Guardians and the Lost Paradise series - Michael Abayomi

Well, first off I can tell you that Michael Abayomi is a fellow blogger, and please do go and see him and have a peek at his writing and so on. And here's his blog link for you: HERE. Also, I got the first one through Amazon and read it on my Kindle, as it's currently a free e-book. So, to be honest, it's worth getting that one. (It still is a whole story although the adventure continues)

Now lets get down to business.

Guardians and the Lost Paradise series are a 6 part series of novella length books. They center around Daniel, a boy who has recently lost his brother and whose parents are sending him to summer camp. However, all does not exactly go to plan. Daniel wakes up in a strange place after their car crashes and finds himself in the midst of a journey and adventure the likes of which he's never known.

The first book, really, is more like an introduction to the whole series. It introduces everything about the character that we need to know for the rest of the series. But as well as this, it's a good story. He meets guardians and goes on an adventure with dragons and flying unicorns, with some clever references thrown in. What's not to like?
Especially if you're a child yourself. I would say that this series is more suited to children and young adults, but it's a good read for adults too. It had me pretty captivated, though it took me longer to get through it than I would have thought.

Some things that I absolutely loved in this series were the ideas and elements of myth, legend and religion all scattered throuhgout it. Yet it was made into one coherent piece of literature. It worked. I especially liked the Valley of the SHadow of Death. It sounds awesome, and it is.I loved all the ideas that ran though it. The heavenly structure, the mythological creatures, the wilderbeasts and djinn.

But I did find it a little wearing with the speech at times, though it suited the characters. I found this especially in the first book, because I didn't think one of the people should be talking like that. It was too old fashioned for them in my opinion. They are only children and teens after all, though some much older than others.

The themes were good. It dealt with a lot of things that children go through, albeit in different circumstances: Choices, love, death, friendship, brotherhood, good and evil, religion. It was interesting in that aspect, and the author dealt with them well.

Character-wise, the only one I really felt any affinity for was Daniel. I felt bad for some, respected some, but didn't feel too much for them.

There are a few bad points. I did find it predictable. But then again I find Dan Brown books predictable and it takes a lot for me to be surprised in a book or a film, so that's normal. I also thought that it didn't need as much romance as was put in. Some was there for comedy, which I didn't think was needed, and another was there for no reason I could think of. However, I did like one involving Daniel, and the love triangle it caused, as it can help children who could be going through a similar thing.

It ended well, and happily (apart from deaths and whatnot) so I was pleased. I can see similarities with this and other children's books, but none that i know of captures the afterlife in such a way as this. I did enjoy reading the books and encourage you to have a go too, because i guarantee that you'll learn something from them.

So I give these 3 1/2 stars, maybe verging on 4. Because i liked the ideas so much.

And this is where you can find the e-books:
The Journey - Michael Abayomi

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.
-----------------------------
Lauren Destefano's Page.
Wither on Goodreads.com- other reviews.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

I picked this up at 'The Works' for £1.99. Bargain! I'd been looking at it but hadn't decided to buy it yet, until I saw it. It's another one of those books whose cover draws your attention.
The cover is blood red with the shadow of a horse on it. Curly dark red is strewn across it in the shape of a heart, and the white writing over the top is pretty cool too. I do like an interesting font.

However, I don't usually like seaside stories, and aren't usually fond of horses either, but the idea of the story was what made me pick it up. The Scorpio races happen every year. They are a race of sea horses, and to race means that someone will die. It is a certainty.
The idea is that a girl enters the race (the very first girl may I add) to save her family from poverty as there is a hefty amount of money available if you win the races. So, that's a good start - it has danger and a touch of romance. From there it went downhill.

This book, in one word, was disappointing. The idea was good, the sea horses were actually pretty scary, but to me the characters did not have enough substance to them. I liked most of the characters, but I wasn't overly invested in them. The only one I thought was interesting was Finn, the girls brother.
It might be worth a mention here that I did think it was a bit weird how easily people got over deaths, for example, of their parents and friends. You would have thought that some of the book would be about their feelings on that, but not much time is put into it, it is more about the feelings of now. Saying this, it does make for a quicker pace.

