Review: Moonrise by Sarah Crossan.

Title – Moonrise
Author – Sarah Crossan
How I Got It – From the publisher
Pages – 400 pages
Publication Date – September 7th 2017 by Bloomsbury Childrens
ISBN – 9781408867808
My Rating – ★★★★★/5

“They think I hurt someone.
But I didn’t. You hear?
Cos people are gonna be telling you
All kinds of lies.
I need you to know the truth.”

Joe hasn’t seen his older brother, Ed, in ten years and its for the worst reason. Ed is sitting on death row and his execution date has been set. This might be the last summer Joe has with his brother.

I received a copy of Moonrise from Bloomsbury Australia to review. This is the second book I’ve read by Crossan. I read One a few years ago and loved it. When I received Moonrise in the mail to review I was excited to read it. 

I’m just going to get this out of the way now. Not a lot of books have made me cry but I’ll admit that I was actually crying at the end of this book. Actual tears! Which for me means it was a really good book and one of the reasons I gave it five stars. I just got so attached to Joe and Ed and I wanted them to have a happy ending.

In Moonrise, Ed is on death row for a crime he says he didn’t commit. I’m going to admit that I was a little skeptical at first. I know it’s supposed to be innocent until proven guilty but Ed was in prison. No one wants to think the justice system screws up and that innocent people are, right now, sitting in prison for something they didn’t do. And especially not on death row. But the justice system isn’t perfect and mistakes are made. Innocent people have been executed and are imprisoned. This isn’t related to the book but, for example, Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey. I believe they’re both innocent. If you haven’t seen Making a Murderer then I highly recommend it. Although it made me very angry. This book shows what happens when the justice system fails.

But it also shows what one family is willing to do for someone they love. Even if they’re aren’t sure what to believe. Ed’s family wants to be there for him at the end, when he needs them the most. Especially if it might be the last time they see each other.

Moonrise is told in verse. I’ve only read one other book told this way and it was also by Crossan and I loved that too. Even though it was sad. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to connect with the story or characters with the book being written this way but both Moonrise and One was amazing and so, so sad.

I think I might have to pick up more of Crossan’s books. This isn’t the kind of book I usually read but I could not put it down.

*Thank you Bloomsbury Australia for sending me a copy to review*

– Aimee.

Advertisements

Review: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.

Title – Children of Blood and Bone
Series – Legacy of Orisha #1
Author – Tomi Adeyemi
How I Got It – From the publisher
Pages – 531 pages
Publication Date – March 13th 2018 by Macmillan Children’s Books
ISBN – 9781509871353
My Rating – ★★★★★/5

Zelie can remember when Orisha was alive with magic. So many different kinds of magic. Zelie’s mother was a Reaper who could summon spirits. But everything changed when magic disappeared. The king of Orisha ordered all maji over a certain age to be killed. Zelie was left without her mother and their people without hope.

Now, Zelie has one chance to bring magic back and get revenge. With the help of Amari, a rogue princess, Zelie needs to outrun and outwit the crown prince, who is determined to get rid of magic for good.

I received a copy of Children of Blood and Bone from Macmillan Publishers New Zealand to review. 

I’m going to just get this out of the way now, I freaking loved this book! It did take be a while to get through because its bigger than I was expecting and the text in the copy I got is kind of small. But it was totally worth it. I loved the characters, well most of them, and the magic!

I don’t understand why the maji’s powers needed to be taken away, why the king was so scared of magic and why he taught others to hate them. Even when his reasons were revealed I wasn’t sure I believed him. He’s such a disgusting and hateful person that I’m sure he could have made it all up. I do get how, if it is true, why he’d hate the people who did it. But that doesn’t mean he had to kill all the maji or excuse what he did. Or even give him a reason to do it.

Then there’s his son, Inan. I think he was the most frustrating character in the whole book for me. I mean, at least his father was honest about what he wanted. But Inan was all over the place. And the fact that he thought Zelie had cursed him but was willing to use that curse if it meant getting what he wanted? No. I just couldn’t with him. I mean, I can see what his father did to him growing up and his fear too.

