Before I Fall

472 pages
Published March 2nd 2010 by HarperCollins
Genre: YA Fiction

"What if you had only one day to live?
What would you do?
Who would you kiss?
And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing."

It has been over two months since the site's last review! Gasp! We're awfully sorry, but school has been nipping at our heels. Here's a book I just finished reading a few days ago, and hopefully this review can make up for the lack of any recent ones... and the sparse that are to come until the end of the school year.

Before I Fall! A not so bad read. Telling the story of how a girl lives the same day through an entire week and how she comes to change herself and the people around her, it is an interesting book that is both realistic and relatable to. Samantha Kingston, your vain, simple-minded and bitchy teenage girl who sees the amount of roses you get on Valentine's day as important, suddenly dies on said Valentine day, in a car accident after your generic teen party. The next morning, she wakes up in her bed, on the same exact day. Fun stuff!

In Before I Fall, Oliver makes her protagonist go through the same day seven times, causing her to evolve into a better, nicer person as she realizes that popularity, sex and social power aren't the only things that matter, and that there are better things to concentrate upon. For a novel of 472 pages, there's enough space to clearly witness Samantha's evolution and for the reader to end up liking her. The story itself is gripping and holds some jolting twists at the end. It was my personal pleasure to see the story and mystery behind Sam's death and quest unfold so well.

The same day, seven times? Might be a bit repetitive. It was, on day 3 or 4, but the events vary. Even if I did approach the ending of the book with certain relief and impatience, Before I Fall offers many versions of the same day, and doesn't drag on the details that were already presented earlier. Character-wise, I think the cast is very realistic. All of Samantha's friends are the type of girls that one can classify as 'classical school bitch', and are presented such as that; bitching, being mean and vile, horny and self-centered. Lauren Oliver does, though, show their better side, a deepness to them that the reader doesn't realize at first. The character development is drastic and entirely believable.

Before I Fall captures the narcissistic emotions and feelings of high school very well. I think a lot of people can relate to the book and it's characters, and even if sometimes the repetition threatened to be overwhelming, the book satisfied me. The writing is engaging and flowing. A book I recommend.

-Beryl

Originality: 9
Plot: 8,5
Characters: 9
Writing: 8
Cliffhangers: 7,5

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Rating: 8,4/10

Thirteen Reasons Why

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.

Thirteen Reasons Why is told by the recorded voice of Hannah Baker who, through the faces of seven cassettes, tells the story of how she came to be suicidal and eventually took her own life. Alternating with her tale is Clay Jensen, one of the thirteen people featured on her list. He spends an entire night listening to what she has to say and briefing the reader on his own vision of Hannah when she was still alive and on the few moments they spent together.

Minus the flaws I will speak of later on, this book can be considered as relatively good. I had spotted it long time ago on the shelves of Indigo and heard it was very appreciated throughout the main stream. It was indeed plastered with genuinely good critiques almost everywhere. I nevertheless differ from the main stream opinion, and think that whilst this book can be appreciated for many reasons, it lacks too many things to be considered as strong and true.

With Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher illustrates how the often cruel behaviour of teens leads to unconscious repercussions on others. In this book, it is Hannah who is the punching bag of the many nasty girls and boys that dwell in her school (the classical morons that you as well as I have probably already met once in our life) and who unable her from making friends that she can trust. With his debut novel, Asher tries to portrait how little cruelties piled up can do much harm.

While I agree that high school can be hell for a lot of people I somehow thought it forgot to show and describe how Hannah suffered, and instead we learned it through her narrative, which didn't give the same effect, but I'll get to it later. First of all, the characters.

My opinion on this book can be summarized with this simple statement: I loved what Hannah had to say. I wish I could have said the same about Clay.

Clay was a total gary stu. It is unbelievable how amazingly annoying he was, to the point I started skipping his narrative towards the end of the book. Long story short, he is the adorable, kind and shy but understanding guy that would have been Hanna's 'the one' if he hadn't stepped forward so late. When he receives the cassettes and listens to the first one, he panics, terrorized like a little rabbit and shedding tears every few minutes. Asher gave him a quite important role in the book: he offers the reader a view of Hannah seen by the eyes of an outsider who has no clue why he's on Hannah's list. It is needless to say that Clay fails delivering such a view. All he does is nourish dialogs with Hannah in his head, even though she is dead. Every once in a while the reader has something going around the line of "Why did you do this Hannah?" "Why did you go there? You knew it was dangerous!" "Oh Hannah, what did I do, tell me what I did to you!"

This pitiful whining is not needed to explain Clay's distraught mood, especially since he spends more time saying these lines over and over again instead of really focusing on how he remembers Hannah. Most of the time he simply repeats what she tells in her recordings, but by altering the information with his own words. It is incredibly frustrating and this is why I didn't appreciate the book as much as I could have.

Hannah's character and personality are pretty clear from the beginning: she's an outgoing, smart and mature girl who easily falls in love with poetry. She's slightly rebellious and imaginative, but eventually looses herself as the nagging from the kids all around her becomes constant, and as those she considers friends slowly backstab her. Hannah’s narrative is interesting, since she’s a dead girl getting her revenge. The idea of getting her due back by recording people’s actions on tape and making them listen to them is ingenious and quite chilling. It is truly a good way of shoving the truth into the faces of those who don’t realize how much they hurt people. That is why I was intrigued by what Hannah had to say, and why I could have easily skipped Clay’s narrative.