The romance was quite well written, it played out how you might expect it to in a usual teen relationship. But the whole tone of the book was either solemn, nervous or occasionally exhilarated. However, it was easy to read, unless the tone depresses you.
Something that I did think was very good though, is the fact that Steifvater deals with women's rights and the treatment of women in a mans sport. It was well done in mu opinion.

I do think that this is written with younger readers in mind, even though one of the main characters is supposed to be 19. I think this is more for 14-15 year olds who love horses. I'm not a fan of horses, but I thought that the idea would make it worth the read, which it certainly is. But, for me there was still something missing in this book.

The ending is very exciting, but everything comes off as you might expect it to, so, yeah, disappointing. The ending isn't so much of a bang as a small fizzle in which everything goes as you always expected it to.

However, it was, overall, fairly enjoyable, and brilliant to the right audience. Unfortunately, I'm not the right audience so it gets 2 out of 5 stars, because quite frankly, there's not much substance to the characters.

( Also, don't read this if you hate it when authors use people's whole names. It grated on my nerves.)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Quite a lot of other people seem to like it, so have a look at these opinions:
From GoodReads.com 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is the story of a cyborg mechanic in futuristic New Beijing. Captivating already.
Now, it also has other elements: the stepmother (legal guardian), handsome prince, a ball. This is Cinderella, but not at all as you know it.

As an avid consumer of fairy-tale adoptions, both in literature and film, I was always going to go for this one. But the thing that really got me wanting to read it it the setting, and in fact the general premise of it. What makes it so different from other adaptations is that it is futuristic (kind of like in A Long, Long Sleep, but better). The idea of Cinderella being a cyborg in New Beijing is wonderful, especially as we get to know the perks and difficulties that come with it. Throw in a few androids, portable screens, I.D chips and were peachy for the future. These ideas are very, very well thought through, and for such a small book I am very impressed with how much was explained, although I would like to see more explanation of what happened to the world in the next few books. The ideas of the futuristic earth aren't really that far out of reach, which I love.

Image from Google.

The characters have the depth that is needed to really bring this story to life, with Cinder far more feisty and interesting than her Disney counterpart. (I was always very disappointed with Cinderella, because she let things happen to her, and gave up far too early for my liking. If it were me I'd have moved out of that house waay back). The prince has a far larger role to play than in original stories, with emotional turmoil and the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders he has his work cut out.

The themes in this are wonderful. It has all the usual that you would expect: Love, life issues, death, good and evil, and so on, but they are looked at in ways that I've rarely seen before. It makes them more interesting.
Then theres the other themes: duty, loyalty, betrayal, freedom, guilt, lies, finding who you are, all weaving into Cinder's life to make a truly complex book.

The narrative is good, the story completely sucks you in within the first few pages. The plot points, revelations and details are executed well. I think that this book is more aimed at young adult readers, although I would still recommend this to adults and slightly younger teens too.
Also, look out for other fairy tale references.

The themes are good, the heroine is believable (even if she is a cyborg) and the twists are cutting, so I'm giving this book 5/5 stars.


----------------------------------------------------------
Marissa Meyers Website
Marissa Meyers Journal
Reviews from Goodreads.

Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris

On reading Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes a while ago (recommended by my sister, who is an committed lover of Joanne Harris's work) I realised that I, like so many others, was enthralled by her gift with words.
This book only seemed to make me want to read more. We picked this one up in a local charity shop.