I loved Zelie, Amari and Tzain! They were one of the best parts of Children of Blood and Bone for me. Them and the magic! The world in this book sounded mostly awful, especially for the diviners. There was even a slur for them. But there were some good things too – most of the people were good. People like Zelie, Amari and Tzain who were fighting to give their people hope again. And a fighting chance too. I hated the racism, racial slurs and prejudice. But I was drawn into Zelie and Amari’s race to save magic.

And the ending! Wow, I did not see that coming! I can’t wait to see what’s next for Zelie, Amari, Tzain and the people of Orisha.

I can’t recommend Children of Blood and Bone enough. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year! And I definitely recommend reading the author’s note at the end of the book. I don’t normally read them so I’m not sure what made me read Tomi’s but it gave more insight into the story of Orisha.

*Thank you Macmillan Publishers New Zealand for sending me a copy to review*

– Aimee.

Review: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff.

Title – Obsidio
Series – The Illuminae Files #3
Authors – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
How I Got It – From the publisher
Pages – 615 pages
Publication Date – March 14th 2018 by Allen & Unwin
ISBN – 9781925266726
My Rating – ★★★★★/5

“Asha Grant came to Karenza to escape her past. Too bad he just caught up with her.”

Asha is one of the survivors from BeiTech’s attack on Karenza and now she’s part of the resistance. The last thing Asha thought she’d have to worry about was her ex-boyfriend. But Rhys Lindstrom just landed on Karenza, and he’s looking better than ever. Even though he’s in a BeiTech uniform…

Asha isn’t the only one who’s got problems. Her cousin, Kady and the other survivors are heading towards Karenza – and they don’t have enough oxygen to get there alive. BeiTech are hurrying to fix their damaged jump gate, which will mean killing anyone alive on Karenza before they leave.

I received a copy of Obsidio from Allen and Unwin New Zealand to review. This is the final book in The Illuminae Files. You can click the links for my reviews of Illuminae and Gemina. 

I loved the first two books in this trilogy. The story has been edge of your seat insane and I love how the story is told through surveillance videos, IM’s and illustrations. Obsidio was one of my most anticipated books this year and it deserved all the stars!

I was definitely expecting death in this one. I mean, why wouldn’t I after what AIDAN did in Illuminae and Gemina? And I didn’t want to get my hopes up that everyone that I liked would survive because I felt like I’d just be setting myself up for heartbreak. But that’s all I’m going to say about that.

I love Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Nik and Ella. It didn’t take me long to add Asha to that list but I wasn’t sure what to think of Rhys. Not just because he was in a BeiTech uniform but I was hoping he’d end up on the right side.

There were so many time while reading Obsidio that I thought people were dead. I can only remember one part where I knew some of the characters weren’t dead even though people thought they were. I’m not going to say who because I don’t want to spoil anything.

I loved the ending of Obsidio! The part where Kady, Ezra and Nik were talking about Leanne made me laugh out loud. And that final tribunal scene was hilarious! But I did enjoy the tribunal scenes in Illuminae and Gemina too.

Oh my god – the identity of the person doing the surveillance footage was revealed in this. How did I not see that coming? It’s so freaking obvious now! They were one of my favourite parts of all three books.

And then there’s AIDAN… What can I say about AIDAN? Well he didn’t disappoint. Even though he killed all those people I still missed AIDAN. Is that weird?

If you haven’t read The Illuminae Files you’re totally missing out! There’s zombies, disgusting giant worm things that always make me cringe when I read about them and a psychotic AI who kills people. Seriously, what’s not to love? This trilogy has made me actually laugh out loud in every books. I love the story, the characters, the sarcasm and Marie Lu’s illustrations. I gave every book five stars. I can’t wait to see what Kaufman and Kristoff come up with next!

*Thank you Allen and Unwin New Zealand for sending me a copy to review*

– Aimee.

Review: Still Me by Jojo Moyes.

