The List by Siobhan Vivian Review

The List
By Siobhan Vivian

Rating: 4.5

“That's how inside jokes usually are. Funny to those inside, annoying as shit to the rest of the world.” 

8 spots.
8 girls.
8 different stories.
8 lives which will never be the same.

All because of The List. Stating the names of the Prettiest and Ugliest girls in highschool, it's can ruin you or make you popular beyond your wildest dreams. No one knows who decides who goes on. No one knows who types it up. All they know is that The List holds the power to change your life.

For Abby Warner, Lauren Finn, Bridget Honeycutt and Margo Gable, their year will be one of instant popularity...but all is not sunshine. Dealing with sibling drama, the pressures of fitting in, dieting and keeping face, these girls will have to pull out the claws to stay on top.

For Danielle Demarco, Candace Kincaid, Sarah Singer and Jennifer Briggis, their year will be one big challenge - they'll face ridicule, the stamp of 'social outcast-ment', lost friendships, lost relationships and the social stigmas attached to being 'ugly'.

'The List' really puts into perspective what beauty is. How we perceive it. How hard we strive to get it. And how pointless measuring it is.

Fracturing Your Mind ~ A Fractured Light Review

A Fractured Light (A Beautiful Dark #2)
By Jocelyn Davies

Rating: 3

“I am always torn. Between control and chaos; passion and tranquility. Between what's fated and what I want. Part of me longs to take the plunge, to dive off headfirst and let the feeling of control evaporate on the wind. And part of me wants to be in a place where I'd never have to worry about that choice - or any choice. Where peace and calm are the only things I'd feel.”

This. Book. Messes. With. Your. Mind!

It makes you want to start smashing things with keytars, like so:

It's like there is a criteria for How to Mess With Your Reader's Minds and Make Them Lose It.

I bet it's a guide, handed out to authors at their little secret midnight gatherings. The criteria for total reader breakdown is as follows:

• The heroine is torn. 
• There's two hot guys. 
• The heroine has to decide between them. 
• She never listens to anyone.
• Even when they give lifesaving advice.
• She will then proceed to screw everything up.
• End with a well-placed and anti-climatic cliffhanger.

But I say - no! No, I won't stand for this!

I refuse to be messed with! I mean, sure, being a highly emotional wreck of a fangirl can be entertaining - mainly for others. But a book should do more than simply cause readers a mental breakdown!

This book can be summed up in three words: 

• Cheesy(ness) 
• Tension 
• Facepalm(s)

I'll admit - some parts were good. Some parts were engaging, and helped elevate the rest of the novel. 

But even though these parts were cute with ok concepts, most of it was simply about a girl who needs therapy and needs to get her priorities in life straight. 

Because when they tell you not to talk to the damn guy - who may or may not be evil - you don't talk to him, okay?!!

This book teaches females not to follow this heroine's example on how to survive immediate death. And to not talk to strangers. 

Talented and We Know It ~ Hunted by Sophie Davis

Hunted (Talented #3)

By Sophie Davis

Rating: 4.8

Be ready for anything.

In the latest instalment, Sophie Davis holds nothing back - Talia and the gang are on a rollercoaster of an adevnture, orchestrated by Toxic and their personal decisions...and peril awaits on the other side of the void.

Toxic is precariously wavering on the edge of war. The people aren't happy with their laws, regulations and methods - and they're not afraid to speak up...and even rebel. 

Mac refuses to allow Talia to have anything to do with the fights, putting on the facade that life is ok. Toxic is in control. Everything is normal.

But for Talia, 'normal' died along with Penny. Normal died along with her parents. Normal died when Talia was almost fatally hurt, leading to her having to rely on special injections to block out the mood swings, pain and delusions. 

Nothing is normal in the life of a Talented.

With Erik by her side - as her 'tower of strength' - Talia makes the decision to find out the truth behind Toxic. Behind everything. To uncover the secrets that are being kept from her, no matter the cost. Some of these secrets will shock you.

The dead will return and the living will regret their decisions and some relationships will never be the same.

One thing is for certain - change is coming. And Talia is in the thick of it.

Teacups and Tears ~ Why We Broke Up

Why We Broke Up
By Daniel Handler

Rating: 5 


“I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. 