One of the only issues with this book is that it lacked emotions. Clay failed in giving us the picture of the gradually evolving Hannah, and Hannah's narrative concentrated on describing the events that led her to change, but not how she changed. Asher concentrated too much on making Clay feel sorry for himself and on Hannah describing everything. He forgot about the emotions that needed to come along, and as a reader, I didn’t see Hannah change. Never once in the book did I relate to her. Clay was also so over emotional it seems the author forgot who the suffering victim in his book was.

Lastly, during the reader, I felt disconnected to Hannah’s motives, and constantly felt like they were surrealistic. I know and do understand how few years of bad high school life can destroy and be painful, especially since teenagers are in their full growth and development. The list of misfortunes that Hannah has to endure is clear, and I do agree that most of it is nasty and all, but somehow I am not persuaded. To me Hannah seems like a very strong character, mentality speaking. She has the smarts to rise above the level of teen stupidity and ignore it, but somehow she always gets caught up with it, and chooses to be affected by it, too. Even when she meets Clay and discovers he can be her life-saving boat she chooses to kill herself. High school can be bad, but it doesn't last.

Thirteen Reasons Why will touch some readers. It is a reminder that even when we think we are alone, there is always someone out there that truly cares for us and who is just waiting to help out. I nevertheless met with too many flaws to appreciate this book. It's a good read for Young Adults, and entertaining enough when you ignore Clay's inner monologue. It brings its point across and is highly original, but somehow slipps when it comes to the feelings of the characters. I still encourage teenagers to read this, since it's good for the consciousness of some.

-Beryl

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Rating: 8/10

The Garden of Everlasting Spring

The curse hanging over the Laguna family ruins golden-eyed Clara’s love. The distress thrown on the girl causes a miracle to happen; the red house’s garden starts to bloom all year around despite nature’s laws. Women from the next generations live condemned by the merciless fate of unhappy love, loneliness and revenge. Will any of them manage to reverse their destiny? "The Garden of Everlasting Spring" is written in a colorful language. It is a multi-generational saga, where the heroines fall in love only once - for life. It is a stunning and inspiring story of hidden passions, sinful pleasures and about the power of love.

This book was originally written in Spanish, and it seems it has only been translated to Polish for now, so no, it isn't available in English. Yet, when it comes out, I really, really recommend readers that are fan of romance and drama to buy it.

I was in Poland, in my little southern village called Iwonicz Zdroj, when I bought this book. The cover was like a magnet. (I need to brag about how polish publishing houses know how to choose the best covers, even more beautiful than the American ones. :P ) I must say I wasn't disappointed by this novel, and if it wasn't for school, I would have already read it. I can't believe such a masterpiece was left unread for 3 months!

In Spanish; "The house of impossible love", and in Polish; "The Garden of Eternal/Everlasting Spring", is the kind of book that is so good you fear of reading it for too long, and end up reading it bits by bits, enjoying it slowly, and looking forward to the next time you'll pick it up. The books that I read this way are rare, but they always come out as my favorite works, the kind I can read over and over again.

This story is first of all a saga, and it starts in Spain, in a little village in the mountains around 1896. It is the story of multiple characters, that spreads over an entire century. Some might be ready to argue that because the characters live and die, and new ones appear, none of them are developed sufficiently enough for the 340 pages that contains the book. Wrong. The book is all about the characters, their love, misery, happiness. Their story is narrated so well that we very easily get to know them. I must say I loved all of the characters. They all had their faults and strengths, and every woman brought something new. The relationships were explored on all sides, and even when the time if a character came and went, her deeds weren't forgotten. They were mentioned again later in the book. Their presence never disappeared.

Another thing I loved about this book is that it's a saga. It takes place during an entire century. The changes of times, the world's evolution, all that was magnificently portrayed. I loved seeing the characters grow up, pass from childhood to adulthood and then give birth to the next girl, and watch the curse take effect each time. Of course it isn't really a 'curse'. The story has nothing to do with magic and spells. It's a beautiful tale of love and passion, and how it isn't love that dies, but ourselves.

The writing; Exquisite. Inspiring. Beautiful. Masterpiece. The book itself is a masterpiece in my eyes. The writing made the world come alive; the smells, every shadow and light, the colors, the characters themselves. There's only one book whose writing ever inspired me so much, and it was Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty (and its sequels).

I have nothing negative to say. This book isn't filled with action. It isn't a thriller you read in one sitting. it isn't Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games. It also isn't a cliche and sappy romance story like Twilight. It's this beautiful thing you don't want to die. I think it deserves a prize of some sort.

-Beryl

The Garden of Everlasting Spring by Cristina Lopez Barrio Rating: 9,7/10

If I Stay

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon roa...more A gorgeous boyfriend who was madly in love with you?
Quirky hip parents who totally got you?
A musical talent that could take you anywhere?
What if your biggest problem in life was choosing which path to take?
Follow your first love--music-- to New York City?
Or stay with your boyfriend, friends, and family?

What if one day, you went out for a drive...

And in an instant everything changed?

What if suddenly all the other choices were gone?

Except for one--the only one that truly mattered?

What would you do?

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

This was a good book, technically. Well written, with a good, realistic love relationship between two characters and a dramatic subject to break everything apart. It was a quick, enjoyable and easy read, but this book lacked one thing. It didn't stir enough emotions in me.

I can't say it was... badly written or something, but it didn't have the WOW factor. Usually, when a book is amazing and has swept me off my feet, I hug it and let out a long sigh. Then I rethink of all the great passages and my mind is in a state of awe for the next 12 hours. Here, I acknowledged the fact it was sad, true, hard, yada and yada, and then I put it back onto my shelf.

Don't get me wrong. It's a great book, with great, strong characters. The story is divided with Mia's memories of happy, sad, decisive moments in her life and the next 48 hours after her accident where she watches everything happen in a ghost-like state.

