Political Animals

From left to right: Douglas, T.J., Elaine, Susan, Bud

Title: Political Animals

Creator: Greg Berlanti

Distributer: USA Network

Years: 2012

Length: 6 episodes of approximately 45 mins each (mini-series)

Genre: Drama

Format and Source: on Netflix

Summary from Netflix: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. U.S. Secretary of State Elaine Barrish Hammond struggles to keep her family together while dealing with national crises and a ruthless journalist.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. Before I start, I’ll admit that I starting watching this show because of Sebastian Stan, but oh man I didn’t expect for it to be as good as it was. Political Animals is definitely the best show I’ve seen in its genre, and it deserves the title I’ve given it. So what makes this show so good? Let me break it down for you;

The first reason I have to give is its strong female characters because that’s probably one of the first things I picked up and it made a great first impression on me. Elaine Barrish (former First Lady, played by Sigourney Weaver) and Susan Berg (journalist, played by Carla Gugino) are both perfect examples of what female characters should be written like. Both are strong women who are talented at what they do, but that doesn’t mean they’re men-haters. And they aren’t Mary Sues either – they’ve got so much going wrong in their lives (i.e. Susan’s boyfriend cheating on her, Elaine’s son nearly dying twice in six months) but what makes them so special is the fact that they deal with these problems like normal people while maintaining their careers. I have so much respect for shows that have strong, human, female characters and Political Animals is just the perfect example of all the things I love.

The pros don’t stop here though. The list goes on. Another thing I absolutely adored was how they dealt with addiction and suicide. T.J. Hammond (Elaine’s son, played by Sebastian Stan) is a drug addict who tried to kill himself twice (once by gassing himself, and the second time by overdosing). The issue that quite a lot of shows have with dealing with addiction and suicide is the risk of making it too dramatic and almost tacky. In real life, things are never like that. How is Political Animals any different to soap operas then? Simply put, Political Animals doesn’t try to glorify drugs, addiction and depression. When T.J. tries to kill himself the second time, it isn’t shown as a beautiful metaphor for him getting away from his worldly issues. They focus on the effect it had on him and the people around him. It may not make any sense in words but when you watch the show there’s a feeling of real human reactions when you watch it. Because so many people deal with issues like addiction and depression, it’s always important for me that a show deals with these plots with taste. Political Animals gets a big check for this.

I said this above, but I’ll reiterate it now. Political Animals is my favourite drama. I’m not a fan of most dramas because they feel too soap-operaish to me, but Political Animals doesn’t have a drop of soap opera in its plot. The show is so good at showing different types of human interactions and different relationships, but what makes it so brilliant is that it shows the love between a f***ed up family without seeming too cheesy. At the end of the day, while the show deals with important issues (i.e. feminism, addictions, suicide etc.), at its core it’s about a woman trying to balance her career with her family life which is also going through trouble. The closure at the end of the series made me feel so light. It was like a confirmation that no matter how rough stuff gets, it can be fixed. Anne and Douglas finally got their wedding and Elaine managed to fix things with her sons (and Bud and Anne but shhh).

Final Rating: A+. This rating is well deserved. I generally despise any dramas, but Political Animals was so good. It was so much more than a story about a woman wanting to be President. It was an affirmation that you can be both strong and assertive, while being a feminine, family-centred woman. While I wish the show could be extended beyond a mini-series because it was just that good, I don’t want to risk anyone ruining the delicate beauty of the show by dragging it on. If you are influenced by any of my reviews, let it be this one. Political Animals will be adored by all, I’m sure of it.

To All The Boy's I've Loved Before

Beautiful cover for a beautiful book

Title: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: April 15^th, 2014

Length: 355 pages (in Hardcover)

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Format and Source: eBook from the iBook store

Summary from Goodreads: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them... all at once?

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. A little warning in advance: this review will be slightly biased because I fell in love with this book and it made me feel so, so happy that it’s hard to express how I feel without gushing. If you decide to read this book, be prepared to hate Jenny Han for the rest of your life because it’s so good, no other contemporary romance could every compare. Okay so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is that good.

I admit at the beginning of the book I was totally rooting for Josh and Lara Jean to get together. It seemed to make sense that they would get together considering how close they were. Josh was just such a sweetheart and I thought that it would just work between them, seeing as Margot had already broken up with him.

Then enter Peter Kavinsky, the hottest YA romance lead of 2014 (this might just be me but wowee). He was just so different to the common popular-boy trope. I have a soft spot for people that get along with kids, and Peter was so kind to Kitty, it made his hotness rocket up the scale. But enough about his looks etc., and onto his interactions with Lara Jean.

