Tuesday 28 October 2014

The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer

A forbidden romance.
A deadly plague.
Earth's fate hinges on one girl . . .
CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.
This is not the fairytale you remember. But it's one you won't forget.

-- Amazon.co.uk description of Cinder --


So a lot of people are raving about these series but I still had my doubts. I wasn’t  immediately convinced I wanted to read about a cyborg Cinderella. Though, I really do love fairy tale retellings like the Fables miniseries (which are comics I highly recommend) and the TV show Once Upon a Time. However, when I finally decided to read the series I couldn’t stop till I finished them all. I absolutely loved the Lunar Chronicles

Let’s start with Cinder. This is my least favourite book because it had some flaws even though it was entertaining and I really did enjoy it. My main problem with this book is that the huge plot twist was revealed way to early on. I hope this was the intention of Marissa Meyer because after that everyone with even half a brain cell knows what will happen in the end. That really pissed me off. Even if it had been way more subtle most people would still have known what was coming. So that part was disappointing. 

The only other reason I have for preferring the other books over this one is the that the other ones have more main characters and you see how everything begins to click. Everything that has been mentioned in Cinder is becomes relevant in the next books. I am really enjoying the Lunar Chronicles and I can’t wait till Winter comes out! Sadly, we have to wait more than a year for the final book. 

I am giving Cinder 4 stars out of 5. Scarlet and Cress both get 5 out of 5 stars! 
(I probably should give them extra points for their beautiful covers!)

Monday 20 October 2014

Witches of East End


Last year I started watching this TV show because I missed Charmed and Buffy. Now, the first season of Witches of East End wasn't that good. The love triangle was weird and I seriously disliked that Freya and Killian just started kissing right after they met. However, the last few episodes were good, a lot of suspense, romance, plot twists and everything else a season finale needs. 

The second season was easier to watch, I understood and liked the characters better. There were still some weird and unsettling things happening (with Ingrid) but I really enjoyed every episode. The ones close to the season finale were at times shocking, heartbreaking and awesome. Huge plot twists which I am not going to reveal because nobody likes a spoiler but let me tell you: I was shocked to my very core! The season finale itself couldn't really top that although it came really close. I felt sad the season ended and I hope this series gets a third season!

If you liked Charmed you should definitely give this a try. Season two is definitely worth it! I say track this show!

Delirium - Lauren Oliver


They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I've always believed them.

Until now.
Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years suffocated by a lie.
There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.
Then, at last, they found the cure.
-- Amazon.co.uk description --


I read a lot of good reviews on this book and friends have recommended Delirium to me. Therefore I had a lot of expectations which is probably why I am a little bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, this isn't a bad book. 

First of all, Lauren Oliver creates an amazing and heartbreaking world. It feels very real. I also felt a special connection to main character Lena. She is described as shy and little and ordinary. That could be an exact description of me. I am freakishly little and I hate that people often think I am four years or more younger than I actually am. I’m also shy and even our names are similar!


Moving on, I felt that there wasn’t a lot of action in the book until I got near the end. There the pace picked up. I had already read a spoiler so I knew how it was going to end. Perhaps that’s another reason why I felt the book lacked action. Furthermore, I did not like Alex, Hanna and Lena's family with the exception of Grace. However, like I mentioned before, I loved Lena!

I read a lot of reviews of the second book to determine if I should read Pandemonium and most said that there was way more action in it. So I have decided to buy the other two and I will try to read them as soon as possible.

All in all I would give this book 3 stars out of 5.


If you don’t agree with me feel free to write your own opinion in the comment section below. 

Wednesday 15 October 2014

Sidereel

I have to keep track of so many TV shows that I often have trouble remembering the last episode I watched of a certain show. So one day my friend introduced me to Sidereel. A website you can use to track your shows and mark the episodes you've watched. It is a very handy tool. Another advantage is that you can include your own time zone. As I do not live in the U.S. but love a number of American TV shows my tracker on Sidereel will tell me when I can actually watch the series online instead of the day it aired in the U.S.

picture of a sidereel tracker
(not mine)

It also informs you when shows are cancelled or renewed (or picked up by another medium like what happened with 'Community'). It is very helpful website and has made my life easier.



If you follow quite a lot of TV shows this site is really a must!
Link to the website.

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Under the Never Sky Trilogy - Veronica Rossi

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.
DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.
Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be the only person who can keep her alive.
And if they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

-- Amazon.co.uk description --



So this is a young adult trilogy and originally why I started this blog. I have to read so much for uni that I hardly have time left to read books of my choice. But now I have finally finished this trilogy. And I have a lot to say about it. 

The beginning of the first book, Under the Never Sky, was actually quite boring. I could not get through it, but near the end it got better, so I decided to read the other two as well. Through the Ever Night, the second of the series was way better, I could not finish it fast enough. It contains a lot of romance and suspense and some plot twists I did not expect at all. Wow. After that I tore through the third book and absolutely loved it! Into the Still Blue is even better than the second one. While I was bored and had to practically force myself to read the first book, I couldn't sleep until I finished the third one. So do not make up your mind about the trilogy after reading the first book, because the other two are so much better. In the first book, it takes a while to explain the setting where story takes place. That is probably why it did not excite me that much. However near the end it picked up the pace. 


I would give Under the Never Sky 3 out of 5 stars, Through the Ever Night and Into the Still Blue are both worth 4 stars!