon US)

Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish (Goodreads|Amazon US)

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E Pearson (Goodreads|Amazon US)

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Book Blogger Hop (1)

I've seen this Book Blogger Hop meme all over the blogosphere, but I've never really paid attention to it. However, Alice from The Reader Room did a post on it this week, and I read it and finally understood what it was all about. Thank you Alice:)

All you basically do is answer the weekly book related question, and then link your blog on the list. Pretty simple, yes? I don't know why I felt so overwhelmed before. Well, you all know I'm an idiot haha. 

This week's question is:

What is your favourite book cover?

I'm pretty bad and I am one of those people who does judge a book by its cover. Honestly, if a book has - in my opinion - an ugly cover, I will nine times out of ten not pick it up. I told you, I'm horrible.

Anyway, I have a few favourite covers. However, my favourite one at the moment is, by far, the most beautiful cover I have ever seen. (I say that all the time, so don't take me too seriously!)

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer has the most stunning cover. The glitter and the purple/lilac go so well, and the lilies, and the hair, and the yellow eye.. Just - WOW!

I'll be honest and say that I did, at first, only pine for this book because of the cover. But after reading some reviews and then going forth and actually reading the book, I saw that the content was just as beautiful as the picture.

And the pages are all kind of.. rough and old looking. Gorgeous.

Book Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice? - Goodreads


Let’s start with the plot. There’s so much I would love to tell you, but if I was to do that there would be some serious hate/rotten tomatoes thrown my way due to immense spoilers. The plot is very fast paced, but at the same time, things are slow at being revealed/discovered. It doesn’t all come out at once, which I loved, because it meant that it wasn’t all thrown at you or Calla. Andrea Cremer took her time explaining the (brilliant) world that she has created, whilst keeping a lot of things a mystery at the same time. I couldn’t put this book down once I had started reading it. It was really a tremendous read for a debut novel, and I was shocked, even though I had heard plenty of excellent reviews on this book.


Learning about the Keepers and the Guardians was the best part of this novel. The history involved was in-depth and brilliantly thought out. Each little connection made led you closer to the truth, but even by the end of the novel you’re left needing and wanting to know more. Which is more than appropriate, because there is going to be a sequel coming out next year. 


The main character, Calla, was brilliantly described and is probably one of my favourite female leads I have read about in the past few years. As some of you may know, I tend to have a major problem with a lot of female main characters, but I really loved Calla’s strong, independent character. 


However, what kind of brought this book down a notch - for me - was the love triangle. I’ve seen so many of these, I’ve become bored of them. On one point of the triangle is Ren, the alpha male of the new pack, and consequently the werewolf Calla’s betrothed to. He’s strong, sarcastic, and flirty, at the same time as being loyal and kind. I did like Ren, but at times he got on my nerves and at one point in the story I truly did dislike him. However, I understood why he did what he did. He’s a pack leader, and won’t put the safety of his pack at risk for anything. 


The other point in the love triangle is the new boy in town, Shay. He’s human with whom Calla suffers from the “love-at-first-sight” debacle. I honestly didn’t see why they had a sudden and immediate connection. Shay was an interesting character, but like I said - I wasn’t keen on the love triangle. 


Cover: A+ . It’s absolutely beautiful. It has to be my favourite cover… ever!


Overall, I would recommend this book if you are looking for a fast paced, easy to read novel with a strong female lead.

Rating: 4/5

Buy Nightshade at:

Amazon US|Book Depository

Format: Hardcover, 454 pages

Publisher: Philomel

Publication Date: October 19th 2010 (US)

Nightshade is not currently available in the UK, however you can pre-order the paperback edition from Amazon; to be released in December 2010.

Monday 11/22 - What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by the wonderful Sheila - make sure you check out Sheila's blog to see what she herself is reading, and to find links to other blogs! Onto the books!


Last week, I read and reviewed:
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (Goodreads|Amazon US)


Awaiting Review:
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (Goodreads|Amazon US)


I'm currently reading:
Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Goodreads|Amazon US)
Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish (Goodreads|Amazon US)


That's all I'm planning for this week, but hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in a review of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I know I've done one already, by it wasn't the best review so I'm rewriting and rephrasing :) Then I can review Catching Fire, and then finally Mockingjay, which has been waiting a while to get reviewed. 


I hope you all have a good week!