I'm writing this letter, the whole truth of why it happened. 

And the truth is that I goddamn loved you so much.” 


Bittersweet and laced with foresight, Why We Broke Up is a book to rival the best. 

Min, a brokenhearted girl with nothing left of the guy she loved besides a box full of memories, writes a letter to him - sending it, along with the box, to his doorstep. 

The letter records their time together. Each item in the box is another reason as to why they broke up, as to why things did not work out for them. 

Min gets the chance to let him know every feeling she had, every doubt she ever harboured...and just how much she loved him. 

Foolishly, recklessly, and perhaps even blindly - but love him she did.

Miri Flowers in Spring ~ Palace of Stone (Princess Academy #2)

Palace of Stone (Princess Academy #2)
By Shannon Hale

Rating: 4.8


“No small thing, a bee's sting
When it enters the heart
Not so benign, the growing vine
When it tears stone apart”


Conflicting loyalties. Uncertain love. And the power of words. 

I loved this book.

In fact, I loved Miri! I like how Shannon Hale has managed to create such a fantastic heroine, who lives, loves and acts in ways that move you and make you want to be a better person. 

That may sound cheesy, but there's no way around it - this book shows us the flaws we have as human beings: vanity, resentment, jealousy...our daily inner struggles. 

The power of words is the main theme of this book, for me. Palace of Stone shows how, regardless of whether you're in the middle of a revolution, at home, walking along the street, or conversing with an acquaintance or a friend, words can affect people. 

Words can start change. Words can send people to their deaths. Words can give food to the hungry and put shoes on the feet of those who work hard for a better future. 

Miri discovers that words can be weapons...as well as being healing, loving and capable of repairing the damage they can so easily inflict. 

Of course, this wouldn't be a Mount Eskel book without the linder and the quarry speech! 

The whole concept is fantastic and I applaud Shannon Hale for her creation of the idea and allowing it to flourish throughout the two books. The idea that our feelings can be shared and can link to personal memories, is a wonderful one - one that lifts the spiritual and emotional connection of the book to a whole new level.

And there was Peder.

Peder annoyed me a little. I mean - hello! You like the girl. She likes you! Get betrothed already!! 

I understand, however, that it just isn't Peder. And you know what? That's an important lesson for all of us. 

Many of us - mainly girls - expect certain standards. Like how I instantly expected that Peder Liking Miri + New Book = Peter + Miri Kiss and Marry During First Chapter. 

But life isn't like that. We have to accept people for who they are - I mean, kissing her outright or professing his love to the stars isn't Peder. Miri realises this too. And she wouldn't have it any other way, because that kind of Peder is not the one she loves. 

We have to accept that everyone approaches love differently and some people are better at expressing themselves than others.

Overall, I pray that this is not the last book in the series - I've grown far too attached to Miri, the Mount Eskel girls, Steffan, and Peder to let them all go just yet! 

I feel connected to Miri especially...a fair few years have passed since I read the first book, and now - reading the second - I feel as if I am revisiting an old friend. Miri has grown up and so have I. 

And I am happy to be able to say that I've accompanied her on her journey, and have enjoyed every second of it.

National Novel Writing Month 2012!!

Hey! It's officially time for NaNoWriMo!!

I'm apart of it this year and I'm super excited...and freaked. What if I don't finish? What if it's horrible? What if - you know what? I'm sick of 'what ifs'! And if you're a budding writer, or simply love a little creative writing, NaNoWriMo is the thing for you!'

NaNoWriMo offers encouragement, tips and professional advice on all matters to do with writing - what better way to start your next novel?!

Hop on the website here and sign up today!

Hey y'all!

I just wanted to drop a note to say I'm sorry for the delay with some of the reviews - I've had a lot to get through, but I'm hoping to get alot of them up in the next few days...so please stay patient with me in the meantime!

Best wishes,
Booknut

Tarot Cards, Tea Leaves and Time...Oh My!

The Raven Boys
By Maggie Stiefvater

Rating: 4.7

“I guess I make things that need energy stronger. I'm like a walking battery."
"You're the table everyone wants at Starbucks," Gansey mused as he began to walk again.
Blue blinked. "What?"
Over his shoulder, Gansey said, "Next to the wall plug.” 

