History Is All You Left Me

By Adam Silvera

5/5

“Griffin has lost his first love in a drowning accident. Theo was his best friend, his ex-boyfriend and the one he believed he would end up with. Now, reeling from grief and worsening OCD, Griffin turns to an unexpected person for help. Theo’s new boyfriend. But as their relationship becomes increasingly complicated, dangerous truths begin to surface Griffin must make a choice: confront the past, or miss out on his future.”

This book is absolutely beautiful from start to finish. It made me cry a lot and it is a story that will stick with me for a very long time. The story is written in alternating chapters of ‘History’, which explores Theo and Griffin’s relationship from start to finish, and ‘Today’, which explores the friendship between Jackson and Griffin.

I think grief is portrayed excellently in this book. No character is being judged for grieving differently than others and Griffin’s parents really understand and support what he is going through. His grief was unique to him which is an important message – no one grieves the same and this is ok! Griffin and Jackson’s (Theo’s ex-boyfriend) friendship was really special and I liked how it developed throughout the book as they started off really disliking each other. I liked Jackson’s character a lot despite disliking him at the start of the book as I was purely ‘Team Griffin.’ Wade is definitely my favourite character, as although we didn’t see too much of him, he was a really integral part to the story. I did also like Griffin’s character but he acted very selfishly at times. Theo was a character that I grew to really hate – I loved him at the start of his and Griffin’s relationship but he grew to be incredibly selfish and manipulative. I think what was the most upsetting was Griffin losing his best friend rather than him losing the love of his life.

Mental health is also a key component to this book but it is not the main focus. I myself don’t suffer from OCD so I can’t comment on how well it is represented but Griffin did see therapy in a positive light which I thought was brilliant. The other characters took Griffin’s illness really seriously and tried to make life as easy as possible for him in regards to his compulsions which was excellent to see.

I highly recommend this book to everyone – it will definitely make you cry but I think it’s a really important story in regards to grief, mental illness and also healthy relationships.

A Monster Calls

By Patrick Ness

5/5

“Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don’t quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there’s a visitor at his window. It’s ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.”

This book is absolutely breath-taking. It is the first Patrick Ness book I have read and I will most definitely be reading more. His writing is beautiful and raw, enabling me to speed through this book in about an hour – I just couldn’t put it down! This was partly due to the fantastic writing, but also due to the incredible story the words told. As someone who has unfortunately dealt with quite a lot of loss in my life, this story really hit home. It was wonderful, but also rather scary, to find a book that understand my feelings so perfectly. The theme of “letting go” was one I struggle with daily, both in regards to mundane situations and also more life changing situations, such as the one Conor faces.

Conor was a truly wonderful character – at 13 years old, he was facing more than a boy that age should. His defiance towards the monster at the beginning of the novel really expressed his character. He was so strong, yet his vulnerability shone through making him a really relatable protagonist. We weren’t really introduced to too many other characters in depth but I thought Conor’s relationship with his Mum was really special, and the end of the book appeared to look towards a positive relationship for Conor and his Grandmother. The character of the monster was really unique and his role was really positive.

I cried for a good 10 minutes after finishing this book which I think shows how utterly heart-breaking it is. But it is also one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read and I cannot wait to read more of Patrick Ness’ work. 

We Were Liars

By E. Lockhart

2.5/5

“We are liars. We are beautiful and privileged. We are cracked and broken. A tale of love and romance. A tale of tragedy. Which are lies? Which is truth? You decide.”

I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this book over the past few years but unfortunately it did not live up to the high expectations I had. It is by no means the worst book I have ever read – it was a quick and easy contemporary read.

I knew there was going to be a plot twist at the end but when it came it really didn’t shock me. Perhaps because I knew there was going to be a plot twist or because I felt indifferent towards the characters, it didn’t really bother me. I can see why this may be a surprise ending and I feel that if I had been shocked by the twist I may have rated this book a little more highly. However, this book really fell flat for me and I unfortunately do not understand the hype surrounding it. The characters were irritating and the family dynamic was really unhealthy. On the other hand, I did like the island setting of the book and I think it created a really unique backdrop for the story.

I do recommend this book if you have heard nothing about it and are looking for a quick and easy contemporary read but if you want a book where you can really immerse yourself in the story and connect with the characters, I don’t think this would be the book for you. I’m really glad I only picked this book up for 80p from a charity shop.

Caraval

By Stephanie Garber

4/5

“Scarlett and Tella have never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience participates in the show. Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure. When the sisters’ long-awaited invitations finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show’s mastermind organiser, Legend. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is an elaborate performance. But she quickly becomes entangled in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.”

This one of my most anticipated reads for this year. It sounded a lot like The Night Circus which is one my favourite books so I was really excited to get stuck in and it did not disappoint. The idea of Caraval is really unique – I got a Wonderland vibe from the setting, especially at the beginning when Scarlett and Julian first arrive on the island. I think this would make a really vibrant and interesting film.

I didn’t find this book as magical as The Night Circus but I did still really enjoy it. The writing was excellent and the characters were vibrant – I really liked Julian (despite never really knowing who he was) and Scarlett grew on me as a character. It was interesting to see their relationship develop and blossom, as well as Scarlett’s relationship with Tella and how this changes throughout the book. This book constantly surprised me and I could never guess what would happen next.

