A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J Maas

Pages: 416

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release Date: 7^th May 2015

Edition: UK proof, review copy

Other Titles by this Author: The Assassin’s Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire

Feyre is a huntress. She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forest. And she will learn that taking the life of a magical creature comes at a high price…

Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy’s kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden to escape. Her captor’s body bears the scars of fighting, and his face is always masked – but his piercing stare draws her ever closer. As Feyre’s feelings for Tamlin begin to burn through every warning she’s been told about his kind, an ancient, wicked shadow grows. Feyre must find a way to break a spell, or lose her heart forever…

I knew before I started A Court of Thorns and Roses that I would enjoy it and yet it still rose far above my expectations. Easily one of my favourites of 2015 so far.

Sarah J Maas manages to balance a high fantasy containing faeries with a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast wonderfully. Beauty is a classic and beloved fairytale with a very distinctive storyline, but I love how it was approached in this. It was subtle, with just enough nods for a fan of the original tale to notice and gesture wildly at the page when they show up. It felt like a genuine reimagining rather than a retelling. The take on fae lore was also really cool. I loved that the cruelty, horror and awe of the fae was carried across and rather than immediately fall in love with deadly High Fae, I felt the same apprehension as Feyre. There were lots of nods to what I see as traditional lore – an aversion to iron and an inability to lie – some kept, and other nuggets turned inside out. Very well done!

And what better protagonist to carry the story such a wonderfully crafted world than Feyre. Just like Celaena, she has a less-than-perfect past, is endlessly loyal to those she loves, and is beautiful, badass and brilliantly complex. And most importantly, for me, she’s nowhere near perfect. She makes mistakes with Tamlin and she takes risks, some which pay off and others that don’t, and I really admired her. The dynamic between Feyre, Tamlin and his emissary, Lucien is wonderful. I love the banter and the gradual friendships and respect; it just worked, and there was no hint of a love triangle which was rather glorious!

Sarah J Maas is a master storyteller. Her writing is exquisite; her characters complex, flawed and endlessly relatable and worlds all-consuming – A Court of Thorns and Roses needs to be on your shelves.

Thanks to Bloomsbury for the review copy!

Sophie 

Film Review: The DUFF

RELEASED: 6^th April 2015

RUNNING TIME: 101 mins

RATING: 12A

MAE WHITMAN ~ Bianca

ROBBIE AMELL ~ Wes

BELLA THORNE ~ Madison

BIANCA A SANTOS ~ Casey

SKYLAR SAMUELS ~ Jess

NICK EVERSMAN ~ Toby

ALISON JANNEY ~ Dottie

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

(from imdb.com)

 Bianca is a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends. Now, despite words of caution from her favourite teacher, she puts aside the potential distraction of her crush, Toby, and enlists Wesley, a slick but charming jock, to help reinvent herself. To save her senior year from turning into a total disaster, Bianca must find the confidence to overthrow the school’s ruthless label maker Madison and remind everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone’s DUFF.

TRAILER

VERDICT

I loved this film so much. As the credits started to roll I immediately felt the need to watch it again; my favourite film of 2015 so far.

Even from the trailer, it was obvious that The DUFF strays quite far from Kody Keplinger’s novel. Now, I adored the novel. It’s bold, honest and brilliantly fun but I do understand why it had to be changed a little to meet the ideal audience and transform it into a different media. And Bianca’s story works beautifully in both forms; they complement each other. I know that some people were annoyed with the changed dynamics in Bianca and Wes’s relationship and the introduction of an antagonist in Madison, but I think that as a movie, it was needed and it kept the film firmly in the teen movie genre. And it produced some real laughs.

And The DUFF isn’t short on laughs. There is humour throughout the film and it’s fresh, sharp and completely on point. Bianca have sass by the bucket-load and I loved her comments on her family, her friends, Wes and the rest of her school; it just felt so authentic and that perfect humour that a quirky, internet girl would have. Then you’ve got Wes and his sometimes completely ridiculous jokes and remarks (accompanied by a winning smile, of course) and they just complemented each other perfectly.