I just can't say it blew me away.

Now I'd like to analyze a part of the book. This is what most of my reviews consist of; it's a lot of opinions and thinking mainly.

Mia has lost all her family. Her brother, her mother, her father. When she recalls her memories, we see how much of a happy family they were, how supportive, understanding and awesome her parents were (It might sound cliche to say that her family was almost perfect, but I think the author did that just to underline how much Mia lost after the accident, so I won't get into that). I agree that loosing her entire family is no little deal, and that perhaps one wouldn't want to stay alive because of that, but I felt as if the big question of the book; "Would you stay if you lost everything?" isn't much of a challenge.

Personally, I think that if Mia would have come out from all this paralyzed, somehow handicapped, if there would have been something hindering her life except the loss of her family the question could have had more pressure. I'd say that even if her family survived, but she woke up to not be able to play cello anymore, or walk, there would have been more of an issue. "Should I keep on living even if I can't walk/play/whatever anymore?" I mean, for me, becoming blind due to an accident would be a huge deal, and I would really have to think about staying or not, and so there would be a dilemma. I didn't feel any dilemma in If I Stay.

I think that the theme of "all the reasons you have to live for" weren't really explored too deeply. Sure, friends, boyfriend, other family, celo, but I still feel as if something was missing. So, really, I would have liked there to be more to the big question. Of course, there is no indication of Mia getting out 100% fine afterward, but neither any indication of something else coming her way.

One, last thing. This is the major rant part, but not about the book. On the cover it said 'Will appeal to fans of Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT".

I am OUTRAGED and sincerely DISGUSTED that there had to be this label. Because this is a love story that will appeal to teenagers DOESN'T mean it is IN ANY WAY similar to Twilight. If publishers need to label their products "REMINISCENT OF TWILIGHT" just to sell, then I tell them to go to hell and see if they have Twicrap there. If I Stay has nothing to do with Twilight, and I will rephrase that label. It will appeal to fans of "The Lovely Bones", seeing as it is similar in concept of a girl watching people deal with her loss and shares the theme of death and such. Gosh, the world can be so idiotic sometimes.

That is all. Go search for If I Stay, it's a fun and good book to read. (But The Lovely Bones is better, ha ha. It has the WOW factor)

-Beryl

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Rating: 8,3/10

Perchance to Dreams

When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the Thèâtre’s caravan, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession something most valuable, and meet The Mysterious Stranger, Bertie’s father—and the creator of the scrimshaw medallion. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair?

First of first, the bad points.

When I started the book, though, most of the events were a big jumble. Characters were thrown in harshly and events succeeded themselves too quickly for me to understand. I think that this is the main problem in this book; The author tried too hard to turn the story fantastical and incorporate magical elements and finished only by making me confused. I agree that it was all nice and sparkly, highly original and entertaining, but not laid out well enough for me. There were things I didn't understand. I didn't understand why they were hapenning, how they were happening, and sometimes I thought they didn't make much sens. I don't think I'm enough of a dimwit to not understand something after many rereads.

So as I said, too much effort into making the story magical and all. Another thing that irked me was that as the story started, I had no idea where the story was happening. In what country, what city? I only found out they were crossing a meadow 50 pages later. It really annoyed me, because I always need to know where everything is happening. I need to feel that I'm part of the story, and that I'm beside the characters throughout the entire book.

I was never really sure if the book took place in a magical world or in the real one, but I'm guessing it takes place around the Victorian Era with all the bodices Bertie has to wear but then again it was so faintly outlined I'm not sure.

The lack of reality as a base dimmed the effect the fantastical elements of the story should have had on the reader.

You know, when you read books such as Harry Potter and the Golden Compass, the reader isn't yet thrown into all the magic. Both worlds from those different stories have similarities to/are the real world, and when you're well anchored in the realism of the plot, you're more amazed and hooked by the magic and sparkles that comes afterward. In Perchance to Dreams, it's more like you're thrown in rainbow water and you're spinning around before reaching the shore and being like 'wait, what?'

I also didn't get any further explanations on Bertie's magic; where it came from/how it happened/why it happened and because the world is so badly defined most of the magic makes no sense.

Really, the major bad point of this book was the outline, the setting, the organization. The cover is beautiful, the characters entertaining, the writing fluid and rich. I loved the love triangle between Ariel and Nate, Berti was still a strong protagonist. I enjoyed all the theatrical elements that surely people interested in theater could have related to more than I did. There were nice metaphors, and beautiful imagery, even if the plot was a bit shallow (common rescue quest).

It's a fun read, overall, thought a bit confusing at times. I recommend it for those who love magic and crazy adventures in crazy-land. It's a light reading, good for summer, with moral squeezed in here and there. I was disappointed, though, that the story was so jumbled, similarly to the first volume.

-Beryl

Perchance to Dreams by Lisa Mantchev
Rating: 7,8/10

Splendor

Read the review of The Luxe, the first installment in this serie, here.

A spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty—but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

It was a great serie. This book started out to be the best of the entire serie, but the horrendous ending is just horrendous.

If you've read the previous books, and read my review of Luxe, you'll understand I don't need to go on blabbering about the characters and all the bases of the books. Splendor was the ending of all the drama between the characters, and it was honestly very good. It pulled me in instantly. It was an easy ready, elegantly written, fluid, with entertaining characters. If you've liked the Luxe, and read further on, we understand each other.

Yet, I was so disappointed by the endings that each character meet! Elizabeth and Teddy are perhaps the only ones who actually finish well!

If you do not want spoilers, avert your eyes from the following.