Unfortunately, I found it a little difficult to imagine the world that Stephanie Garber created. The magic wasn’t as spectacular as I thought it was going to be and the abuse the sisters’ face from their father made me a little uncomfortable, especially when he turned up at Caraval.. I understand that the abuse is an incentive for the sisters to leave Trisda but it did make me a little uncomfortable, especially when the father gives Scarlett to the count and basically tells him to "take what is his".
I do recommend this book for fans of The Night Circus and fantasy in general (although do be warned that some of the themes may be uncomfortable for some readers). I would love to read a sequel to this book and I will definitely read more from Stephanie Garber in the future.(Also, the UK hardback cover is absolutely stunning!)

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

By Jay Asher

4/5

“Clay Jenson returns home to find a strange package with his name on it. Inside hie discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker – his classmate and his first love – who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice explains there are thirteen reasons why she killed herself. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why. All through the night, Clay keeps listening – and what he discovers changes his life… Forever.”

I reread this book recently after I heard there would be a Netflix series coming out in March based on the book. I hadn’t read the book in well over a year and could barely remember what happened but I thought it best I pick it back up to refresh my memory before I watched the show.

I really did enjoy this book. I don’t see any obvious flaws and I found it to be a really quick and easy read. The story is poignant and gripping and really gets you thinking about how your words and actions can affect others which is really important. I feel I learnt a lot from reading this book and I hope others did to.

Clay’s character was really enjoyable – he was sweet, kind and considerate and I think he was the best character for us to follow through Hannah’s journey. Hannah’s voice was really unique and it was really interesting to hear how such little things really affected her life and her ultimate decision to end it. She was a really wonderful character. We don’t really meet many other characters, apart from Tony who seemed a little irrelevant but came to have an integral part to the story and to how Clay coped with Hannah’s death. The characters we do meet, we are introduced to through Hannah’s story as she reveals the 13 people who affected her life. We are introduced to them in a biased way through Hannah’s experience of them but I feel Asher presents them in a way that we are also free to make our mind up about them.

This book really is wonderful and I urge everyone to read it.

Crooked Kingdom

By Leigh Bardugo

4.5/5

“Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off the most daring heist imaginable. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re fighting for their lives. Doubled-crossed and badly weakened, they’re low on resources, allies and hope. While a war rages on the city’s streets, the team’s fragile loyalties are stretched to breaking point. Kaz and his crew will have to make sure they’re on the winning side… no matter what the cost.”

I adore this duology! I was unsure as to whether I would like it as the story really didn’t seem like something I would be interested in but I loved it! Six of Crows was magnificent and Crooked Kingdom was equally as wonderful.

I was constantly on edge throughout the whole book as I knew there would be lots of plot twists based on Six of Crows and I wasn’t disappointed. I never knew what was going to happen and was kept in constant suspense which I really liked. The setting of Ketterdam was explored in even more depth in this book and I found myself becoming familiar with the places the characters visited. This is a world that I really enjoyed as despite being fantasy, it felt very realistic and I could imagine it very vividly.

The characters were just as wonderful as they were in Six of Crows and it was great to learn even more about them. They were all developed beautifully, especially Wylan who I utterly adored in this book (although Jesper is still my favourite character). We were introduced to some new characters which was interesting and some familiar faces appeared again. I really did enjoy all of our six main characters which is unusual because in a book with so many characters, it is likely that you will not like one but I found them all to be brilliant. They were all so humorous despite the challenges they faced and this humour really made this book special.

Although I adored this book, I did enjoy Six of Crows more. This may be because I got myself into a bit of a reading slump halfway through this book and so it took me much longer to read than normal but I still really enjoyed it. This duology is a must read for all fantasy fans and it is filled to the brim with diverse characters which is wonderful. I highly recommend this series and I can’t wait to read more from Leigh Bardugo.

Six of Crows

By Leigh Bardugo

5/5

“Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he’ll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist: break into the notorious Ice Court (a military stronghold that has never been breached), retrieve a hostage (who could unleash magical havoc on the world), survive long enough to collect his reward (and spend it). Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done – and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable – if they don’t kill each other first.”

Oh my goodness, I am in awe at this masterpiece. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book as it really didn’t seem like the kind of story I would be interested in but I’d seen and heard so many positive reviews that I decided to give it a chance and I am so glad I did. This book was incredible from start to finish. It was filled with suspense that kept me on my toes and I was constantly surprised from beginning to end – I never knew what was coming!

The story is written in third person but each chapter is from the point of view of one of the six main characters; Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper and Wylan. I loved every single one of the characters – there was never a chapter where I though “oh I don’t want to read this because I hate this character.” Each character was complex and we learned so much about them. I think my favourite character is Jesper but this may change as Six of Crows is the first book in a duology and I am about to start the second book, Crooked Kingdom, and as I love of the characters equally, my favourite is likely to change. This book is wonderfully diverse which also makes it incredibly special.

I cannot recommend this book enough and I can’t wait to see what happens in Crooked Kingdom. I’m also really excited to read more of Leigh Bardugo’s work as I am really intrigued by the Grisha world she has created and I love her writing style. If you love fantasy, you will love this book!