Every element of this movie made it feel like a fresh, current teen movie but with the heart and longevity of one of the golden oldies. And really, that’s all I’m looking for in a film! Though I do think that the current references (Catfish, Dateline, Pretty Little Liars etc) could date the film for new viewers in a couple of years, I imagine it’ll just bring that extra dose of nostalgia in the way of Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You. And yes, I am comparing The DUFF to those legendary films, and yes, you really do need to watch it. RIGHT NOW.

Like the rest of my favourite teen films, The DUFF enforces the idea that you don’t have to try and be anyone you aren’t for anybody; you’re awesome just as you are and you should rock it because there’ll always be someone richer, prettier, cleverer or more popular than you – that’s just the way it is and you might as well get over it!

I can’t wait to watch this again - I’ve already pre-ordered the DVD, but I honestly might just go and see it again at the cinema. Utterly brilliant fun.

Sophie  

Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You, Todd Hasak-Lowy

Pages: 656

Publisher: S&S

Release Date: 23^rd April 2015

Edition: UK e-proof, NetGalley review copy

Darren hasn’t had an easy year. His parents divorced, his brother left for college, and his best friend moved state. Also, he still doesn’t have a girlfriend. Then his dad shows up at 6am with a glazed chocolate donut and a pretty world-shaking revelation.

In full freak-out mode, Darren ditches school and jumps on a bus to visit his brother, Nate, at college. But someone weird/amazing comes along for the ride.

Told entirely in lists, this hilarious novel perfectly captures why having anything to do with anyone is: 1. Painful 2. Unavoidable 3. Ridiculously complicated 4. Possibly, hopefully, the right thing after all.

This debut had so much promise: told entirely in lists, a world-rocking secret and a fab book trailer, but I really didn’t get on with Me Being Me.

A novel told entirely in lists is a form that has so much potential, both to go very right and very wrong, and it didn’t fall on either side for this novel. It just felt a little unnecessary to me. The lists were lists, but only technically; they were almost pieces of flash fiction in the novel – they were a narrative itself. For the epic length of the book I was expecting short, sharp, poignant lists and not the wordiness that I got. I kind of felt that if that amount of prose was what the author wanted then why didn’t he just stick with the traditional form? The only time those shorter, more concise lists came up was when there seemed to be stalling in some way. There were lots of lists that really gave nothing to the plot and didn’t develop the characters of their relationships at all, for me.

The lists that comprise this novel tell us all about Darren and the fall out of a 6am visit from his dad. I’m going to talk about that revelation now so if you don’t want to know, skip this paragraph! There are spoilers ahead. Darren’s parents are recently divorced and on this early morning visit, the reason becomes clear: Darren’s dad is gay. I have to admit that I really didn’t like how this was dealt with. Though it was likely unintentional, I felt like Darren’s reaction was borderline homophobic. He claimed to be fine with it and yet he called his dad a freak several times and was constantly worried about people thinking he might be gay too – what would people think of him now? Obviously, this isn’t an easy revelation to deal with, but I just don’t think it was approached in quite the right way.

I also had a few issues with Darren’s approach to girls. Darren spends the entire novel mooning over Zoey, a manic pixie dream girl if there ever was one. We hardly get an idea of what she’s actually like, just Darren’s feelings about how she would be even prettier with ‘normal’ hair and without her piercings. He also judged a lot of other girls in his class and at camp by how they looked – wishing they would alter themselves in some way to make them more appealing to him, even if he admired their talent or intelligence or enjoyed interacting with them. It really set me on edge, and though I finished Me Being Me, it was a struggle.

Me Being Me wasn’t for me but I have no doubt that lots of other people will fall head over heels for Darren’s humour and haplessness and the unusual format of the novel.

Thanks to S&S and NetGalley for the review copy.

Sophie 

Letterbox Love #87

Letterbox Love is a way to show you all of the lovely, lovely books I’ve gotten in the post, bought and everything else over the last week. Summaries are taken from the cover, or Amazon/NetGalley/Goodreads in the case of e-books, unless otherwise stated. Hosted by Narratively Speaking.

