Book Review: Wonder by R J Palacio (NO SPOILERS)

Title: Wonder

Author: R J Palacio

Goodreads Summary: My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.

But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review:

(I’m keeping this spoiler free because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone)

This book was gorgeous. So, so gorgeous. I tried to not find out too much about the novel before I went in but I did start with high expectations – something I really don’t like doing – because I had just heard so many good things about this novel. But I was still not disappointed in it at all. The prose was really lovely and the story was just as beautiful as it was important. I would recommend this book to anyone, no matter their age or background, because I think it is both something that people should be aware of as well as the fact that it is told in a style that can be appreciated by the masses. This is a novel that will tear your heart out, but not also from heartache but also because sometimes it was just really wonderful and touching. I turned the last page with tears streaking down my face.

If I was to give one critique about the book, it would be the fact that I felt like the multiple perspectives, at times, were a bit useless and something off-putting. The reader is first introduced to the story through the eyes of the main character – Auggie – and just as I was beginning to really get into his story, it changed point-of-view. I felt really jarred from it and didn’t quite want to let his story go yet. Despite this, I did find that it really helped the story at some points, giving the story more depth by added more voices to tell it. Basically, it was good and it wasn’t. Sometimes, I felt like it really added to the story. Other times, I felt like the perspectives were useless and/or boring and didn’t need to be included. I do think that if you can, get your hands on the copy with the added Julian chapter. I found that I strangely loved it.

All in all, I absolutely adored this book so, so much and I need you all to read it. I feel like this should be a book that should be used in schools because of its easy prose and the fact that it explores bullying. One of the easiest 5 star ratings I’ve given.

Have any of you read Wonder by R J Palacio as well? What were your thoughts? Love it, hate it? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Jess, xxx

November Wrap Up

Okay guys, it’s that time of the month again – wrap up time! I think I did fairly well this month considering it’s been NaNoWriMo month (Side note: Did any of you participate? Did you win?) and I spent a good lot of my time either writing or thinking about writing, haha. But I did fit a good lot of reading in as well. I read 9 books, which are as follows:

#1: The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

So, I love, love, love the Kingkiller Chronicles. I only read it earlier this year and absolutely fell in love with it. It quickly became one of my favourite series. And then I found out Rothfuss was coming out with a novella about Auri (AKA one of my favourite characters from the series) and to say I was excited was an understatement. But maybe due to the fact I went in with high expectations or that it doesn’t follow a normal novel structure, I’m not sure, but I found that I wasn’t overly impressed with this little novella. The writing was just as gorgeous as Rothfuss’s standard, and I found it interesting to be given more insight into Auri’s life, but I just felt like it wasn’t what I wanted from this short story. I had been hoping that it would give more information about Auri’s past, which I am really interested in knowing. But it was more like “A Week in the Life of Auri”, which was interesting but not what I wanted. I know this has gotten a lot of mixed reviews for it but I would say that to any fan of the Kingkiller Chronicles should definitely give it a shot. It’s only a small little thing and it’s good in some ways, just know that I don’t think it’s for every fan. I gave it 3/5 stars.

#2: Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

As you may know from last month’s wrap up, I have been trying to complete the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series as well as the Heroes of Olympus series. This marked the end of the PJO series and I honestly loved it. I thought some things could have been done a tad better but I just felt like it wrapped everything up really nicely, but also left a nice space for the HOO series to carry on from. I can’t really say much without spoiling anything, but to recommend that anyone who hasn’t read this series definitely should. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it is a middle grade series, it’s good for all ages and it is fantastic. I gave it 5/5 stars.

#3: The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

I major in Sociology at university so I was bound to pick this up one day. I have always agreed with a lot Marx had to say and this was no different. It wasn’t actually much of anything new than I had read before, but it definitely showed him delving a bit more into his theories and I really enjoyed that. I gave it 4/5 stars.

#4: Wonder by R. J. Palacio

I actually have a full review coming of this one very soon so keep your eyes peeled. But in short, I absolutely adored this book. It explores important themes of bullying and self-identity and is equal parts heartbreaking as it is heart warming. I would recommend it to anyone. I gave it 5/5 stars.

#5: Young Avengers Vol. #1: Side Kicks by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung

So, I read the 2013 run of the Young Avengers a couple of months ago and just fell in love with the characters. There isn’t much more on them so I thought I’d check the run that I probably should have started with: the first one. These comics are a great introduction to the characters and they’re really fun, as well. I enjoyed the 2013 run just slightly more, but I loved these a lot as well. I gave it 4/5 stars.