I simply don't understand why Diana and Henry had to finish apart. I feel like ALL they've been through, the love they fought for during all this time was for nothing! I understand the morals behind the actions; the passage from boy to man and the take-on of responsibilities, the notion that love shouldn't be all and that living your life independently and taking care of yourself is important too, but it just seemed ridiculous in Diana's and Henry's situation. It isn't the kind of reasoning that I can accept. It's just a shift of luck, that suddenly Henry has to take care of his family's business and can't go to Paris with Diana. As if the author had said, "Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?" And then, for him, to have to end up with Penelope for the rest of his life. Come on... Talk about torture.

Well, we agree, I'm sure, that Penelope deserved what she got. Over-confidence blinded her, and that IS just too bad for her. I was really sad for Carolina, though. I mean, of course she did bad things and lied a lot, but who else in her situation could have done differently? What other girl holding a not so prestigious past that suddenly has the chance to live among the wealthy people and also be treated like one of them would have gone out and spilled all her ungraceful secrets to the first person? It's perfectly understandable, and to take away her love for natural fear and shame? I didn't like it, especially when she had the chance to atone for all her mistakes.

Elizabeth and Teddy ended well, and the Snowden drama took me really by surprise. I really hadn't expected it, and so it was a good twist. I never really liked Elizabeth that much, but I'm glad she ended well after all the tragedies she went through. I would have liked Diana to end well too, though.

You can go on reading now~

Well, it was a good serie. Didn't end too well, but I learned a lot about New York in the end of the 19th century, and I liked all the little pieces of anecdotes from journals and gazettes at the beginning of each chapter.

-Beryl

Splendor by Anna Godbersen

Rating: 9,5/10

The Various Flavors of Coffee

It was a cup of coffee that changed Robert Wallis’s life—and a cup of very bad coffee at that. The impoverished poet is sitting in a London coffeehouse contemplating an uncertain future when he meets Samuel Pinker. The owner of Castle Coffee offers Wallace the very last thing a struggling young artiste in fin de siècle England could possibly want: a job. But the job Wallis accepts—employing his palate and talent for words to compose a “vocabulary of coffee” based on its many subtle and elusive flavors—is only the beginning of an extraordinary adventure in which Wallis will experience the dizzying heights of desire and the excruciating pain of loss. As Wallis finds himself falling hopelessly in love with his coworker, Pinker’s spirited suffragette daughter Emily, both will discover that you cannot awaken one set of senses without affecting all the others. Their love is tested when Wallis is dispatched on a journey to North Africa in search of the legendary Arab mocca. As he travels to coffee’s fabled birthplace—and learns the fiercely guarded secrets of the trade—Wallis meets Fikre, the defiant, seductive slave of a powerful coffee merchant, who serves him in the traditional Abyssinian coffee ceremony. And when Fikre dares to slip Wallis a single coffee bean, the mysteries of coffee and forbidden passion intermingle…and combine to change history and fate.

I was instantly charmed by the cover of this book, and by its promising resume. Not only was it cheap - which in my opinion quite doesn't typify the quality of the book - but it also was about the unconventional matter that is coffee. In the end it ended not being only about roasted beans, but also love and passion, women's suffrage, foreign travel, slavery and economics, all delivered in a nicely flavored Victorian London.

I think I could go on babbling about how good this book was, because I can't find anything grandly negative to state about it. I found the main character, Robert, eccentric and quite silly but lovable in the end. Then there was Emily who worked for her father as an employee and who portrayed the entire feminine strength in her role as a suffragette afterwards, and Fikre the exotic but fierce slave. All of the characters were really interesting and different, each having their own stories and plots and each them a big in influence in Robert's life.

I really liked how much odors and flavors were in the descriptions. It was as if you could smell everything the same way Robert did, and the writing was very rich and smooth.

I learned so much about coffee in this book. About all it's flavors, how it is grown in Africa and Brazil, about its trade back in London. I also got to learn more about the first big coffee brands. It made me want to taste all those types of coffee myself. It's really surprising to see how much these beans had an important role back in the XIX century. I would never had thought such a complex industry was related to them. In any case, this book was very instructive both on the matter of coffee but of London in this fin-de-siècle period.

So in conclusion this is a very good read. Some may not like Robert's foolish character but I enjoyed it quite. I think it's a book worth to read if you are interested in coffee and what to know everything about it. There's also a fair amount of drama, twists and surprises, and a very good amount of politics and suffrage in London.

I do warn younger readers; it is quite an erotic book, and there's a lot of love-making. ;)

-Beryl

The Various Flavors of Coffee by Anthony Capella
Rating: 9,4/10

Double Cross

Everyone assumes the bomb that killed Callie Rose's grandmother was the work of a nought terrorist. But Callie Rose knows the truth - and her fear of the past leaves her afraid for her future. Her boyfriend Tobey is worried about his own future. A nought boy at an exclusive school Tobey hopes to keep out of trouble, go to university, get a good job and leave the dangerous streets of his childhood behind.

But Tobey is discovering that he can't keep clinging to some kind of no-man's land while the neighbourhood around him is carved up by rival gangs. Then he is offered the chance to earn some ready money just making a few 'deliveries'. He doesn't want a part of that world, the world of gangs. But maybe he could get away with it, just this once ...He little realizes how his decision will bring violence down on both himself and Callie and just how far he will go in fighting back...

So I was very happy when my friend came waving this book under my nose. I just adored the three previous books, and I adored this one also.

This time, the story's point of views are Callie's and Tobbie's. At some point it starts being only Tobbie's until at the end it picks up back with Callie's. First thing first, the characters. Malorie has had no trouble creating amazing, interesting and true characters. Callie is strongheaded and emotional, Tobbie brave and wise. Their point of views are strong ad captivating. It's was a true pleasure to follow their stories.