This tells the story of St. Oswalds in two narratives. One from the schoolmasters, Roy Straitley, and the other from the viewpoint of a child who just wants to fit in somewhere. It also tells the story in two time zones, set fifteen years apart.
The story starts off simply. About a boy who trespasses onto St. Oswalds grounds, and finds that he fits there better than anywhere else he knows. He gets more and more daring, listening to lessons, stealing uniform and even roaming around the school halls.
Fifteen years in the future and Roy Straightley is still teaching. About to hit his century of servitude to the school, he is determined not to let the curious events unfolding ruin it. It starts with his register, and a pen, but soon grows to encompass the whole school. Someone is trying to bring St. Oswalds down.

This story deals with so many pertinent issues, like belonging, revenge, love, life issues, hitting teenagerdom, mental health, physical health, missing persons, power, crime, society, and sets it all around one place. This is the mark of a truly incredible writer.

Image from Wikipedia

Gentlemen and Players is darker than Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes, so I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers. But for me it was perfect. Dark, with lightly sprinkled humour and nostalgia. I loved it.

It being a mystery book, I was unsure as to whether I would ruin it for myself. You see, usually I uncover mysteries in stories and films stupidly quickly. I always end up being at the end and thinking: 'yep, thought that was going to happen', or perhaps 'KNEW it'. But with this book, I am relieved to say, I absolutely didn't have a clue. I had an idea about who was behind everything, and I was wrong, so very wrong (although not the person who was implied). This is very unusual.
So thank you Joanne Harris for being completely unpredictable, for giving little twists and turns that I didn't expect in the slightest. :)
Just for this I would give it 5 stars.

The characters were well written and had depth. Although I would have liked to know a little more about some characters specifically, I felt that for this books purpose you knew just enough about the characters, along with the little details you don't usually get. I loved the idea that a mug can say a lot about a person.

Overall, I am going to give Gentlemen and Players 5 out of 5 stars. 
I was debating 4 stars, as it wasn't as action packed as other books that I enjoyed, but I don't think this book needs that. The suspense of the mystery is enough to keep it thrilling.

------------------------------------------------
Gentlemen and Players Wikipedia Page.
On Amazon.co.uk
More reviews on goodreads.com

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.
------------------------------------------------
S.J. Watson Website.
Richard and Judy Book Club Reviews. - scroll down to see more reader reviews.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Image from google

Jem has seen the numbers all her life. 'When she looks in someones eyes, she can see the date they will die'. When she goes on a trip to the London Eye with her new friend Spider, their lives change forever.

I have to say, Rachel Ward has written a stunning book. Everything in it, no matter how different to our lives or how spectacular, is so utterly believable.
All the characters are very well-rounded. Their emotional journeys are perfect. Even the smaller, less featured characters seem to be quite well developed, which is remarkable for such a small book.

One thing which is also pretty cool, is that this time I knew that Ward had definitely done her research as a writer, or at least been to Basingstoke, among other areas. If you know/have driven in Basingstoke, please, please read the part of this book that mentions it. I won't ruin it for you. So very, very funny.
The amount of detail that the book goes into it utterly brilliant.
Numbers has everything I wanted from a book; adventure, morals, explorations of society (free will, control and predestination to name a few), mortality and even romance.
I may have also teared up a tiny bit at the end. (It was quite emotional, to be fair.)

So I'm giving this book a definite 5 out of 5. Number 2: The Chaos is on it's way in the post and Numbers 3 I'm sure will be too!

Image from google

------------------------------------------------

Rachel Ward's Website.
The Guardian's Review
Review by Galleysmith

The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a story about life. Eddie's life in particular. But also yours and mine. Every single person's.

I adore this book, and can say right away that its 5 out of 5 stars.
To explain what this book is about, here's a passage from it:

' "There are five people you meet in heaven," The Blue Man suddenly said. "Each of us was in your life for a reason. you may not have known the reason at the time, and that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on earth." '

So the book follows Eddie on his journey through the first step of heaven; making sense of your 'yesterdays'. As we walk through heaven with Eddie, as so look deeper into his life, I found myself looking at similarities with my own.