#6: Young Avengers Vol. #2: Family Matters by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung

As a continuation from the last one, this one was also wonderful but I felt like it was trying too hard to complicate the story. It seemed as if it was adding too much to the plot to make it more complex and give it more depth, but it just seemed a bit overdone. Despite this, I still loved a lot about it and, as I’ve said before, I really adore the characters. So I still gave it 4/5 stars.

#7: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I absolutely adore the movie adaptation of this novel, so, on a whim, I bought it the other month and I didn’t waste too much time in picking it up. It ended up being quite different from its movie counterpart but still a good book. Of course, it’s basically Cinderella but just slightly different so it’s not like the story is any sort of surprising but I still enjoyed it a lot. It was really fun and the all the magical creatures were so wonderful. I do feel like the story lacked a bit of depth and the climax fell a bit flat so I only gave it 3/5 stars, but I would still definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoy the movie.

#8: The Goblin Who Stole a Sexton by Charles Dickens

I read this little short story as a part of the A Very Dickens Read-a-Long, which I heard about the day before it started and couldn’t say no to it. I actually haven’t read any of Dickens’ novels, despite having about three of them on my shelves but I thought this would be a good way to start. Also, I’m really excited for all the Christmas themed reads for December. But as for the novel, it’s clear that Dickens was a master at what he does. He really knows how to tell a good story and lay a heavy message on it, despite its short length. I gave it 3/5 stars.

#9: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

This is another novel I have a review lined up for (I was literally halfway done writing it when I went to go write this wrap up instead). But to quickly summarise how I felt about it, I enjoyed it but felt like it had more potential than it showed. The premise for it was really interesting but I felt that it got too caught up in the romance elements of the book. It was still good and I’m excited for the rest of the series, but it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it’d be. Also, the cover is absolutely beautiful. I gave it 3/5 stars.

So, that’s all I got done for this month. I’m about 150 pages out from finishing a Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin, which I’d really hoped to be able to include in this wrap up (since I have been reading it since April) but then I got caught up with trying to finish NaNoWriMo. But I’m proud of how many books I got through this month considering how much writing I have been trying to do. I’m hoping for a good December month, though, with all the Christmas-y reads.

Oh, just on that point, I will be participating in both the A VeryDickens Christmas Read-a-Long (which I already mentioned and has already started) as well as the Harry Xmas To You Read-a-Watch-a-Long-a-Thon (which, wow, that is long to say), which are both awesome events happening in December. I’ve linked info for both there so you should all check them out and join in the fun.

How did your Novembers go for reading? Good, bad, or were you caught up in NaNoWriMo like I was? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Jess, xxx

October Wrap-Up!

Hey, guys! Sorry for being so quiet lately. My uni schedule is super crazy right now. I'm currently writing this wrap up in between study but I didn't want to post it 2 weeks late like in September. I've still got a few assignments to go for the year and I'm undertaking the NaNoWriMo challenge so who knows whether I will manage to get more active here, oops. But anyhow, I only read 7 books this month but considering how busy I've been, I'm really pleased with that.

#1: The Maze Runner by James Dashner 
I read this because I really wanted to read it before seeing the movie which has been just released (which I really liked FYI). I thought this book was alright but the characters were quite dull and there was a lot of issues I had with the story. It's got such an interesting concept behind it but I don't think it was executed as well as it could have been. I still want to give the rest of the series a shot but I don't think this book was amazing. I gave it 3/5 stars.

#2: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Okay, I already did a full review of that here (spoilers!) so I won't talk a lot about this a lot but man, I just adored this book! Favourite of the series so far. I gave it 5/5 stars.

#3: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
So, I read Anna and the French Kiss (the first in this companion series) a few months ago and I was pretty disappointed by it. It wasn't horrible but nowhere near the level of awesome I'd been anticipating after what I'd heard about it. Although I still wanted to check out the other books because maybe they were better and that was definitely the case with this one. I felt like the characters were just more well-rounded and the story was better. Also, some of the scenes near the end were honestly so gorgeous. I ended up giving it 3.5/5 stars.

#4: An Abundance of Katherine's by John Green
Man, I really wanted to like this but I just couldn't. I read TFiOS by John Green (which I adored) almost two years ago now but I had never picked up any of his other novels. On recommendation from one of my friends, I decided it would be good to do so with this. Sadly, I was so disappointed. I found the novel, as a whole, really flat and boring and I had a huge disconnect to the main character. Granted, I have heard many people say this is their least favourite Green novel so I still plan to check out the others. I gave it 2/5 stars.