I am a sucker for fake-relationship-turns-into-real-relationship plotlines, and it was pulled off masterfully in this book. You could almost feel them falling in love and I was squealing so many times throughout the book. Their ‘romance’ was natural, and there are no words that can describe just how cute it was. I’m probably repeating myself a lot, so while I’m at it, I might as well list all the reasons you’ll love this book;

Sisterly love, one of the greatest fictional parents, Josh (Margot’s ex(?)-boyfriend who also kinda likes Lara Jean and Lara Jean also kinda likes him), Christmas recitals, skiing trips, the jealous ex (Gen), kissing, Lara Jean getting along with Peter K’s friends (massive awww moments), Lara Jean and Peter K talking about love, Lara Jean and Peter K falling in love, Lara Jean and Peter K – do we see where I’m going with this?

All in all, I absolutely adored this book and I believe it’s now my go-to for when I need a pick-me-up. It’s the first work I’ve read of Jenny Han’s but I suppose I’ll have to read all of her books just so I can feel the feelings I felt in TATBILB again.

Final Rating: A+. I already told you this was a biased review, but this book was it for me. It matched my tastes and I guess while some people might not feel the same way, it’s definitely worth reading. I may have went on about all the fluff too much, but the book is really brilliant and the way it deals with distance (in the case of Margot leaving for Uni) is all so real, there’s no way you can’t love this book.

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Isla and the Happily Ever After

The prettiest simplistic contemporary covers ever - aka everything about this trilogy is beautiful.

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton

Publication Date: August 14^th, 2014

Length: 339 pages (in Hardcover)

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Format and Source: eBook from the iBook store

Summary from Goodreads: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume not all of you have previously witnessed the greatness that is Stephanie Perkins’ work, so just to catch you up, here’s a quick rundown of Anna and the French Kiss (which you should go read right now if you haven’t already);

“St. Clair gets a crush on Anna. He’s torn between her and Ellie, and he spends too much time running between them that he hardly has time left for Josh. And the more time that Josh spends alone, the more he realizes how alone he actually is. All of his friends will be gone the next year. Josh grows increasingly antagonistic towards school, which makes Rashmi increasingly antagonistic towards him, which makes him increasingly antagonistic towards her. And she’s upset because Ellie dropped her as a friend, and Meredith is upset because now St. Clair likes two girls who aren’t her, and Anna is upset because St. Clair is leading her on, and then St. Clair’s mom gets cancer.

It’s a freaking soap opera.”

So I was basically cackling at this part but don’t let the ‘soap opera’ aspect turn you away. Stephanie Perkins is one of my favourite contemporary authors and I know I can rely on her to pick me up whenever I feel down. So this is officially the end of the spoiler-free section, and I would suggest reading the trilogy if you think you’ll like it.

I’ll start off by being completely truthful; I haven’t reread Anna or Lola since I first read them last year, so my memory is a bit hazy. I do know that I enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss more than Lola and the Boy Next Door, but both were so adorable, it was hard not to love them. I know for a fact that Isla isn’t as good as Anna in my eyes, but I don’t know where I would place it in comparison to Lola, so don’t expect any comparisons at all in this review – it’s all based on how I felt about Isla.

The thing about Isla is that it was a bit instalove. Anna and Lola had time to fall in love with St. Clair and Cricket, but that just wasn’t present in IATHEA. Maybe it’s because Isla and Josh harboured crushes on each other for, like, three years, but the first few chapters seemed a bit rushed. The first half of the book was just as fluffy and cute as I would expect from Stephanie, but things quickly turned downhill.

Isla and Josh went on a little escapade to Barcelona and got caught. Josh gets expelled. Josh goes back home for his parents’ political campaign. Isla starts to think Josh is more in love with the idea of love than with her. Isla breaks up with Josh.

It was quick, it was explosive, and I was left absolutely heartbroken. I found myself dying inside for Isla when she waited for Josh on New Years and he didn’t show up, and all of my friends could probably vouch for how annoying I was when I read that part. I just could not accept that after all the love Josh had for Isla, he would just give up on her. I was shaking with anger because how dare he hurt her. In hindsight it was kind of her fault too, but I was rooting for Isla from the start so I couldn’t find it in me to blame her.

Imagine my excitement when THE WHOLE CREW reassembled at the end of the book for the Olympics, and St. Clair proposed to Anna! I was just so happy with the closure and everything wrapped up so beautifully. IATHEA was a perfect ending to an amazing trilogy which holds fond memories for me in my heart. I’m a fluff-addict, and the trilogy is just so feel-good and it cheers me up whenever I’m down.

Before I end this review, I just want to commend Stephanie for the section near the end of the book when Isla started treating her little sister, Hattie, like a friend rather than mothering her. That scene resounded with me deeply since I have two little sisters of my own and it just really got to me. It’s hard to put it into words but I felt like that one scene made Isla 1000 times more relatable, which is what every good character should be.