Blue has two rules:
1.) Stay away from boys because they were trouble
2.) Stay away from Aglionby boys, because they were bastards.

In Blue's family, the women are psychics - spending their days amongst herbs, fingerless gloves, tarot cards and tea leaves. And Blue never minded being the odd one out...until every psychic she comes across tells her the same foreboding message: she will kiss her true love and he will die. 

Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah are from Aglionby Academy, whose emblem features the all-mysterious raven. The boys, led by Gansey, have been delving into the mysteries surrounding the myth of ley lines - or lines of power. For Gansey, this is more than just a dream - it is his chance to solve something greater than himself and to solve the mysteries surrounding his near-death experience. With no direction and with no clear idea of what he's looking for, Gansey agrees to see a psychic in town...not knowing that the psychic in question, Blue's mother, is more than prepared for his arrival.

After a close encounter with a spirit on St Mark's Eve - by the name of 'Gansey' - Blue is told that, due to her lack of psychic powers, the only way she could have seen this spirit (who will soon die, the appearance of the spirit almost a premonition of what is to come), is if she is either his true love or if she is the one who kills him. Scared, Blue makes a promise to herself to avoid guys altogether...shocked when her mother informs her that a 'Gansey' has come for a reading. Nothing like she expected, Gansey is set on finding where the ley lines are - a secret Blue's mother, and the other psychics, are less than willing to tell him.

Disobeying her mother's wishes, Blue joins the Raven boys on a journey across the town - by car, foot and helicopter - in order to find the ley lines and unlock the mystery behind the mysterious figure of Glendower, a Welsh noble who disappeared for the pages of history. Facing time pauses, vivid visions, murder, rituals, Latin words, baby ravens named Chainsaw and the highs and lows of friendship, the group discover that there is a lot more at stake than Gansey's quest for Glendower, or a kiss that might bring death.

Sweet Shadows ~ Taking Hair-Raising to the Next Level

Sweet Shadows (Medusa Girls #2)
By Tera Lynn Childs

Rating: 4.6


“I am interested in you, Gretchen." 

When I still won't look at him, he presses his fingers against my jaw and gently turns my face. He is looking straight in my eyes when he says, "I'm interested in you."

His midnight blues burn with an intensity that almost makes me believe him. Makes me want to believe him. He knows just the right thing to say to mess with my mind. He always has. He leans closer, watching me. His lips are a breath away from mine.

This time I'm not buying it.

My knee connects with his soft spot and he doubles over, gasping for air.

"Find your own way home," I snap before turning and marching back to my car.'


Despite being the descendants of the Gorgons and Medusa, these girls do not have bad hair days. Go figure.

The kick-ass trio - Greer, Gretchen and Grace - have discovered that they're the much-anticipated Key Generation. 

But fancy title aside, being the Key Generation is more trouble than it's worth. There seem to be three groups of beings in this book...

Group #1: Those that want to kill the girls before they open the door and unleash the monsters:


Group #2: Those that want to kill the girls after they open the door and unleash the monsters:


Group #3: And those that will casually stand by and offer words of wisdom:


Overall this book really focused on the relationship between the three sisters and how each of them are brave and powerful in their own way. 

Whether they're able to see the future, teleport away from danger, or simply kick ass, each girl is an integral part of the Key Generation. And together they have the ability to save...or destroy...the world as we know it.

Willow - Raw, Emotional and a Must Read

Willow
By Julia Hoben

Rating: 4.8

“Well, sometimes I worry that my whole life will be based about what's comfortable and easy. I'll care too much about what makes me feel good to ever really reach for anything. And then I worry that even if I do, I won't succeed.” 

An intensely realistic and blunt tale of a girl whose past threatens to overwhelm her - so she turns to cutting herself in order to numb her mind and escape from the suffocating pain that follows her day in and day out, rushing over her like a wave. 

Willow struggles to keep her ugly secret to herself, nursing her grief - until Guy, with all his kind heart and book-loving tendencies, comes along and uncovers it. But far from hating her, he sticks by her side and tries to help her face the past that she's been trying to out-run. 

Because sometimes in life it comes to a point where the past needs to be acknowledged...and the pain needs to be felt so the wounds can finally heal.