#5: The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Okay, so I have decided that I want to try and finish the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Heroes of Olympus series before the end of the year. I read the first two in this series about 2-3 years ago and have no idea why I never picked up the others. Luckily for me, my brother owns the entire series so I have easy access to them. I really loved this one! It brought so many new elements into the story and wasn't afraid to delve into darker stuff when it needed to. I had also forgotten how funny Percy's commentary is. I ended up giving this 4/5 stars.

#6: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
I felt like the start of this novel dragged on a bit but about a third of the way through it picked up and got really interesting. I loved the idea of the ever changing, magical Labyrinth! There was a really gorgeous scene at the end that I can't actually say what it was because spoilers but for those who have read the book, the thing with Grover! The really important thing! Ah, it's so difficult to mention anything but the point I'm getting at is this book was wonderful and fun and also genuinely heartwrenching for the last 60 or so pages. I gave it 4/5 stars.

#7: Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grown-Up
So, I am a huge fan of Grace Helbig so this was a must get for me! I actually ended up listening to the audio book because I found out it was narrated by Grace herself and thought it would just add a bit more of her touch to it. I definitely think listening to it was a good idea! Self-help books aren't really my thing so I think having it in audio form made it more enjoyable than reading it (not to say it was a bad book but the genre is not something I'm huge on). It was a fun read filled with witty and pun-y humour that is so Grace. It was also nicely insightful. It probably also appealed to me as I am right in the targeted age range for this novel. I would definitely recommend that you be at least 17-18 before picking up this novel because I think a younger audience won't appreciate it as much (although Grace's humour would still be enough to like about it). I gave it 3.5/5 stars.

So, there you have it. Not my best reading month but it was good enough. How did you guys go in October? Did we possibly read any of the same novels? And since the year is nearing its ending, how are you all doing with your reading challenges, if you had them? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time!
Jess, xxx

Review + Discussion: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Heir of Fire

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Summary: Consumed by guilt and rage, Celaena can't bring herself to spill blood for the King of Adarlan. She must fight back...

The Immortal Queen will help her destroy the king - for a price. But as Celaena battles with her darkest memories and her heart breaks for a love that could never last, can she fulfil the bargain and head the almighty court of Terrasen? And who will stand with her?

Rating: 5/5 stars!

Review:

Okay, guys! I just put this book down about an hour ago and I need to discuss it. I'm keeping the non-spoiler section to a minimum because I want to get into the nitty-gritty of this book and also, it's somewhat difficult to not spoil anything of the series considering this is the third book. Anyhow!

This book was my favourite in the series by far! I loved Crown of Midnight and I wasn't sure if this would live up but man, it blew my expectations out of the water! The world grows so much more and we are given a plethora of information that gives so much more life to the story and the world and everything. And the character growth was out of this world. I just really could not recommend this book/series enough! This series is like a bridge between young adult fantasy and adult fantasy and increasingly epic. If that sounds like something you would like, go pick it up now!

I'm going to move on to the spoiler section now so please, if you haven't read these books yet, go do so then come back and discuss!

Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Title: Outlander

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Summary: The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Rating: 3-ish/5 stars

Review:

Okay, so I've given my rating an 'ish' because I'm really torn on what I want to give this book. I have a deep love/hate relationship with it. Firstly, I will say that I adored parts of this novel. It was a very interesting idea that Gabaldon presented and it was awesome to see how she didn't shy away from certain topics (ie. sex, gore etc.). Those parts, however, don't make up for the scenes I didn't like so much. I'm going to quickly go into spoiler talk but for anyone who hasn't read it, consider this before picking it up: it is a long book, it is probably not best for younger readers and understand that this book not only encompasses the events of the 1700's, but the values of the period as well. I wouldn't whole-heartedly recommend it, but I wouldn't discourage reading it, either.

Spoilers ahead!

Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz [No Spoilers!]

Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Summary: Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself.

But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other―and the power of their friendship―can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: 

In case you didn't notice in the title, this review will be without spoilers! So now we've covered that, let's talk about how absolutely wonderful this book was. It doesn't really have a solid plot (hence why I decided to keep this review spoiler-free) but it remains just as captivating without one that you barely notice the lack of it until you've finished already. This novel takes you on a journey within the lives of these characters, exploring family, love, identity and everything in between. 