Final Rating: A-. With the exception of the whole instalove thing, this book was one of the best endings to a trilogy ever. I have a special place in my heart for well-written contemporary romances and it’s fair to say that the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy takes the cake. Stephanie Perkins is an extremely talented author and I’m so glad Isla met my (extremely high) expectations.

Purchase From: Amazon Book Depository Barnes and Nobles

The Cuckoo's Calling

Title: The Cuckoo’s Calling

Author: Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)

Publisher: Mulholland Books

Publication Date: April 30^th, 2013

Length: 455 pages (in Hardcover)

Genre: Adult Crime Fiction

Format and Source: Hardcover, from the library.

Summary from Goodreads: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.
You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. This book reminded me why I fell in love with JK Rowling’s writing. It shouldn’t be a surprise that she’s a fantastic crime fiction author, the clues she dropped throughout the Harry Potter books should’ve been sign enough that she’s very good at mystery. The Cuckoo’s Calling was one of the best books I’ve read so far in 2014 because the characters were brilliant and the plot was tastefully mysterious.

Cormoran Strike is one of the most well-developed characters I’ve ever read about, and this definitely works in the story’s favour. He’s a very clever person and the scenes in which he interrogates a character are so exciting to see unfold. He’s a closed off character but the glimpses you get of his past are so deeply saddening – you would feel pity for him if you didn’t think he would kill you for it.

Robin was my second favourite character, and anyone who has read the book will know why she is so great. She’s well-organised, has a clear idea of what she wants and is a brilliant person to top it all off. Despite playing the role of a simple secretary, she ends up being much more and is extremely helpful in moving the case along.

The final thing I have to say about this book is how tastefully suspenseful it was. There is a very fine line in crime fiction between too little suspense and too much, and JK Rowling manages to sit herself right on that line. She gives you enough suspense that you’re flipping the pages eagerly, but not too much that it becomes more like a soap opera than a novel.

The Cuckoo’s Calling is a novel JK Rowling should be proud of. She broadcasts her talent as an author of many genres and this book definitely shows off that talent. The Silkworm is out now and I’ll be reading that as soon as I get my hands on it. It’s safe to assume that JK Rowling will dominate the crime fiction stands for some time yet.

Final Rating: A+. An extremely high rating for an extremely good book. Not only is it good through its interesting plot, but the writing itself is wonderful, and it would be a crime (pause for laughter) to rate it any lower. This book will keep you guessing throughout it, and I’m willing to bet that you won’t be able to guess the ending despite the subtle hints. It’s a fabulous display of Rowling’s writing and I highly recommend it.

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Kim Kardashian: Hollywood!?

Seriously though, why is everyone and their mother playing this game?

After seeing thousands upon thousands of screencaps of this game on tumblr, instagram and basically every other social media site, I figured I would see what made this game so popular anyway. Since its release, it has already climbed up charts to become the 2nd most downloaded free game in the US app store, and the reason is obvious.
Frankly, the game is addictive. The premise is simple enough - Kim Kardashian is guiding you on your journey to stardom, from an E-lister to an A-lister, and that's where the appeal is. Who doesn't want to be popular, right? She gives you advice on how to achieve your desired popularity (being an A-lister), and you follow this advice to do well in the game.
You can go through with in-app purchases if you want to gain cash quicker, but I'm honestly not that into the game. I can definitely see why people are into this game, and I doubt I'll delete the app any time soon but it's extremely similar to every other "lifestyle" game out there and for that reason alone I don't think it stands out too much.

Final Verdict: I rated this game 5 stars in the appstore simply because it was mindless fun, and I didn't expect any more than that. Some people may be extreme enough to put a lot of money into it but I don't think the game is that good. Personally, I find that it's a fun way to spend free time so for that reason alone I rated it high.

We Were Liars

Title: We Were Liars

Author: E. Lockhart

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: May 13^th, 2014

Length: 227 pages (in Hardcover)

Genre: YA Contemporary/Mystery

Format and Source: eBook, from the iBook store.

Summary from Goodreads: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. A beautiful and distinguished family.

A private island.A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.A revolution. An accident. A secret.Lies upon lies.True love.The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it.And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Okay so basically this “summary” is more of a blurb so I’ll try explain it in a few sentences without giving too much away. Cadence Sinclair Eastman is Harris Sinclair’s eldest granddaughter. Harris Sinclair is the owner of an island that the all-American Sinclair family (plus Gat) visit every summer. Johnny, Mirren, Gat and Cadence make up the Liars, a group of four friends who stay at the island together. In Summer 15, something went dreadfully wrong, disturbing their peace, and now their picture perfect lives have fallen apart.