This is a story about many many things. There's Loss, Pain, Death and Shadows but also Love, Change, Stories and most of all Happiness.

Even if, like me, you don't believe in Heaven or God, this book is still about you.
Mitch Albom writes in such a way that you can't help but be drawn in, and to think about how it would reflect on your life.

It's simplicity and explanations of life will leave you quietly contemplating your own, and your version of a heaven, and also the people within your life.

Fire by Kristin Cashore

This novel by Kristin Cashore is set in the same, beautifully detailed world that her debut novel Graceling was set in. But a different part. Fire is the writers second book and is a companion book to Graceling.
(by that way, Graceling is a wonderful book, do give it a read.)

But this book in a way was a little more sophisticated than the writers first novel.
It explores the life a woman named Fire.

Fire is a monster. This means that she possesses a beauty so stunning that it entrances peoples minds. They can't help but feel something for her.

This is an intoxicating tale of a woman's quest to uncover her purpose whilst battling against her own horrific beauty.

It explores many themes; Monsters, Beauty and Control, Power, Strength, Parental Influence, Grief and Loss, Individuality, Embracing Yourself and so on, all in a mix of wonderfully developed characters and a wonderfully ambitious setting.

Again, as with Jodi Picoults The Pact, at first I found the names and areas confusing, having to retreat to the map a few times, but I was completely into it from the start.
I just couldn't put it down. Which is always a sign of a good book. (Though I would say this book was particularly suited to me, as I adore fantasy adventures.)

Another minor downfall was that it was slightly predictable, although so many twists and turns arose that for the most part I was a little dumbfounded.
Quite an intense read (if you read it all at once like I did) and infused with such a comprehensive set of emotions it leaves the mind wondering what exactly just happened.

This book I would say is along the Lines of Cornelia Funke and Tolkien proportions.

Though through multiple twists Cashore kept me reading and wanting to know how it panned out, and she ties up the ends rather nicely.

A definite 5 out of 5. But not for the idle reader.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Another readers take on Fire by Kristin Cashore
A readers take on Graceling
Kristin Cashore's Blog

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Another masterpiece by the wonderful Jodi Picoult.

The Pact is a story that every one on us can relate to in some way. Even though the actual storyline is something which very few of us would ever have to go through, there are so many layers of thought put into it that you feel like you know each characters story personally.

And it goes like this:
Chris Harte and Emily Gold have known each other their whole lives so far. But today one of those lives has been cut short. Emily has died, and Chris is the prime suspect in her murder case. Is it murder, or is it suicide, or is it something completely different? What is the Truth?

Book Cover

This book immerses the reader into the lives of Chris and Emily and all those involved in the case. The sad thing is, Jodi Picoult tells Emily's story from so many loving points of view that you don't want her to be dead, even though she is. You see her through everybody else's eyes, very rarely her own.

It not only explores a large range of topics including: Loss, Prison, Trauma, Relationships, Expectations, How Well You Can Know A Person, Love, Family, Truth and so on, but also areas of research such as Crime, Law, Science, Psychology and Art. Which is always wonderful to see in a book.

Although it is at first confusing, noting who is who, and what their relationships are, soon you are entrapped in their world. This way you feel a great affinity for the characters. 
I also adore the fact that you don't know what happens until nearing the end. You're free to make your own assumptions on whether Chris did kill Emily or not.
I absolutely despise an ending that I can foresee in a book. Especially if I can foresee it a mile off. But in this book, although I had my theories, there was nothing telling me the true story until the point it was revealed. And that's just how I like it.

Perhaps the only real bad thing about it is that you can't read it lightly. (But I hardly think that's a deal breaker.) And that it took me a small amount of time to get truly into it. But once you are, you're in for a literary treat with this suspenseful, emotional masterpiece.

As this book gave the the heart-wrenching story I was looking for, albeit with a few bad things, I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
-----------------------------------
Another Review on The Pact.
Review #2 on The Pact.
Buy it Here at Amazon.