I loved that Ari, the main character, was so flawed but I could still understand and empathise with him. I found his inner frustration towards himself something I could really relate to. Also, the importance of his family's story is one of the things I found most interesting. And possibly by extension of the family, the element of culture and identity that gets frequently discussed in the novel was so important and I appreciated how much focus it got.

The relationship between Ari and Dante literally makes my heart swell just thinking about it. There was such an authenticity to their friendship. I loved the ease they had with each other and the subtlety of their growth. It was just beautiful to read. Many of the other relationships were lovely as well.

I really did adore this book start to finish. It was a near perfect read for me. I read it so quickly (it is a very quick, easy read) that I actually didn't appreciate it's glory and the warmth and happiness it gave me until I was turning the last page. I would honestly recommend this to anyone. 

Have you guys read it yet? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time!

Jess, xxx

Review: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead [No Spoilers!]

Title: Silver Shadows
Author: Richelle Mead
Summary: In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive. 

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .
Rating: 4/5 stars

Review:
Okay, so, as it says in the title, I will remain spoiler-free in this review. As much as I may want to talk specifics of this book, it still hasn't even hit the shelves in some places while I type this (one perk of living in Australia!). So, if you still haven't got your hands on the book, don't worry! You are safe for now! (Although, let me know if you'd be interested in a separate post where I delve into spoiler talk).

Anyway! After being left a few months back on the huge cliffhanger at the end of The Fiery Heart, I had to keep myself from opening Silver Shadows and beginnning to read right in the middle of the bookstore. To say this book was a highly anticipated read for me this year would be an understatement. But from the beginning, it did not disappoint.

Richelle Mead upped the stakes in this novel. With the previous novels, we've had Sydney and Adrian treading on egg shells but they have well and truly shattered them now. This novel takes these characters and tears them down to see what they're made of. They fight for their lives and for each other. It was as thrilling as it was heart-wrenching. I especially loved watching Sydney transform throughout the book. She is one of my favourite book protagonists and she just keeps getting better. Her intelligence and strength of will is really tested but under impossible circumstances, we see her character shine.

And Adrian. Poor, poor Adrian. We see him slipping in this one. He's spiralling down a dangerous path with his spirit and addiction and I'm not sure what's going to be able to stabilise him. But despite it all, his love for Sydney always prevails. It was so touching to see his admiration of her and his determination to find and help her. If only the universe would give them a bit of a break for a minute.

I also appreciated many of the surrounding characters we got to see: Lissa, whose strength and ability to make hard decisions I admired despite everyone's complaints (the pressure she is under as queen must be insane); Rose and Dimitri, who I always look forward to seeing (particularly in a scene with Adrian and Dimitri, even if it was short); Duncan and Emma, who are newbies but whom I found really interesting and hope to see more of them in the next book; and, lastly, a character whose name I won't mention but is deeply tied to Adrian and whose support at the end of the book I just really loved.

Overall, even though I'm not exactly fond of certain parts of the ending, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It served as a brilliant continuation of this series and reminded me why I not only love these characters, but love the love they have for each other. Now if I could just fast forward to the release of The Ruby Circle, that would be nice. I'm not sure how long I can do this waiting game after reading that last page. Then again, knowing that the last book marks the end of the books in this world, I'm not quite sure I'm ready to say goodbye.

Anyhow, have you picked up Silver Shadows yet? What are your thoughts? Let me know your favourite bits in the comments below but be sure to give spoiler warnings!

Until next time!
Jess, xxx

Series Review: Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness

Title: Chaos Walking Trilogy (The Knife of Never Letting Go, TheAsk and The Answer & Monsters of Men)

Author: Patrick Ness

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: I've decided to make this review purely spoiler free. I was going to do as I normally do and have a non-spoiler starter and then cut to spoiler talk but I feel like I would go on for far too long so all my discussion will be without spoilers. Of course, I will be discussing stuff that happens (in very broad terms) so if you don't want any hint of what happens in this series, GO PICK UP THE BOOK AND THEN COME BACK AND LET'S DISCUSS.

But anyway! This series, guys. THIS. SERIES. Wow. I have so many things to say and also am at a bit of a loss for words in trying to successfully explain how much I loved this series. So, to start off, I knew next to nothing about what this series was actually about except for the fact that every time I went to a book store with one of my friends, she picked up The Knife of Never Letting Go and told me I needed to read it. So, when I finally bought the whole series on a whim, I didn't really know what I was getting into, and I love doing that with books. Everything is a surprise and it's wonderful. But I think even if I knew what was going on, the twist and turns the story took would've still been shocking. So many parts had me on the edge of my seat and reading the pages faster and faster to find out what was going to happen next. The pacing was really well done throughout all three books.