The book covers the issues of drugs and of scholarship inaccessible to students because of lack of money. Once again, Blackman portrays every character's emotions very well and defines all of their personalities so we can see them under every angle. A powerful dramatic story that illustrates the blunt truth in a wonderfully written fictional world.

The action was great. The drama was tearful, and the ending, sublime. Perhaps the subject -drugs and money- wasn't as interesting as the concept of black against white racism featured in the previous books, but it still stays excellent. I'm really sad this is the last book. I just loved the serie so much, I don't want it to end.

I don't know how I can prolong this any further. Malorie Blackman's serie is just amazing, and practically a must-read. I recommend it to everyone who loves drama, romance, mixed with society's truths and lies.

-Beryl

Double Cross by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 9,5/10

Daughters of Fire

The Romans are landing in Britannia...

Cartimandua, the young woman destined to rule the great tribe of the Brigantes, watches the invaders come ever closer. From the start her world is a maelstrom of love and conflict, revenge and retribution. Cartimandua's life becomes more turbulent and complicated as her power grows, and her political skills are threatened by her personal choices. She has formidable enemies on all asides as she faces a decision which will change the future of all around her.

In the present day, historian Viv Lloyd Rees has immersed herself in the legends surroundings the Celtic queen. Viv struggles to hide her visions of Cartimandua and her conviction that they are real. But her obsession becomes ever more persistent as she takes possession of an ancient brooch that carries a curse. bitter rivalries and overwhelming passions are reawakened as past envelops present and Viv finds herself in the greatest danger of her life.

The first thing that surprised me while reading Daughters of Fire was how the plot didn't need to be amazing to pull me in. The story is basically about Viv having flash backs of Cartimandua's life and bringing lots of people around her in the unraveling dramatic events that follow. The resume didn't make me excited and all, just slightly curious, but i was already hooked ever since the first page.

I guess this is because of the beautiful, smooth and lyrical writing of Erskine. It's this kind of writing that inspires you automatically, that makes you want to go on with the story and that illustrates everything so well. Physical descriptions included too! It irks me so much when in books no descriptions of the characters are given, and you are just left to wonder how everyone and everything looks; I take authors who forget to describe their characters in such disdain! This time I was pleased. Good descriptions are good. Both of the characters and environment.

As I said, the plot wasn't amazing. It was a good read, a very interesting book that portrays well the Celts and that makes you learn a lot. It was long, though (not that I have anything against long books! The bigger the more I like them! It's just that when a plot isn't juicy enough, my interest falters..) and around the middle it started to slightly drag and you tell yourself 'ngngn hurry up...' because you want to get to the core of it all already. The last hundred pages are packed with drama and action and all and so the book ends pretty well. I actually liked the conclusion and the whole unraveling. It has a dramatic touch to it. You all know how much I love drama. :)

For the characters, just as the plot, I was content, but not amazed. They are very well developed, very different and each of them stand out with their own personality. And guess what. No silly teens have the spotlight! It's goodbye teen drama and hello adult drama! Indeed, most of the characters were over their thirties, and I liked that. It's a bit strange for me to think of fantasy and paranormal with adults involved, but it was good. I didn't get that attached to the characters as I usually do, perhaps because here we deal with ye old folks, but I didn't mind them either. They weren't bad, but neither were they amazing.

So, in conclusion, a good read. I have another book by Erskine in my possession, The Warrior's Princess, but I'll pick it up a bit later. I heard that all of Erskine's books are written in the present/past flashback style and even if it might be a bit repetitive, it's still an interesting trademark and a fun way to learn history slightly altered by fiction. Now I enjoy reading about Cartimandua on wikipedia and looking for pictures of her and reviving the character of the book in my head.

-Beryl

Daughter of Fire by Barbara Erskine
Rating: 8,6/10

Dear John

I'm back from Europe everybody! I brought only Dear John, thinking it would last for the two weeks, but it only did for 3 days. I finished it squeezed in a bus on my way back from Venice.

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life.

Savannah is your happy, intelligent, kind and gentle girl that everyone loves and that everyone wants to hook up with. Because of her near-perfect characterization, I didn't fall for her as much as I did for John. I liked the fact she wasn't completely mary-sue because of her naivety and her faults, and it somewhat saved my appreciation of her before she ditched John.

I really loved John, on the other hand. He is this big gentleman army grunt that is at the same time mature and collected. I even liked his father, with whom he doesn't have the best relationship, and how it got to grow through out the story, and their interactions were really interesting and sometimes brought me to tears.

To me, what really makes a book great, is how much emotions it can pull out from you. I'm really indecisive about Dear John. I could say I hated the book. I could also say I loved the book. I'm stuck between the two, and I don't know what to choose, and so I'll say I both loved it and hated it.

I hated it because it was tragic.

I couldn't believe it when Savannah broke up with John. I completely hadn't expected that from the book, as I hadn't read any reviews of it before, and I was just plain mad. I mean, I thought she loved him? If you love someone, truly, you'd be able to wait for his return, right? Even if it takes many years, you would wait, wouldn't you? It may be hard, and blah blah, but I would wait for my love to return. Well Savannah didn't, and I was just tired by how she was always depressed that John wasn't there and how she couldn't just make the best of what she had until the time came for John to return from war. Instead of that, she fell in love with someone else, and John didn't have a reason to quit the army anymore. I felt so sad for him too, especially when he returned to see Savannah married!

I guess I somehow liked his decision at the end, and the moral he deduced from it, but meh. In the end, he is left with nothing, while Savannah goes out in the sun happy with another man while she could have been even more happy if it was John. I don't know, I didn't feel satisfied with the ending.