This is really all I’m willing to say, trust me, this book is best read when you know absolutely nothing about it.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. For all you nosy people still reading this spoiler infested review without having read the book, begone! I’m serious! The book is so much more enjoyable when you don’t know what’s going on. I’m gonna say the spoiler now, scroll up and leave while you can!

I was honestly so shocked about the plot twist. Generally I’m onto these things but this really blew me out of the water. There were plenty of clues if I had paid more attention, but they keep coming back to me now. Taft believing Cuddledown was haunted, her emails never getting a reply, the Barbie doll never received – once you look back it all makes sense. I was honest to God so surprised when she realised they were all dead, and while I didn’t cry, it was definitely a shocking revelation. There’s so much I want to talk about when it comes to this book, so I’ll start with what I found interesting before moving on.

This book had an untrustworthy narrator, and I love that in books. Right from the start when she says, “then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest,” I just knew I was in for a sweet ride. In this sense the book reminded me of Mara Dyer, and I feel like to a certain extent Cadence had PTSD too but that’s about where the similarities stop. While Mara had special powers and saw hallucinations (oh, if you haven’t read Mara Dyer, you really should), I feel like Gat, Johnny and Mirren weren’t hallucinations, rather that they were ghosts. This is totally up to interpretation and I know many people will disagree with me but in my mind it just fits that they were ghosts, and I’m happy to keep thinking of it like that (another area this book wins brownie points – it actually made me think really hard and look back on it at the end etc). One of the many reasons Mystery is such an amazing genre is because they make you look back on the whole book once the revelation is made, and I love that.

For me, the style of narration was confusing but I’ve read a few books that jump time periods etc and it really added to the effect of the book in this case so it turned out fine. It’s a very jumpy way of writing, but at the same time, the book felt so much longer than it actually was, and that’s an admirable skill to possess. You felt like you lived in their world for much longer than you actually did, and I enjoyed that. The ending of this book definitely put me in a bit of a reading slump, and I’ll probably have to read something light hearted to make up for it.

There were only really two negatives I saw in this book. The first was just how stupid the characters were back in Summer 15, and the second being how depressing the overall mood of the book was. Summer 15 made me so angry. These kids no nothing when it comes to arson, and while I guess that’s a good thing, you’d assume that if they were actually planning on setting a house alight they’d look into the logistics. Their plan was to put a person on every floor. Not only did they have no signal whatsoever about when to light the fire, but they didn’t know the first thing when it came to setting the house on fire in the first place. Setting the basement on fire would effectively burn the house down, and while they were drunk, you’d think it was common sense not to have people on floors with no exits. Basically, this part made me so angry and I was already emotional enough after the dogs’ deaths that I was on the verge of putting the book down and never coming back.

The only other negative for me was that the book was way more depressing than I thought it would be. Like I’ve said above, the book was similar to Mara Dyer, but it was more sombre than Mara Dyer was. Obviously it adds to the mood of the book, but it means that regardless of how much I liked it, I’m unwilling to pick it up again just because I don’t want to put myself through that pain.

Final Rating: A-. This book was just a massive mind-fuck and no matter how long I contemplate it, it will always be. And I don’t think I mind that. It’s definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far this year, and while it isn’t quite conventional, it was amazing none-the-less. You’ve heard people say this time and time again, but you really don’t want to know anything going into this book, it’ll spoil the whole effect. 

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Clockwork Angel

Can I just say, this is one of the most gorgeous book covers I've seen in my entire life!

Title: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Margaret K. McElderry

Publication Date: August 31^st, 2010

Length: 479 pages

Genre: YA Fantasy/Steampunk

Format and Source: Hardback, ordered from Amazon

Summary from Goodreads: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. Let’s talk about regrets, shall we? Here’s a little fun fact: one of my biggest regrets in life was buying both the TMI and TID series last year for my birthday without a second guess. I had figured that since anyone who was anyone in the bookosphere had read and raved about this series. I read the first two books of TMI and honestly felt so isolated because I looked like the only person alive who didn’t like them. Here follows more regret: I actually pretended to like the series. I pretended to be a fan so I could talk to the big accounts. Yeah, I know, I was a little dick. But anyway, that was a year ago and I haven’t touched any of the books since.

After a lot of convincing from many people, I decided to start with the first book in TID, Clockwork Angel, which brings us to the review. I really don’t know how I want to rate this book. On one hand it was actually so good compared to TMI I want to give it an A+, but then compared to other books I’ve read this year it’s only really good, not great. I’ll go over what I liked about it before I start listing all the reasons that’ll make everyone on the internet want to kill me, so here we go.

