Wither and Fever by Lauren Destefano

Destefano conjours a world where a disease has made it so that men die aged 25 an women die aged 20. So for 16-year-old Rhine Ellory, there isn't too much time left.
Rhine has been captured by gatherers and is sold on as a bride to House Governor Linden. All she wants to do now is escape back to the life she came from, escaping this life of luxury that others can only dream of. But she has reason to. She left someone behind.

Wither and Fever are both wonderful. Full of beautiful imagery and dangerous thoughts. Sometimes they moved at a slow pace, but this didn't mean they weren't riddled with suspense and danger.
The themes are all the usual - love, life, loss, friendship in unlikely places. But it includes other, more adult themes like hardship, trust, family life and relationships, polygamy and death. It leaved you thinking about it afterwards (always a sign of a good book).

But a major theme is time. It's at the very heart of the books. There's always a sense of urgency, even when things are slow-moving. In fact, it's even worse when the narrative is slow-moving. The imagery and descriptions are stunning. I can easily imagine the places described, whether it be luxury or disease-ridden. They flourished inside my head.

I guess this is a modern, younger version of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. (Which I have read). It has some similar themes, and some not quite so similar. I'll let you decide really.

I loved Rhine, but did think at times she was a bit silly. Some things weren't as obvious to her as I thought they should have been. But she never failed me with her bravery. The character is generally wonderful, and her voice shines through. I also very much liked Gabriel. His apparent meekness reminded me quite a lot of Peeta from 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins (which I will review eventually). You could tell he had inner strength and a rebellious side, just like Peeta. Now, Peeta is one of my two favourite characters from The Hunger Games. So this must be very good.
If you like The Hunger Games, you may well like this too.

Now, I've read other reviews with people hating this book. and this is because of the premise. The whole 'girls being sold as wives to procreate' thing. But I honestly don't see the problem. Sure, the world is a little flimsy, but the actual story is good.I think nit-picking will only make you think about what's wrong with the ideas and not what it's really about, which are the themes.

All I can say really is that they were bothy thrilling, suspenseful, romantic at times and made you really think about the concepts in the book - such as death and time, and what you would have done in their situation.
I think that this dystopian is a great book for teens, young adults and adults alike, and I'm giving it 4.5/5 stars.

The final book, Sever will be out in 2013. And I'm looking forward to it.
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Lauren Destefano's Page.
Wither on Goodreads.com- other reviews.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson.

Previously, I've seen this book reviewed on other blogger pages and on Amazon. The reviews showed mixed opinions.But on seeing it for a meagre £1.50 in a local charity shop, I thought I would give it a go.

Before I go to Sleep follows Christine on her daily journey to regain a handle on who she is, as well as trying to confront the shadows of her past that come back to haunt her every day. Christine has been suffering from amnesia for twenty years. Every day she wakes up and doesn't know where she is, or even sometimes who she is. She needs to be told every detail upon waking. Today she gets a phone call which starts todays journey into the life that she doesn't know she has lived.

This book deals with very interesting ideas, such as the nature of memory, grief, betrayal, paranoia, love, fear, trust, ambitions and losses. It deals with every emotion imaginable. In one book with less than 400 pages this is quite a feat.

Image from Wikipedia

There should really be a warning that comes with it though, as there is some content which is quite shocking, that I was not expecting to read about in this book. It is not a book I would recommend to everybody as some paragraphs are quite disturbing for the average reader. This is definitely for adults, preferably not overly sensitive ones, as some topics covered may upset some readers.

Despite this, it is a wonderfully powerful book. Hard hitting and well written. On the cover of the version I own it describes Before I go to Sleep as 'unsettling'. I think this is exactly the perfect word to describe it. Of course, it being a book about amnesia some of the content is repeated and mulled over a few times, but I think this only contributes to the feeling of utter confusion and distrust apparent in the book. Other reader might be put off by the repetition though.

I barely knew that it was a thriller when reading it, until it hit me full in the face. It feels much more of a slow terror rising inside you. S.J. Watson is a good writer, but not amazing. However, Watson is very good at holding the reader at arms length, supposedly letting you in on secrets, but still having more to reveal. And that's the way I like it.

I am awarding it 4 out of 5 stars, as I am not sure it is for everyone, but for most it is a book that would be an insightful, and intriguing read.
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S.J. Watson Website.
Richard and Judy Book Club Reviews. - scroll down to see more reader reviews.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

I have to admit at first I thought that Reckless was about werewolves, what with the vampire-werewolf-paranormal hype going on at the moment.  But I soon learnt that this wasn't the case.

Jacob Reckless has been going through the mirror for a long time. But never before has he been followed through. Now his brother Will is in deep trouble. Will is becoming a Goyl, the stone-faced creatures who prefer darkness, whose cold and angry characters are revealed in their golden eyes. Jacob will go through everything to stop it, but how far is too far?

Image from Wikipedia

Now, I love Cornelia Funke. Inkdeath is one of my favourite books. So this book just reminded me how much I adore her beautiful prose and wonderful descriptions of both the land beyond the mirror, and the imaginative creatures roaming around the land.  I think my favourite part was the novel idea of stone/jewel people. I've always loved the beauty and idea of precious stones, so this kind of topped it a little for me.

I was quite surprised when the second chapter landed us smack-bang in the middle of the story, and even though it did vaguely tell us how Will had become hurt and how he could become as Goyl, it was never fully explained.