But then again, I loved it because it was tragic.

This is the first Nicholas Sparks book I read, and I've read from other reviews that he likes giving his books tragic endings. Well I like tragic endings, even if it really tears me apart.

When I think about it in another way, falling out of love is normal, isn't it? It's possible for two people to love each other with passion, and then to loose this passion. In Dear John, it's more like Savannah lost this passion because John kept on loving her, but still. Sparks probably wanted to keep away the notion of 'perfect love', which made the book realistic, but still heartbreaking.

The worst is that Savannah still loves John at the end of the book, but she chooses another life. Somehow, I feel like she molds in better with the life she choose than with a life with John, and I guess that's the tragic point of the story, seeing how passionate her love was with John before.

In any case, I'll try to put away my emotions to rate this book and use the standard criteria. I think you can only love this book, or hate it.

It's a very emotional book, too. I don't know if its worth for some to embark on this roller coaster and crash at the end, but meh. If you like drama, I guess this is for you. I'd like to read some other books by Sparks, though.

-Beryl

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
Rating: 9,6/10

Going Bovine

Cameron Smith, 16, is slumming through high school, overshadowed by a sister “pre-majoring in perfection,” while working (ineptly) at the Buddha Burger. Then something happens to make him the focus of his family's attention: he contracts mad cow disease. What takes place after he is hospitalized is either that a gorgeous angel persuades him to search for a cure that will also save the world, or that he has a vivid hallucination brought on by the disease. Either way, what readers have is an absurdist comedy in which Cameron, Gonzo (a neurotic dwarf) and Balder (a Norse god cursed to appear as a yard gnome) go on a quixotic road trip during which they learn about string theory, wormholes and true love en route to Disney World.

I must admit that throughout this reading, I often had doubts about where the story was going. Libba's newest book was meant to be a crazy journey through craziness itself, but to me it seemed more as if it was a journey through randomness.

This book is actually centering on the death and life theme, and what it means to live, when does a person really start to live, what happens after death, how does it feel to know you're going to die and how you can cope with it.

I any case, to sum it up. I enjoyed reading this book, even if I had to put it away for a month when other, more interesting books presented themselves. It's written in a funny, blunt yet vulgar way, but it matches to the characters' nature. I thought it a relief to read a book with a just-going-with-the-flow type of feeling (if anyone can understand me), and it brought a few laughs and smiles at time.

The plot was an O.K. for me. It felt as if it had just a bit too much around it, and often some things weren't explained and a stood bit foggy, and so it made me go 'What? Where did that come from? What is happening?'. I had to reread some pages to try and find extra information meant to enlighten me about what was happening, but I never found what I was looking for, and thus I never really understood those elements that left me perplexed or hindered my comprehension. It's a good thing for authors to sometimes lay things out raw, but there are also contexts where more information must be given for the reader to understand. Going Bovine was confusing in my places. The 'trip' on which the characters went wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be. It was just random, actually. It didn't start making sens until the last chapters of the book, and that's maybe what the author was aiming for, but it was still funny.

Yet, the book left me wondering. Cameron and his friends ride through the country jumping from one extravagant event to the other, leading them into crazy parties and cults. Does it suggest that Cameron started 'living' only when he hit the rode and drove into gaudy and inordinate situations? Is the message 'life is all about partying'? I'm not quite sure about that aspect of the book, and I think it sent out the wrong vibe.

I really liked the characters though, especially Gonzo, the Mexican dwarf, and Balder the viking yard gnome. Their eccentricity really added up to all the weird events that came up on their way. Dulcie was really fun too, even if I would have liked to know more about her. She could have been a bit more developed in my opinion, and so could have been her relationship with Cameron. Cameron was our average teen protagonist, and I really don't have anything against him.

For some, it may seem as if this book is not worth reading and it might not appeal to many. I nevertheless liked the conclusion a lot, and how the book ends with a 'what is really reality?' emphasis. I hadn't been too enthusiastic with the 'let's save the world!' plot, but it ended very well, and not with what I had expected. In conclusion, it was a very enjoyable read and I'm sure many people will enjoy it too if they let their minds go wild. Going Bovine is the kind of book I'd re read again just to relax, and spend a few hours in craziness and randomness. Gemma's Trilogy is still ranked top among my read-books-by-Bray, but I don't discourage the reading of Going Bovine.

-Beryl

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Rating: 7,7/10

Checkmate

Can the future ever erase the past? Rose has a Cross mother and a Nought father in a society where the pale-skinned Noughts are treated as inferiors and those with dual heritage face a life-long battle against deep-rooted prejudices. Sephy, her mother, has told Rose virtually nothing about her father, but as Rose grows up she becomes determined to find out more about her parentage. As Rose takes her first steps away from Sephy and into her father’s world, she finds herself drawn inexorably into danger.

Here's Malorie Blackman's last installment in her trilogy, the first volume being Noughts & Crosses and the second Knife Edge.

Well, I must say I enjoyed reading these books very much. In Checkmate, the story relates Callie's childhood, switching from the present to the past. It's actually concentrated on merely a few hours in the present, and most of Callie's life in between.

The book, just like all the others,has many point of views, Callie's and Sephy's mainly, but also Jude, Jasmine and Meggy. I found that it was a very interesting thing to spin the POV's around, letting the reader have a clear view of how every character was feeling and reacting. It also avoided getting the reader bored with one character.

I found Sephy annoying, though. She was being a terrible mother, making all those ridiculous mistakes and making the situation even worse. Nonetheless, I think that this kind of attitude was needed to make things unravel the way they did. The story wouldn't have held the same impact if everything had solved out too early.