The biggest win point for me was the characters. Although they were obvious parallels (more on this later), I actually liked Tessa, Will and Jem way more than I liked Clary and co. I think this was mainly because I’m into steampunk and these characters were from that era so they were instantly more likable for me. That’s not to say they didn’t have their flaws; there were so many moments I just wanted to punch Tessa or Will, it was only really Jem who managed to dodge my violent emotions. Basically, I thought Will and Tessa, even though they were just as stupid as Clary and Jace, had so much more chemistry and I actually enjoyed reading about their interactions. Most secondary characters were also much more interesting than those in TMI which was also a plus.

Another positive for me was the villains. I was so tempted to say the plotline but it was so cliché and overused in Cassie’s work I don’t think I would write it down as a positive. I liked the automatons and how they were born of neither Heaven nor Hell. I thought it was a very interesting way to present the villain’s army, and I definitely wanted to see more of them in the first book. I’m really hoping that the next two books show the demons bound to the automatons, if taken in the right direction it could probably make this series memorable for me.

I think the final and most important point to make here is that the book induced emotions in me. Unlike in TMI, when Nate betrayed Tessa, I actually felt anger. When Will kept pushing Tessa away, I wanted to slap him (but I’m hoping he has his legitimate reasons for doing so). The fact that this book actually made me feel engaged was amazing; I think despite the issues I’ve had with Cassandra and her writing in the past, she definitely managed to work her skill to her advantage, and I’m sure that this series will be one I will reread soon, if the rest has the aforementioned positives and less negatives.

Now we move onto the depressing part of the review where I talk about the stuff I didn’t like. Let’s talk about all the parallels first. We’ve got the stubborn female character who has no idea what Shadowhunters are but has a power no one else does and is instrumental in their successes. As well as the Tessa/Clary character, we have the Will/Jace. This is a character who is insanely attractive and knows it (although I hated Jace as much as I loved Will, which is a lot). He has a twisted sense of humour and constantly insults people, and of course he has a dark mysterious secret that we have to read three books to find out about. Jem and Simon weren’t too similar but you know what I mean.

The pace was very varying in this book. At times I was flipping through pages excitedly because oh my gosh something interesting is happening I need to know what happens next but at other times I had to tell myself to continue reading the book so I could finish it. It definitely affected how quickly I read the book because for me to get in a solid hour or two of reading on a school night there needs to be substance in what I’m reading.

Reading over what I said in this review, I’m sure many of you will probably think I hated Clockwork Angel but that isn’t the case. I was pleasantly surprised to find I liked this book a lot, and I managed to whiz through the second half in a day. I’m grateful that I was convinced to read this book – while it may not be stellar literary art, that isn’t all you need to enjoy a book. I thought the characters were likable on the whole, and the premise was amazing.

Final Rating: B. This book was really good and I definitely enjoyed it. On its own it didn’t really impact me, but from what my friend has told me, Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess are much more emotional so hopefully those will have much higher ratings! If you are into the fantasy or steampunk genre I would definitely recommend this book, but at this stage I don’t think any romance fans will find much in this book.

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The Fault in Our Stars (Movie Review)

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Director: Josh Boone

Starring: Shailene Woodley (Hazel Grace Lancaster) and Ansel Elgort (Augustus Waters)

Production Company: Temple Hill Entertainment

Release Date: June 5^th, 2014 (New Zealand), June 6^th, 2014 (USA)

Length: 125 minutes

Genre: Drama/Romance

Summary from IMDb: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. Hazel and Augustus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous; given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank. They meet and fall in love at a cancer support group.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. This is one of the hardest reviews to write for me because The Fault in Our Stars really was one of my favourite books in the world, and I absolutely adored the film so it’s hard to think rationally about it, but I’ll try my best.

I think where this movie really excels compared to most other YA releases this year is the on-screen chemistry Shailene and Ansel have. Their romance is believable in every way, and it makes the film so beautiful. The actors bring every character to life and it’s wonderful to watch.

Let’s begin with Shailene Woodley, shall we? Shailene is undeniably one of my favourite actresses, and in terms of personal taste, I do place her above Jennifer Lawrence (which is not to say Jennifer isn’t perfect for the role of Katniss; no one can dispute that). Shailene has this calm and fragile aura about her which just works for the role of Hazel. Woodley isn’t afraid to make herself vulnerable and soft, which works for her advantage because that’s exactly what this role requires. Hazel isn’t a tough character; at her core she is a young girl dealing with a tough situation. Shailene just amplifies Hazel’s feelings of not being able to stop her inevitable death, but does it in a way that isn’t too depressing. Shailene’s Hazel is light-hearted and gigglish when appropriate, but when things take a turn for the worst (major spoiler: Augustus’ death) she lets her fragility through, and it just fits. Hazel is a strong character, but not tough, and Shailene portrays this brilliantly. Shailene’s acting really made this movie an instant favourite, and a pleasure to watch.