Another thing that I wasn't overly impressed with, that seemed to be explored better in Funke's Inkworld (although probably because it was a trilogy, and the books were bigger.. I think) was the relationships and any bonds between the characters. There was already bonds between them and so nothing was really introduced in the story. The existing relationships weren't explored during the book. As readers we were expected to believe that the relationships had substance, without much evidence. The only real conviction I got was how much Jacob wanted Will not to become a Goyl.

Saying this, Reckless was filled with adventure, fairy tales and creatures of all sorts. Quite a lot happened within the book that I loved. It's the kind of book I knew I would like.



Luckily, there seems to be a sequel in the works, so hopefully the relationships will be explored more, and we get to know what happens in the next chapter of Jacob's life. Should make for an interesting read.

I'm giving reckless around a 4 out of 5. Although because of the relationships I was tempted to give it a little less. But the adventure was exceedingly likable, as was Jacob.
And I WILL be getting the sequel, when it comes out.
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Goodreads.com Reviews
Wikipedia Page
Reckless Website

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

This book was an interesting find. After seeing it elsewhere on the Internet, and then spotting it on the shelves of Asda for around £4, I snapped it up.

Upon perusing the book cover and blurb I had absolutely no idea what this book was about. It intrigued me.  So it's contents were a massive surprise. It was very, very different, which is exactly what I've been looking for.

The story centers around Alison, a young woman who is locked up in a mental hospital. At first she has no idea why she is there.. or how. But then she remembers. She killed someone.

But that's not where it ends. Because there is no body.

I'll warn you, this story was very interesting, but I found it separated into two separate parts. The first part includes a mental hospital, mental illness and self-discovery and the second part comes out of nowhere. It's completely different. But it explains everything.
I have a problem with this though. It felt like it was written by a completely different person. The themes were different, the subject matter was different, and I just wondered how it could be in the same book. I have to say that perhaps it would have been better to conclude this book in a way more in line with the story, and save the last part for a different book.

As for the characters, I really liked Alison. I understood her, but I would have made the same choices that she did, even though later on some are decreed to be naive and wrong. Also, despite the flaws in the characters I did understand their choices and ambitions. This is definitely proof of a writer with well rounded characters.

The idea of exploring and explaining how people with mental health problems might feel, and some mental health disorders was a great idea. Also I loved that the author wanted to challenge the idea of being 'insane' or 'sane', and how they might intermingle. But I think perhaps the best idea was that something that may be considered 'insane' or 'mentally instable' might actually be explained by other things, or might be something different to what it seems.

I found R.J. Anderson's writing style to be fluid and easy to read, and the descriptions of Alison's condition was quite beautiful.

I'm giving Ultraviolet 4 out of 5 stars as I'm not quite sure about the ending, but the idea for the book itself was something completely new and different.

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The Truth About Books Review

To the Moon and Back By Jill Mansell

Ellie Kendall has everything she needs from life, until her husband is suddenly taken from her.
She eventually emerges from her hollow existence, realising all she needs is a new start (due to her father-in-law), even though she still keeps something old with her. Her husband Jamie. But the thing with Jamie is, he talks to her.

Roo is a party girl. And she just so happens to live opposite Ellie. She has a secret. in fact.. a few really.

From Book Depository.com

Zack has just met the woman of his dreams. But she doesn't know he exists, and wouldn't be interested if she did.

This story is about the intricacies of relationships, both old and new, and the pain of loss. But most of all it's about love. And if anything describes a Jill Mansell novel, it's the word romance.
This book is quick, indulgent and a perfect summer read. Always a good book for lazing around on a beach or reading in the garden (when the weather perks up). Although this is not altogether as light hearted and fun as some of Jill Mansells other novels, but still rather good.
It also weaves and interlaces the characters stories skillfully, as you may expect from seasoned writer.

So I'm giving this book 4 out of 5.
It's only a 4 because I'm looking for new and different aspects to be brought to the table now, especially after reading Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Although it is always comforting to settle down with something you know will be a well written predominantly light-hearted romance.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

I have literally just put the book down.
I only started it yesterday.

I think that tells you that this books was an easy read with plenty of twists and plot lines to keep me hooked. It was just one of those books.

Book Cover - From Google/Waterstones

This is the story of 16 year old Sophie, who, upon casting a pretty disastrous love spell, is relocated to Hecate/Hex Hall, a magical reform school. Even the first day of this school goes wrong, and Sophie finds she's left at a weird school where she doesn't fit in.
But what's under the surface of this school is the interesting part.
And this book tells the story of Sophie's discoveries of the best kept secrets the school has.

Although the story may not be overly original, and I could see what was going to happen in the book, it happened in a different way to what I had expected. There were twists and turns and the characters have some substance. There are always layers beneath what Hawkins has already shown us.

It was like an older version of a mash up between Harry Potter and the Worst Witch, only set in America, and with other creatures at the school. You could definitely see the inspiration from R.K Rowling's masterpiece sluicing through the book. And although Rachel Hawkins adored the use of the word 'heinous' I can forgive her because some of the circumstances were just that.

Also, I loved the ending. A bit of a cliffhanger and there are now endless possibilities running through my head.

At times the book was funny, sad, scary. But not a complete emotional roller coaster. And possibly a little on the younger side for the young adult readers out there. But still, I am very much looking forward to the next installment.

4 out of 5 stars

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Links.

The Hex Hall Website