What I liked about Checkmate was how Callie lived through her childhood, and how her attitude changed with everything that happened. It was interesting to see the evolution of her vision on certain things as the story progressed. Sonny was ridiculous, though. I didn't really understand his issues and why he acted as he did.

The descriptions improved once again. The writing is as always concentrated on feelings and emotions. Checkmate didn't cover striking issues, or at least not as Noughts & Crosses did. It was more subject to the power of love than discrimination and racism. Rights have actually been slightly readjusted for the Noughts at the time when the story takes place, and equality is on its way for everyone.

In any case, it was an enjoyable read. A very good serie I recommend to both boys and girls. Checkmate covers the cliffhangers of Knife Edge, so fans of the two previous books absolutely need to read it! It has such a nice ending, too. Very satisfying.

-Beryl

Checkmate by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 9,1/10

Knife Edge

Warning, this review contains spoilers regarding Noughts & Crosses, the first volume in the serie.

Persephone (Sephy) Hadley, now an 18-year-old single parent, is raising her biracial daughter in a sharply divided alternate England, where black Crosses suppress the white Noughts. She faces pressure from both her less-than-understanding Cross family and her disintegrating Naught family, and everyone in between. When her brother-in-law's violent behavior leads to murder, Sephy provides a false alibi to save Jude, but doing so irreparably damages other lives.

This time the story is told by many points of view; Sephy and Jude mainly, but also by Minerva, Meggie and Jasmine (Sephy's mother).

After Callum's death, Sephy wishes harder than ever that her daughter Callie Rose was dead and that Callum was back. Yet, she loves her daughter so much, which is the proof of her and Callum's love for each other. We see how mature she has become since the events of Noughts & Crosses, how she takes things with a cool seriousness and determination. I liked Sephy a lot in this book until depression gained over her. After she received Callum's letter - which contents you will only know if you read the book - foolishness heaved a bit too much on her actions. Seeing in what state she was and what she was going through, it's understandable, but still irritable to me.

Jude was deliciously cruel, mean, arrogant and bad-boyish than ever. His side of the story was very interesting to watch and so was his character. I really loved how he tried to be indifferent and cold to everything and how he failed against what he considers his biggest enemy. I was disappointed that he didn't succeed in seeing things properly and didn't give in his true feelings (those who read the book, you know what I mean. ;] ), but I guess that with such a story he just couldn't.

I found Jasmine and Meggie a bit too 'out-of-character', or at least I didn't see the peculiar touch that distinguished them from other characters originated from Noughts & Crosses. They were too soft. Yet again, I guess their personalities have been altered after the dramatic events of the previous volume, and just like every one else, they were trying to start from the beginning.

I found the ending strangely-described though. Not described enough, actually, which left me perplexed on the unraveling of those last moments.

This second book had its own share of drama that I enjoyed greatly. There was less romance, more doubt, fears and sadness. There were also more details this time without forgetting the evident underlining of emotions and feelings. I drank it as fast as I drank the first book, and Malorie has a talent of presenting the most atrocious things gracefully. I think fans of Noughts & Crosses will enjoy this second volume even if it wasn't as good as the first, and will be impatient about reading the follow-up.

-Beryl

Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 8,9/10

Noughts & Crosses

Sephy is a Cross - a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought - a “colourless” member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood, but that’s as far as it can go. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum - a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together?

Have you ever wondered how life where black is rich and powerful while white is despised and miserable would look like?

Sephy Hadley is the daughter of an important and successful politician who is managing his way up toward the highest point of the parliament while his wife drinks away her loneliness. Sephy doesn't really realize the discrimination the Noughts endure and of how well she lives compared to them.

Callum McGregor is just another Nought who can only clench his fists every time a Cross looks down on him. He tries hard to create a path through the prejudices attributed because of his pale skin color and wishes to receive an education that will help him become someone. Now that he has succeeded in getting accepted in Sephy's college, he hopes his chance has come.

Spehy and Callum are friends, and as they both grow older and more mature, their love grows as well.

I read the book in french, and I think its cover is very interesting too, so here it is. ->

Malorie Blackman offers an intriguing and gripping novel presenting one of our world's prejudice in a most original and spun-around way. She tried, through her novel, to show how ridiculous this old-age discrimination game is, and that skin color doesn't arbitrate one's intelligence and talent. Some people might think that Malorie is trying to present black folk as the bad guys and the white ones as those worth sympathizing for, but that's not true. After reading Noughts and Crosses, readers will see how nothing is truly good or bad.

The story is told by two different point of views; Callum's and Sephy's, and adduced by strong feelings and emotions. Sephy's foolishness and ignorance is evident and so is Callum's strong desire to become someone respected. Their friendship and love for each other is nonetheless embodied in both of their narrations, and together they shows how easily children are ready to love despite prejudices.

The writing of this books is somewhat simplistic, minimizing the details and centering on the feelings and emotions mainly. This read is quick and fluid, the chapters are sometimes hurried, and the story doesn't bother turning right and left into unnecessary details. As a reader, I prefer very descriptive texts, but I think that Malorie's writing style might be fine for younger attention spams.

I simply loved this book. It was deliciously cruel and unfair, and yes, tragic. It doesn't need to be situated in a precise world to affect the reader and realize what consequences a human's actions can create. I strongly recommend it to young adults.

-Beryl

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 9,3/10

Read Knife Edge's review, the follow up to Noughts & Crosses.