And now we move onto Ansel Elgort. I remember back when casting calls were announced, there was a lot of scepticism about Ansel and how he hadn’t starred in a movie up until then. I had faith in John though, who assured that Shailene and Ansel had perfect chemistry for the roles of Hazel and Gus, and he was so right. Ansel pulls off the metaphors that would look so pretentious and irritating if anyone else attempted to, which really emphasises that fact that he is indeed the perfect Gus. Ansel is an incredibly charismatic being, and he pulls off the charming personality Gus has beautifully.

A quick mention of Nat Wolfe, who was insanely amazing as Isaac. One of the most emotional parts in the book for me is Isaac’s eulogy, and the way Nat delivers it is heartbreaking yet endearing. He fits the role of best friend without imposing too much on Hazel and Gus’ relationship, and often provides the humour so desperately needed to make audiences laugh while they nearly drown themselves in tears.

Overall, this movie was insanely good, and is in my top three YA releases in the past year, and probably top three in general too. It’s not a movie for cynics, but rather for people looking for a teen-romance that will make you laugh, cry and repeat for 2 hours straight.

Final Rating: A. I had extremely high expectations for this film, and it met every single one of them. As the target demographic for the film, I think it is well within my rights to say every single one of you should be planning on seeing this movie soon. While it’s being regarded as a date night film, you don’t have to treat it as such; watching it with a group of friends will be just as satisfactory. I fell in love with the movie adaptation of the book, and I’m confident that it’s going to do amazing in the box office.

Two-Month Reading Challenge

On Goodreads there is a group called "Crazy for Young Adult Books" and for the months of June and July they run a crazy cool reading challenge. There are 10 books to read but I've put down 5 as my goal (which I hope to achieve). Basically, the criteria, and the books I hope to read, are below;

1. New Release: Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek

2. June & July: Clockwork Angel

3. Flag Day (June 14): Will Grayson, Will Grayson (technically has some blue)

4. Father's Day (June 15): Carnival of Souls Sneak Peek (his favourite colour is orange)

5. Summer Solstice (June 21): The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

6. Hug Day (June 29): Obsidian

7. Meteor Day (June 30): These Broken Stars

8. International Joke Day (July 1): The Undomestic Goddess

9. "I Forgot" Day (July 2): Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

10. National Anti-Boredom Month (July): The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

As we know, I've already read Popular. I think I'll read Will Grayson, Will Grayson or The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian next. Regardless, I'll keep you guys updated on how it goes.

Shiver

Title: Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: August 1^st, 2009

Length: 390 pages

Genre: Romance

Format and Source: Hardcover, from school library.

Summary from Goodreads: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. I feel very conflicted about this book. On one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed this book – there were a lot of aww moments and Stiefvater’s writing is absolutely stunning. On the other however, I found many flaws in the story’s plot. The idea behind the story was great – but it could have been executed better. The first half of the review focuses on the negatives in Shiver, and the second covers the positives (of which there were many).

The first problem was evident from the first three chapters in the book. Bestiality was implied, and it wasn’t subtle. Grace falls in love with a wolf who stood by as she was attacked by members in his pack? This didn’t really spell out romance for me. She has no idea that he’s a werewolf, and knows for a fact that he is lethal, yet sits out on the porch during cold winters to catch a glimpse of him. At this point, I was worried the book was going to go downhill very quickly, but kept reading for the sake of finishing the book. The issue of bestiality isn’t so prominent after the first few chapters, but Grace makes comparisons to Sam’s majestic wolf form multiple times – it’s hard to forget about the questionable beginning.

Another problem was the Purple Prose. This includes the language used by our main characters, Sam and Grace. Their vocabulary is far too mature for their age – in fact, it makes them seem like they belong in a retirement home rather than in a high school. Their interactions weren’t realistic simply because of the use of language. Along with this, the extensive descriptions make it so difficult to keep reading. I had to force myself to continue more than once simply because the story wasn’t pulling me in. The lyrics and poetry by Sam also didn’t help suck me in. I found myself skipping over all of Sam’s sappy poems – they were too much to handle. If they were sparse and appropriate for the situation, they might have added to the development of their love – but if Sam could function enough to construct a poem in the midst of a rocking make out scene, it wouldn’t have been described as intense it was.