Title – Still Me
Series – Me Before You #3
Author – Jojo Moyes
How I Got It – From the publisher
Pages – 480 pages
Publication Date – January 23rd 2018 by Michael Joseph
ISBN – 9780718183196
RRP – $30.00
My Rating – ★★★★/5

“Lou Clark knows too many things . . .

She knows how many miles lie between her new home in New York and her new boyfriend Sam in London.

She knows her employer is a good man and she knows his wife is keeping a secret from him.

What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to meet someone who’s going to turn her whole life upside down.

Because Josh will remind her so much of a man she used to know that it’ll hurt.

Lou won’t know what to do next, but she knows that whatever she chooses is going to change everything.” 

I received a copy of Still Me from Penguin Random House New Zealand to review. This is the third book in the Me Before You series. 

I’ve enjoyed all three books in this series. I was only ever expecting there to be one book, Me Before You, and it’s still my favourite of the three. But I do like the other two as well.

I love Lou! She’s just so uniquely herself and I love reading about her outfits even though I’m not into fashion at all. I also love her family, especially her parents! I think they’ve made me laugh out loud in every book.

I was really looking forward to seeing what Lou got up to in New York City because knowing her luck it wouldn’t be smooth sailing. I wasn’t expecting anything bad to happen but still. I mean, she had fallen off a roof!

There was one thing I didn’t like about Still Me and its big part of why I couldn’t give the book five stars. I felt like the Will Traynor doppelgänger was a bit much and completely unnecessary. The story could have done without it. It just felt like a way to keep Will in Lou’s story and there was already a pretty good way he was connected to her time in New York without this guy… So I don’t get why Josh needed to look like Will. I just wish that one detail wasn’t in it. I mean, she couldn’t even introduce him to people who knew Will without thinking she’d be judged. I just don’t get why he was even needed in this?

Anyway, Lou and her family definitely made up for it. Oh and a few new characters from New York were great too. I’m not going to say who but the neighbour was one of my favourite characters in Still Me.

I feel like there doesn’t need to be another book after this. Lou seems like she’s in a great place from where the book ended. I’m happy to leave her there. I’ll definitely miss reading about what Lou and her family are getting up to but I feel like a fourth book would drag it on.

I have loved the Me Before You series/trilogy. Whatever it is. And I love Lou, her parents and Will.

If you haven’t read these books then I definitely recommend them! Especially for the characters and how funny they are.

*Thank you Penguin Random House New Zealand for sending me a copy to review*

– Aimee.

Review- Harry Potter: A History of Magic by The British Library.

Title – Harry Potter: A History of Magic
Author – The British Library
How I Got It – From the publisher
Pages – 256 pages
Publication Date – October 20th 2017 by Bloomsbury
ISBN – 9781408890769
My Rating – ★★★★★/5

“Harry Potter: A History of Magic is the official book of the exhibition, a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and the brilliant curators of The British Library. 

It promises to take readers on a facinating journey through the subjects studied at Hogwarts School of Whitchcraft and Wizardry – from Alchemy and Potions classes through to Herbology and Care of Magical Creature.”

I received a copy of Harry Potter: A History of Magic from Bloomsbury Australia to review.  

I read a copy of Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic last year and even though I liked it, I felt like the target audience was families and children. If you want to check out my review of that edition you can here. But this edition definitely has a lot more information and is targeted toward older readers.

I haven’t been to the exhibition, even though I’d love to, so I can’t say if all of what is shown at the exhibition is included in the book. But I don’t see why it wouldn’t…

I had read some things in this from the other edition. But this one had a lot more information. My favourite parts were from Rowling’s archives and the illustrations from Jim Kay and Olivia Lomenech Gill. I did like reading all the other parts of the exhibit, especially because I won’t see it in person. They were really interesting.

There’s no question that I preferred this edition of Harry Potter: A History of Magic to the other one. I do wish that I could see it in person but I’m glad that Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and The British Library created this amazing book for people who can’t travel to London.

If you’re a fan of Harry Potter then I definitely recommend reading a copy of this. Especially if you can’t see it in person too.

*Thank you Bloomsbury Australia for sending me a copy to review*

– Aimee.

Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco.