The Luxe

A big, sumptuous tale of catty girls, dark secrets and windswept romance unfurls in this compulsively readable novel of late-19th-century New York City socialites. Godbersen weaves a tenuous web of deceit, backstabbing and pretense that follows four teens: Elizabeth Holland, a prim and proper lady of old-money society, is betrothed to one man, though furtively loves another; Henry Schoonmaker, a debauched playboy who must marry Elizabeth or be disinherited; Diana Holland, Elizabeth’s younger sister who is in love with her fiancé; and Penelope Hayes, a member of the nouveau riche who will stop at nothing to win Henry’s affections. As Elizabeth and Henry’s wedding approaches, the spectacle unfolds in a wondrously grandiose scene, making for a fun, though not entirely unexpected dénouement.

Gossipgirl meets the 1800s.

After having read A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, I was set tight on getting my hands on another Victorian-flavored book. The cover of The Luxe itself is very hard to ignore, and so I picked it up.

With a large variety of point of views, this story could have been hard to follow. Anna Godbersen succeeded in spinning the story around everyone in a comfortable and interesting way, maintaining the balance through out the staggering spins and twists.

The character crew is very interesting, my favorite being Diana with her spunk attitude. Elizabeth is our common Victorian girl, keeping a goodey-goodey profile in public, pulling out the snappy attitude with her maid and relaxing and acting in a more honest way toward her beloved Will. It's a very good protrait of girls' behavior during these times and how they had to put on different expressions at appropriate times. Elizabeth, however, didn't hold my interest as much as her sister Diana who was less girly and more straightforward, standing out from the crowd of fancy girls. Penelope, the Queenbee, is simply the character 'you love to hate', and Henry the bad boy most girls would have liked to have. It was also good to have a maid as a protagonist who later ends up on the streets for it gave a nice approach to the less 'classy' side of New York, presenting the real 'trade' of the rich city.

Anna Godbersen's writing style is exquisite and detailed, bringing to life the Victorian's era colors and fashion. I enjoyed being able to imagine everything so well, and even if her details tend to be tenuous, they are not overloading.

The Luxe, however, is not an action book. There isn't as many thrill as I usually enjoy in books, and this is why for some this book might not be your cup of tea. The story, just like Gossipgirl, centers on circulating rumors that hinders people's lives or make the pleasure of others, harboring themes such as forced marriage, the austere reality of young girls during the end of the 1800s and impossible love. The storyline might seem dull to those who don't bite into stories featuring twirling girls, puffy dresses and dramatic romance.

Each chapter of this book is started with little clippings from various journals, newspapers or book that remind you of the society's rules. I found this very educative, for it helped me understand the Victorian era even better. It's also a reminder of the society's consciousness, expectations and constant gaze upon the classes and gossip.

The books starts a bit slowly, but once you are gripped to the characters, the storyline becomes confident and strong. It might not suit to everyone because of its girly and gossip-centered plot, but will surely please many teen readers.

-Beryl

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Rating: 8,2/10

The Hunger Games

In an unspecified future, all what is left after the destruction of North America is a super high-tech and rich nation called Panem. Panem is divided into twelve districts, each subduing one of the country's economical activity (such as mining, agriculture, etc) and surrounding the Capitol.

The citizens of the those twelve districts live in poor conditions, suffering from starvation and persecution, their freedom limited with strict rules and grave punishments. The Capitol, on the other side, shines with wealth and luxury.

Their once used to be thirteen districts, but the thirteenth was destroyed when they all rose against the Capitol. Since then, 'The Hunger Games', a very prevailed televised event, take place each year. One boy and one girl from each district are chosen at the reaping and then sent, by force of course, to an outdoor arena where they have to fight to death until only one victor is left. The Hunger Games are to remind the districts of their failed rebellion, and what rebelling against the Capitol costs.

Katniss, a fatherless sixteen year-old despises the Capitol and The Hunger Games. She's not the only one, but there isn't much she can do. Speaking disapproval publicly can result into severe punishments. Even death. Instead, Katniss focuses on hunting and feeding her family and living through the hard days with her best friend Gale. Only, on the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss' twelve year old sister Prim is chosen as District 12's girl 'tribute'. Katniss volunteers herself instead, and joining her is Peeta Mellark, a boy who once saved her life back when she had nothing to bring back home. From there on start their journey to the Capitol and into The Hunter Games, where all that matters is to say alive and make sure the rest isn't.

Amazing books seem to fall into my hands these days, and here's another book I read in less than a day! The Hunter Games by Suzanne Collins is an amazing page-turner, where action, drama and romance combine magnificently!

I don't think that many who read The Hunger Games can disagree with the fact that Katniss is a very lovable character. She's strong-minded, quiet and a rule-breaker. She's smart, but not cocky, independent and humble. She's one of these characters who care for their family and friends, but aren't afraid of relying on themselves. I couldn't find anything in her that I disliked.

Oh and Peeta. He's such a nice and smart boy. He's probably my favorite character in this book, with his good humor and warm attention but by still being resolved and quiet. There's this slight touch of naivety to his character, which might annoy some but I found it cute. It's too bad it turns against him...

Aha, romance, girls, is exquisite. It's one of the best books that carries romance so well and in such a pleasant way, without the lovey dopey that today's books seem to be filled with. Too bad the aftermath isn't made of sugar and rainbows. Yet, it only makes you want to know what happens next!

The boys will certainly love the action, and the fact the story is told by a girl's point of view doesn't bother for Katniss' character is so likable and straightforward.

I have trouble finding something to criticize. I usually always give the up and downs of books, but I really can't find anything to say. Blood, gore, action and romance combined together in good writing always dim my judgment.

With a well-crafted character crew and a fluid, engaging and definitively not prosaic writing, this book is a real treat! For many it will be a book hard to put down. Katniss' world is truly cruel, but that's where all the fun is, isn't that right?

-Beryl

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 9,3/10