But what I really loved about the story was how it explored moral struggles so frequently and in so many different situations. It really makes you question your own morality. It completely blurs the lines of wrong and right and has you wondering whether there is any exact wrong or right way to handle the given circumstances.

I also adored the characters. All of them. Patrick Ness fleshed out all of his characters so well; I felt so connected to all of them. Of course, you feel a bit more connected to the three characters who get POV chapters but I truly felt like I could understand all the characters. Even ones I didn't like, I was able to see why they were like that and root for them at times. It's so interesting to have such solid, well-written characters in a story but also makes some things so much more heartbreaking.

And the series is so heartbreaking in so many ways. I cried more than once reading these books. Both from sadness and happiness, though. I won't say what it was (as it's a HUGE spoiler) but my absolute favourite scene from the book was just so beautiful and I was filled with so much joy that I just began sobbing reading it. It was scenes like this that made me fall in love with the series over and over again.

Basically, the Chaos Walking trilogy has easily secured its place as one of my favourite series of all time. I would honestly recommend this series to anyone. If you're reading this and haven't read this trilogy and are waiting for a reason, here it is! Go pick it up now and read it! Sure, they aren't short books but they are so worth it. I will warn you, though, this is a series that stays with you. It's been less than a week since I finished it and my mind is still reeling over it and I can't imagine this is going away any time soon. It's a series that's hard to leave. Your mind gets lost in the world and I think a little bit stays there even after you turn the last page and start to face reality once more.

Have you read the Chaos Walking trilogy? What did you think of it? Tell me what your favourite parts of it were in the comments!

Until next time!

Jess, xxx

Review: Where Rainbows End/Love Rosie by Cecelia Ahern

Title: Where Rainbows End/Love, Rosie
Author: Cecelia Ahern
Summary:Where Rainbows End is a story told through letters, emails and instant messaging about the ever changing relationship between the two main characters Rosie Dunne and Alex Stewart. Rosie and Alex are close friends from childhood but one day they are suddenly separated when Alex and his family move from Dublin to Boston. The book guides us through their relationship as it continues to change due to distance, new relationships and circumstances which seem determined to keep them apart. One question remains throughout the book, were they always meant to be more than friends and will they risk everything including their friendship on love?
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Review: So I'd like to say that I did enjoy this book. It took me awhile to figure how exactly I wanted to rate it (I have difficulty with rating things to begin with, though) as I sort of have a love/hate feel towards it after finishing it. But I think it's worth the read but I do think it requires a bit of patience as sometimes it can be awfully slow. Nevertheless, it will pull at your heartstrings, infuriate you but also make you laugh. There is a lot of humour in this book to accompany the drama which I think really helped as a whole. I recommend you check out the book if the story appeals to you and you're willing to last through the slower parts. :)

Anyhow, now I'm getting into spoiler talk. Be warned if you have yet to pick up this book!

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Summary: "Fangirl is a coming of age story about fanfiction and first love. It focuses on Cath, who has been a fan of Simon Snow books her entire life. When both Cath and her twin sister go to college, her sister begins to drift away from the fandom and from Cath, and Cath has to learn to exist outside her comfort zone." (Wikipedia)

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: (Edit: this turned up being a lot longer than I intended but I had a lot of thoughts, sorry not sorry)

First off, I would like to say that I have spent a lot of time not wanting to read this book. I heard about it not long after it was released and, to be quite honest, I was a bit hesitant. It was the title, I'll admit. Perhaps I should've given the book more of a chance (or even, y'know, read the blurb) but the title made me wary of what role fandom was going to play. I assumed it was going to be really good or terribly cringe-worthing. I favoured the later and decided to not pick it up.

But boy, was I wrong in doing so. After it seemed to explode earlier this year and I heard lors of good things, I decided to give the book a second chance (or probably a first if you considering how lame my 'first' one was). And you know what? I absolutely adored it. This book is one of those books where you pick it up intending to read a few chapters before bed, and the next thing you know you're turning the last page and the sun is peaking up over the horizon. And you're left sitting in your bed, trying to remember who you are and not quite wanting to let the characters go just yet. And I didn't. I really wanted to know more about Cath's story and everyone else but alas, it had to come to an ending. And now it's time for me to word vomit about my thoughts.

Okay, so here's where I'm going to get into spoiler talk, so spare yourself if you haven't read the book yet! Go read it and then come back and join the discussion :)