Changes

As you have probably noticed, I've changed the URL and name of my blog. I've done this for reasons I would rather not go into right now, but I apologise if I've confused you! I promise it wasn't intentional :)

Book Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagine. - Goodreads



Okay. Wow. I really don’t know where to start. Controlling my feelings - and my enormous LOVE - for this book is like trying to get my thoughts together well enough to write a review on Mockingjay (which I still haven’t gotten around to doing, FYI).


The story is told from the perspective of popular mean girl Samantha “Sam” Kingston. Sam has three best friends who are the most popular girls in school, Elody, Ally and - the ring leader - Lindsay. On the first day, Sam and her friends go to school, receive dozens of roses for Cupid Day, gossip, bitch and talk about the Butterfly Effect (the theory, not the movie). That all seems well and good, and the girls go of to a house party hosted by the not-so-popular Kent, who happens to be an ex-childhood friend of Sam’s. Then, Sam dies. Yes. It’s that sudden. I won’t go into details about how she dies, you’ll just have to read the book!


Sam then wakes up to her alarm clock beeping, and soon realises that something isn’t quite right. Instantly, my mind starts thinking “Oh gosh, GROUNDHOG DAY!” and it turns out I was correct. Sam is living the same day over again. This happens again and again - six times to be exact - and Sam starts to realise that her life at school is far from perfect, and that her and her friends shouldn’t really be the most popular girls in school. 


Sam’s personality grows and grows throughout the book, as she lives through Cupid Day again and again. She becomes a lot more mature, and starts to try to correct all of the things that she and her friends did wrong, in just that one day. She soon realises that her actions have a bigger effect on her world than she initially thought. Even little things like taking a parking space before someone else. 


The ending was more than satisfying, although I have seen some people complaining. Why are they complaining? I don’t really know. 


Lauren Oliver is truly amazing. Her writing - and her book - is sheer brilliance. She captures the personality of a spoilt teen mean girl perfectly, and she is able to show character growth, and the vulnerability of the characters without saying too much. It’s just.. Breathtaking. Truly breathtaking. 


In case you hadn’t realised, I’m slightly awestruck at how this book turned out to be. I expected a light, easy read but this turned out to be complex and very thought provoking. I laughed, I cried, and then after I finished I just lay there thinking about the book. This book gets a HIGH recommendation from me, and honestly if you don’t read it, then you’re missing out.

Rating:

10/10 

Because I just couldn’t give it 5.

Buy Before I Fall at:

Amazon UK|Book Depository|Amazon US

Format: Paperback, 352 pages

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 4 Mar 2010 (UK)

The BBC Reading Survey

I found this survey on Emma's blog and thought it would be an interesting thing to do. Also, a lot of these books  are ones that I want to read, so it's a good way to keep track!


The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.

Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES.
• Bold those books you've read in their entirety. (19)
• Italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read only an excerpt. (11)


I have also underlined the books that I personally own. 

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6 The Bible 

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare 

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis 

34 Emma -Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne 

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood 

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan 

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas.

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Inferno - Dante

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams 

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo


All together I've read or partially read 30 of these books! I think that's pretty good! 

Debut Author Challenge 2011: COMPLETE

As you may well have seen, I'm taking part in a couple of reading challenges during 2011. I'm rather excited because as my first year as a blogger, it's also my first time doing any official challenges!


Anyway, I'll talk more about that in another post. This post is all about The Debut Author Challenge 2011, which is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Being the crazy person that I am, I couldn't resist taking part in yet another challenge for the year, so I've gone and signed myself up for it.


The idea is to read twelve books from debut young adult authors. Of course, you're free to read as many as you like, the minimum being twelve. 

DCA Books I Have Read:

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (US)

Choker by Elizabeth Wood (US)
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent (UK)
Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling (UK)
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (UK)
Haven by Kristi Cook (US)
Divergent by Veronica Roth (US)
Wither by Lauren Destefano (US)
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (US)
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (UK)
Flawless by Lara Chapman (UK)
Enclave by Ann Aguirre (US)
Forbidden by Jana Oliver (UK)
Deception by Lee Nichols (UK)
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan (UK)
Misfit by Jon Skovron (UK)
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts (UK)


Current Total: 17

Other DCA Books I Own:

XVI by Julia Karr (CR)

Entangled by Cat Clarke
Forsaken: The Demon Trappers by Jana Oliver
0.4 by Mike Lancaster
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Vesper by Jeff Sampson
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Here is the sign up page for this challenge, and Kristi has also very kindly put together an FAQ, in case you get a little overwhelmed :) 


I'm so looking forward to it. Thanks for hosting, Kristi!

Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

the cold. 
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.
the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.
the shiver. 
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future. - Goodreads


The plot mainly revolves around Grace and Sam, and their relationship. They have the forbidden love thing going on, as Sam turns into a wolf every winter, making a relationship between the two of them next to impossible. I found their relationship to be very cute, however I did find a couple of points a bit unrealistic. *SPOILER* For example, Grace lets Sam sleep in bed with her the first night she properly meets him? Sure, they’ve been watching each other for years, but I find it a bit unbelievable that she would do this, right? Let him sleep on the floor. 
There’s a bit of mystery going on, tons of action and of course, plenty of supernatural elements to keep you entertained. 


The werewolf lore is interestingly done; I found it to be very, very original, and probably the most compelling part of the plot. In the winter, the werewolves are wolves. As the weather gets warmer they change back into human but the older they get, the warmer the temperature has to be to change back. The cycle begins again as the weather gets colder. It really was an interesting storyline, and this lore was one of the main battles Grace and Sam faced. 


The characters weren’t amazing, but they were likable enough. Grace is a clever student, with a good head on her shoulders. Sam was a young werewolf, he was kind and sweet. Grace’s interactions with Sam are, at times, hilarious, as they are both witty and sarcastic, as well as loving and friendly. The secondary characters were also interesting. I would have liked to have seen more of them, but I guess there was only so much Maggie Stiefvater could fit into the short book. 


The book is told from both Grace’s and Sam’s perspectives. I really loved this point, because I loved knowing each persons’ points of view. I also loved that I knew things that other characters didn’t, but at the same time was left in almost complete mystery until the time came for these points to be revealed.


Something about the writing style just didn’t draw me in initially, and I think that’s why I took so long to read the first half of the book. However, it did pick up (or I got used to it) and by the end I was left wanting to read more.


This book was a slower read for me and I’m unsure if that is because of the writing or the plot. However, I’m very glad that I finished this book, and will definitely be buying the sequels Linger (out now) and Forever (July 2011)

Rating:

3.5/5

You can buy Shiver from

Amazon UK|Amazon US|Book Depository

Cover Lovin' - Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Guess what arrived today! I know, I don't normally do these "book cover posts" but I just couldn't resist. I thought this cover was beautiful when I saw it online. That's one of the main reasons I bought it. *blushes* I know. I'm bad. I don't usually judge a book by its cover, I promise! But this one was just too gorgeous to miss. 


Anyway, it arrived this morning and can I just say: OMFG!!!!!111!!!111!!1!1! 


This book is even more stunning in real life than it is online. Even my mum liked it, and she's someone who usually doesn't care for books and their covers. I bought the US version, because I didn't want to wait for the paperback to come out in the UK. The UK cover isn't as nice anyway. 


The cover has a wonderful feel to it, and the writing sticks out and the lilac covers.. *drools*


And the pages! They're really rough along the edges, to which my mum made the comment "Oh wow, they've made it old." Yes, mum, yes they have. 


Excuse me. I do apologise. But I just wanted to share how in love with this book I am already, and I haven't even started reading yet. I've heard amazing things about Nightshade, so I can't wait to get started!

Teaser Tuesday! (3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. I suggest you all go and visit her blog - there are some amazing things on there that you should check out!


Wow, I haven't done a Teaser Tuesday post in a while. But as I'm reading this awesome-epic-crazy-amazing (choose whichever adjective suits you!) book also known as Raised By Wolves, I thought now was the right time to post a TT post. 

Teaser:

'Travel.

As in leave.

Leave our home.

Leave our family.

Leave the pack.

"Ali, we can't go."'

I know, it's a short teaser. But anything more would have given far too much away! I'm really enjoying this book at the moment, and I highly recommend it. Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a great YA author!

Oh, and also! If you hadn't already noticed, I've changed the layout/design of my blog. Do you like it? I'll probably be changing it again soon, when I find something more fitting, but at the moment this is staying. :) I think, anyway.

Monday 11/15 - What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by the wonderful Sheila - make sure you check out Sheila's blog to see what she herself is reading, and to find links to other blogs! Onto the books!


Like I said yesterday, and a couple of other times last week, I have been extremely busy. But, I still managed to read a book. Of course. I'm just that good at multitasking I guess. 