For review:

Extraordinary Means, Robyn Schneider (e-proof)

A bittersweet, coming-of-age novel that’s perfect for fan of John Green and Stephen Chbosky.

When he’s sent to Latham House, a boarding school for sick teens, Lane thinks his life may well be over.

But when he meets Sadie and her friends – a group of eccentric troublemakers – he realises that maybe getting sick is just the beginning. That illness doesn’t have to define you, and that falling in love is its own cure.

Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about true friendships, ill-fated love and the rare miracle of second chances.

I really loved Severed Heads, Broken Hearts so I’m really looking forward to this. Thanks S&S and NetGalley!

An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir (proof)

For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she’s never had much of a choice. But when Laia’s brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commander ruthless and deadly overseer of Blackcliff Academy.

Elias is the Academy’s finest soldier – and secretly it’s most unwilling. He has seen too much at on his path to becoming a Mask, one of the Empire’s elite warriors and is desperate to escape the Academy. If he succeeds, he will be named a deserter. If found, the punishment will be death.

With the Masks’ help the Empire has conquered a continent and enslaved thousands, all in the name of power. Now they must find a new Emperor to rule over them. And before Elias can escape he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to the death that will decide the next Martial emperor.

When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.

In the ashes of a broken world one person can make a difference. One voice in the dark can be heard. The price of freedom is always high. Sometimes it’s life itself.

Cannot WAIT for this - I didn’t even know this was being published in the UK! Thanks Harper Voyager!

Bought:

The Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham (paperback)

When a freak cosmic event renders most of Earth’s population blind, Bill Masen is one of the lucky few to retain his sight. The London he walks is crammed with groups of men and women needing help, some ready to prey on those who can still see. But another menace stalks blind and sighted alike. With nobody to stop their spread, the Triffids – mobile plants with lethal stingers and carnivorous appetites – seem set to wipe out the survivors.

The Day of the Triffids is perhaps the most famous catastrophe novel of the twentieth century and its startling imagery of desolate streets and lurching, lethal plant life retains its power to haunt today.

So looking forward to this! I remember loving a TV adaptation of this yonks ago, and Stacey of the Pretty Books recently read it and reminded me of how much I fancied it! Also, I love these editions of Wyndham’s novels.

Sophie 

Joe All Alone, Joanna Nadin

Pages: 233

Publisher: Little, Brown

Release Date: 7^th May 2015

Edition: UK proof, review copy

Other Titles by this Author: the Rachel Riley series, the Penny Dreadful series, Wonderland and many more!

No parents, no rules… no problem?

When 13-year-old Joe is left behind in Peckham while his mum flies to Spain on holiday, he decides to treat it as an adventure, and a welcome break from Dean, her latest boyfriend. Joe begins to explore his neighbourhood, making a tentative friendship with Asha, a fellow fugitive hiding out at her grandfather’s flat.

But then the food and money run out, his mum doesn’t come home, and the local thugs catch up with him. Joe realises time is running out too, and makes a decision that Will change his life forever.

Joe All Alone was my first of Joanna Nadin’s books and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Joe’s narration is so personable and easy to read that I whizzed through it in about two hours! He’s a sweet, awkward boy who’s fumbling his way into being a teenager without the advantages of a supportive, loving family and a group of friends that have his back and I really felt for him. Joe’s mum isn’t horrible at all and she isn’t completely neglectful; Joe says that it wasn’t like this before Dean, and that’s a really interesting thread in the story. How severely a person can be influenced by someone in their lives and completely turn their personality around – their character isn’t good or bad, this way or that – is something that isn’t often discussed in early teen novels.

Joanna Nadin set up some really interesting conversations for younger readers both with Joe’s mum and Dean’s attitude. It is made clear by Joe throughout the novel that making friends with Asha is a risk for him because Asha is black and Dean is racist. With issues of race, social situation and education in run-down areas of south-east London and crime, Joe All Alone is an important book that I sincerely hope makes its way into libraries.

Joe doesn’t get a traditional, cheesy happy ending, but he I think he the right one: the life-affirming one that makes you believe in the right things. Definitely give this one a go!

Thanks to Little, Brown for the review copy!

Sophie