The final problem I had was with Grace’s parents’ absence. It was absurd to expect parents that had no drug or alcohol addiction, or no incredibly pressuring career to be so unattached to their daughter’s life. She gets away with smuggling Sam into her bedroom every night to sleep there without being caught. I doubt any sober parent wouldn’t notice this after a while. Her parents seemed too uncaring and aloof, and I felt that this was lazy on Stiefvater’s behalf – it was as though if she got the parents out of the way, she could focus more on the romance.

The combination of faults didn’t take away from the beauty of the story however. Stiefvater is able to capture the very essence of winter and it makes an amazing read. The story portrays the winter blues felt by most people in the cold season, while using the sadness to enhance her characters’ emotions. While the immense amounts of descriptions were boring at times, when used appropriately, I really felt like I could almost be part of the surroundings (as cheesy as it sounds).

The idea behind the story was incredibly creative. Sam would be a human in the summer and a wolf in the winter – but slowly, his summers would shorten until he had none left. Then he’d be a normal wolf with a slightly longer lifespan. The first time Sam talks to Grace as a human is in his last summer, but he withholds this information from her. When she finds out, the story shifts to a desperate fight for more time. Because a new wolf (Jack) doesn’t want to live the life of a wolf, he threatens to hurt Sam if Grace doesn’t cure him, so the book takes a turn and focuses on curing the wolves who’ve been infected.

While this book didn’t leave a great impact on me, I got great pleasure from reading it. While I never really felt too much sadness over Sam leaving (it was quite predictable that he wouldn’t be gone for good, with two books left in the trilogy), I definitely felt surprise, happiness, and anger multiple times. The greatest moment for me, when I truly felt involved in the plot, was when Grace and Isabelle found a possible cure for the wolves’ changing. The book, while quite lazy in some senses (brushing over important details to keep a relationship going), was undeniably beautiful, and I will surely read the next two books to find out what happens to the wolves of Mercy Falls.

Final Rating: B-. I really can’t bring myself to give this book a higher rating, but giving it a lower rating would also be unfair, as it has its merits. It has its faults, but I like that it’s not a conventional werewolf story. I would recommend this book to fans of YA romance that falls under the supernatural category, but keep your patience when reading it. Shiver is a good book that may be hard to get into, but is definitely worth finishing. 

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Popular

Title: Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek

Author: Maya Van Wagenen

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: April 15th, 2014

Length: 272 pages

Genre: Autobiographical Memoir

Format and Source: Paperback, from Penguin NZ

Summary from Goodreads: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder at pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren’t paid to be here,” Maya Van Wagenen decided to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help Maya on her quest to be popular?
The real-life results are painful, funny, and include a wonderful and unexpected surprise—meeting and befriending Betty Cornell herself. Told with humor and grace, Maya’s journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. I was offered this book for free as part of a promotion Penguin NZ is running, and at first I wasn’t going to choose it. Memoirs aren’t my cup of tea, and I tend to shy away from them. While they have genuine character and often make good reads, I find them difficult to relate with; which is why Popular was such a pleasant surprise.

What sets this memoir apart from others I’ve read is Maya’s fresh and unique voice. Only thirteen years old when she started her social experiment, Maya keeps the memoir interesting through her wit, bravery and honesty. The way Maya writes is captivating. Her accounts of the events that took place at her school are told in a way that keep you hooked. It’s a very quick read and can be finished in one sitting.

Essentially, this book is portraying Maya’s courage in going through with this experiment. A lot of the pointers from Betty Cornell’s book, while completely sound in the 50s, sound insane in modern society, but Maya followed all of them. It’s a source of amusement, such as when Maya asks her mother to buy her a girdle, but at the same time is extremely relatable. It deals with death, social hierarchy, and the kindness required when overcoming the latter.

Maya isn’t an extraordinary girl – she’s a regular girl living in a place where drug dogs are the norm and lockdowns aren’t unexpected. She has a crush on a boy from her church, struggles with shyness, and faces ridiculing from her peers. The aim of her experiment was to see if she could define popularity, and then become popular.

Personally, it was watching the entire school change with Maya that made the book so special. Maya’s school is clearly segregated into different social standings, and interacting out of your own group is almost taboo. In fact, in the first few pages, Maya illustrates the social ladder; which goes from -3 to 10. Maya rates herself a -1. What’s really interesting is how Maya challenges this social hierarchy, determined to climb to a level 10 by the end of the year.

She does discover the secret to popularity by the end of the book; her final popularity tip goes as follows, “Popularity is more than looks. It’s not clothes, hair, or even possessions. When we let go of these labels, we see how flimsy and relative they actually are. Real popularity is kindness and acceptance. It is about who you are, and how you treat others.” She goes on to say, “All the times that I felt popular were because I had reached out to other people. I remember helping Isabella on the choir trip, Valentine’s Day, sitting at all the different lunch tables, and the prom. If we forget that connection, we forget what it truly means to be popular.”