Title – Stalking Jack the Ripper
Series – Stalking Jack the Ripper #1
Author – Kerri Maniscalco
How I Got It – From the publisher
Pages – 352 pages
Publication Date – September 5th 2017 by jimmy patterson
ISBN – 9780316273510
My Rating – ★★★★/5

“He murdered women in cold blood. He terrorized an entire city. He taunted those of us who hunted him down.

But despite all of these horrors, in the end, I could not deny it… I was the girl who loved The Ripper.”

I received a copy of Stalking Jack the Ripper from Hachette New Zealand to review. 

I’d heard good things about this book but I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. I think the synopsis made me think this was going to focus more on a “love story” because Audrey was “the girl who loved The Ripper” but when I started the book I realised there was more than one kind of love which meant there was more than one suspect for the Ripper. If you’ve been following my blog for a while you’ll know I’m not really into love stories (yes, I do have some exceptions) so I was glad that even though there was a love interest the story wasn’t focused on him. Or them. And Thomas was way to full of himself for me.

So I mentioned that there was more than one person that was close to Audrey and could also be Jack the Ripper. I had three people I suspected. I don’t want to say anything else here for people who haven’t read Stalking Jack the Ripper yet. But I will say that I got it down to two people and the guy who was revealed to be The Ripper wasn’t one of them.

I haven’t read anything about Jack the Ripper before this. All I knew of him is that he was a serial killer in London and was never caught. Oh and that he only killed women. Which isn’t really much to go on.

I loved that Audrey didn’t want to just marry someone her father chose and have kids. I’m not sure how she put up with her father to be honest. He drove me nuts just reading about all the rules he had for Audrey. I get that this was a different time but still. Thomas also drove me nuts. So I’m really not looking forward to him being in the second book at all.

I really enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper a lot more than I thought I would. I don’t know why I didn’t think this book wasn’t for me because I love murder/mystery books. And I loved that Maniscalco had me guessing who Jack the Ripper was all the way to the end.

Despite Thomas, I am looking forward to finding out what Audrey gets up to in Hunting Prince Dracula soon.

*Thank you Hachette New Zealand for sending me a copy to review*

– Aimee.

 

Review: Countless by Karen Gregory.

Title – Countless
Author – Karen Gregory
How I Got It – From the publisher
Pages – 384 pages
Publication Date – May 4th 2017 by Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN – 9781408882504
My Rating – ★★★★/5

Hedda has an eating disorder – she calls it Nia and it’s consuming her life. When Hedda discovers she’s pregnant, she’s not sure what to do. Hedda can barely take care of herself.

Hedda decides to put Nia on hold – at least until after the baby is born. She has all her meals planned out. Hedda is sure she can do it as long as she takes it one meal at a time.

I received a copy of Countless from Bloomsbury Australia to review.

I haven’t read a lot of books dealing with eating disorders and teen pregnancy. So I was looking forward to reading this. 

I wasn’t really expecting much when I picked this up but after reading a couple of chapters I didn’t want to put the book down. I couldn’t relate to Hedda, I’ve never had an eating disorder, but I really felt for her and what she was going through.

I didn’t really know what to think of Hedda’s mother. There were some things she said and did that frustrated me so much. I know their family had been through a lot with Hedda but still… She seemed really judgemental at times. And then the way she was with Hedda and the baby. It was so obvious that she preferred the baby over Hedda. It’s like she didn’t care what Hedda had been going through since she was thirteen. Only how it affected her and the rest of the family. Especially Hedda’s younger sister.

I know eating disorders aren’t easy to overcome and they’re a mental illness, not just something someone can overcome easily. Reading about Hedda’s struggles with food and how she saw herself was really eye-opening. Also reading how she struggled to eat which pregnant even though she knew the baby needed it, that was hard.

I did like Hedda. To be honest I thought the story could have done without Robin. I get that he helped her but he wasn’t good for her or the story in my opinion.

I enjoyed Countless. I’ve never read anything like Hedda’s story before. I hope more people will pick up a copy of this.

*Thank you Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review*

– Aimee.