Anyway, last week I read Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and I really enjoyed it. I have yet to review it, but I'm working on it at the moment so expect a review in the next couple of days!


I reviewed Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (first link goes to my review, second link goes to Amazon!) and found that I am now thoroughly addicted to blogging after just a month of doing so. I missed reviewing and posting so much last week, so this week maybe I'll be posting double to make up for it. I don't know. 


Anyway, I am currently reading Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I've seen great reviews on it, but it's taking me a while to get into. Maybe that's because I've had to read a few pages here and there. I don't know. But I'll definitely be letting you all know what I think of it!


In other news, I am currently being followed by 40 people! that's amazing! 40 people are actually interested in what I have to say... just, wow. Thank you, each and every one of you! 


That's all for this week. Let me know what's happening with your reading! 

In My Mail Box - (6)

Hi everyone! Just a quick post for IMM today, as I'm tired after a busy day/night of partying :) I hope this makes up for my lack of posts over the last week. I'll be back tomorrow, I promise!

Books:
As You Wish by Jackson Pearce
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Stolen by Lucy Christopher


All links take you to Amazon US. I'll hopefully be reviewing all of these books, but if there is one that you are particularly interested in, let me know and I'll raise its status in my TBR pile!




I hope you all had an amazing week!

Hey Hey; Update :)

Hi everyone!


Just a quick update for you all. I wanted to apologise for not blogging so much over the past week or so - but I do have a good reason excuse! It's my birthday on Sunday and I've been hassling over sorting everything out for my meal, etc. As well as sorting out cars/taxis/guests/restaurants/times, I've been trying to juggle my A-Level coursework which, as it turns out, is a lot easier than sorting out the meal.


What I'm trying to say (but apparently failing) is that this week is pretty hectic, so I won't be able to post that much. However, I will be back next week with a couple of reviews amongst other things.


I hope you're all doing okay! 


Amber :)

Paranormalcy: Kiersten White

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal. - Goodreads


Okay, so I finally got around to posting my review :) I hope you enjoy! 



Before I begin, I want you all to look to the left of the page. See the cover? Now take a good, long look. Really take it in. *waits*. Now, tell me. You want the book don’t you? I know you’re interested… 


Anyway, moving on from the gorgeousness that is the Paranormalcy book cover, I just wanted to say that I loved reading this book. For starters, the plot was a great one. Evie is a unique paranormal hunter who can see past the paranormal creatures’ glamours. Meaning, they cannot disguise themselves from her. Of course, being as unique as Evie is, IPCA had to sweep in an employ her. IPCA is the International Paranormal Containment Agency, which hires both humans and paranormals to bag and tag rogue paranormals. There is a huge variety of creatures in this book, ranging from vampires to hags, and their mythology is explained very well, even though their kind is not among the main characters of the book. Everything seems to be running smoothly until there’s a break in in the IPCA headquarters, and then of course Evie has to get caught in the middle of the trouble with a certain shape shifter named Lend. 


There’s also a romantic subplot to this story which does not take over from the main storyline which I LOVE. I love that the focus is on the paranormal side of things rather than the main character’s love interest(s).


This leads me nicely onto talking about the characters. Evie, our main protagonist, is a good choice for the lead role of this novel. She is headstrong, brave, witty and sarcastic - which, for me, adds a lot to her character - but she is also girly and she has a big interest in the normal human world. She is not content with her life in IPCA and she wants to go to a normal high school like what is shown on her favourite TV show. She even is interested in the lockers!


Lend, the shape shifter Evie befriends, is a lovely character. I won’t say too much about him in case I spoil anything, he is witty and has some very sarcastic comebacks but he is very sweet and, at times, comes across as quite innocent. This just proves that you do not need a bad boy character to love a book. 


The faerie, Reth, on the other hand, is one creepy SOB and I did not like him at all. However, he was a good character to have as one of the antagonists. He is a character that you’ll love to hate. 


Kiersten White has made Paranormalcy a very interesting read. The writing flows well which makes the book very easy to read. The descriptions of the paranormal creatures and also of Evie’s job is excellent, and I really do love it. However, I did find that the descriptions were lacking at times, when talking about certain places in the book. This didn’t take much away from the book for me, because Evie’s voice and dialogue more than made up for it.


Overall, I loved this book and definitely think you should buy it! I'll leave links below :)

Rating: 4/5

You can buy Paranormalcy from Amazon UK, Amazon US and The Book Depository (which ships FREE worldwide).