Maya is a very brave young girl. The feats she accomplished are to be marvelled at, and to be encouraged in many readers. The fact that she talked to people of all social statuses within her school despite her shyness proves how courageous she really is. This book was a pleasure to read, and it can actually be applied to human nature; very perceptive of a fifteen year old.

Final Rating: A-. This is the highest rating I’ve given yet, but Popular is deserving of it. Despite being a memoir (which I generally find a bore), this book catches you hook line and sinker, and pulls you in for the ride. I’ve already ranted about this to people at school and convinced them to read it, and I urge you to do the same. Not only is it entirely captivating, but it gives you an insight on how people react to out-of-the-ordinary acts. I found that it was extremely well written, and it’s a book I will find myself rereading soon.

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And if you wish to read Betty Cornell's guide: Amazon Book Depository Barnes and Noble

Not Exactly a Love Story

Title: Not Exactly a Love Story

Author: Audrey Couloumbis

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: December 11^th, 2012

Length: 288 pages

Genre: Romance

Format and Source: Hardcover, from local library.

Summary: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. The story is set in 1977, following a 15 year old boy called Vinnie Gold. He has a horrible case of acne, was recently left by his girlfriend and found out his parents are divorcing – so it’s safe to say his life is pretty shitty at best. Very soon, his mother falls in love with Vinnie’s gym teacher – Mr. B., and the trio move to Long Island. While he’s incredibly upset, Vinnie finds a distraction from his problems – his super hot, super popular neighbour – Patsy. As expected, Patsy doesn’t speak to the uncool Vinnie, but when by chance he comes across her number, things change. It starts with a phone call, and an accidental inappropriate comment. “Wanna fuck?”

‘Not Exactly a Love Story’ follows the development of Patsy’s relationship with her mystery obscene caller, and Vinnie’s struggle to separate his two (polar opposite) identities.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. This was an extremely well written novel. It was written quite recently, but Couloumbis manages to display the olden vibes more than adequately. It was a great way to pass a weekend, and provides light reading enjoyable by anyone.

Vinnie Gold is an average guy, but he’s put through some pretty tough circumstances. He has a horrible case of acne, his parents are divorcing, and he’s super unsporty – despite his stepdad being his gym teacher. He also, apparently, doesn’t know how to communicate with girls – even though he had a girlfriend previously? When he calls his neighbour, Patsy, he doesn’t say anything the first two times, and when he finally picks up the nerve to speak, he lets slip a rude comment! I just didn’t find this believable at all. If his relationship with his ex was as good as it was made out to be, I doubt he would be this shy. But this didn’t take away from the greatness of the book.

Something that did however irritate me while I read this novel was that Vinnie’s life seems to revolve around Patsy, cooking and running. While I understand that the plot needs to keep moving along, it’s very rushed regarding school and the like. It’s almost as if Couloumbis, in a state of laziness, wrote ‘Vinnie went to school. He stared at Patsy from afar as he ran along the track field. He hoped she didn’t know he was the mystery called. He went home.’ This was the only major problem I had with this book – I felt as though if more attention was paid to detail (without overdoing it), it would have been so much more realistic.

For me, the most enjoyable part of reading this book was Patsy’s character. She’s feisty, flirty, pretty, popular, kind – basically all the things a girl wishes she can be, without seeming too perfect to be real. Her reactions were very natural, and she was probably the most well-rounded character in the story. Patsy was – as you would expect – genuinely pissed off at her mystery caller at first, but as time passed, she got to know him well – and really started falling for him. At the same time, Vinnie was talking to her in real life, but she found a common issue in ‘both’ of them. They were too cool and never shared their feelings. This was one of the reasons that Patsy rejected Vinnie Gold.

I commend Couloumbis for using clichés, but also twisting them around and making them her own. While themes such as jerk jocks, and the popularity scale were seen throughout the book, the prom scene was brilliantly pulled off. You’d except that if the mystery boy agrees to meet the girl on the night of prom, he’d be revealed by some accident – but this was totally not the case, and Couloumbis totally won me over with this.

While she could have dealt with some issues more carefully, this book was so well-written that it would be a crime not to recommend it. It’s a brilliant coming-of-age story, and will have you laughing and crying with the characters. Despite the out-of-the-ordinary conditions that bring Vinnie and Patsy together, their interactions seems so human, it’s impossible not to fall in love with them.

My Final Rating: B+. This story would have gotten an A if it weren’t for the disregard to Vinnie’s average life (that didn’t always revolve around Patsy) – but don’t let that stop you from reading this book. It’s written so well that you can’t help but love it – and personally, it’s now sitting in my Amazon cart, waiting for me to ship over another fairly large amount of books at Christmas.

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