Favourite Books of 2015

2015 has been a great reading year for me. My Goodreads Challenge started off at 50 books, then it was 60, then 70 and so on until I had it set for 100. In the end I reached 120 books and that's not including the books I have forgotten to add. The following is a list of my top 10 books of 2015. This list is in no particular order and only some of these books were published this year.

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

This book which was released at the beginning of 2015 brought about the conclusion of the Bloodlines series and also brought about an absolutely fabulous ending to the Vampire Academy world. The ending of this book is one of those endings when you need more than 5 stars.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

This book was an intense and mind boggling read. This is one of those book that will test you and hold onto you long after you have read the last page. You will question everything in this book as to whether what you are reading is reality or not. So if you love a book that challenges your sanity this is your kind of book.

Click here for my full review.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander (previously published as Cross Stich) is one behemoth of a historical novel. But don't let this put you off. This story is filled with history, action, romance and a little bit of time travel. This book will draw you into a dark past and make you wish you could stay there.

Click here for my full review.

Red Queen by Victoria Averyard

While I must confess that it was the cover that originally drew me in, the story itself was absolutely incredible. It took me a couple of chapters to get hooked into this story but in the end I read it in one sitting. This book is filled with betrayal and treachery around every corner.

Click here for my full review.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

This is the first book in the Caster Chronicles and is set in a small Southern American town. This book makes many references to To Kill a Mockingbird and the two stories share many similarities in the sense that both books are about overcoming prejudice with Beautiful Creatures being the paranormal take.

Click here for my full review.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places is Jennifer Niven's debut novel. This book will make you cry and laugh as you are drawn into the intense and dark lives of Violet and Finch as they through each other they try and learn to find happiness. This book is an emotional roller coaster but well worth the read.

Click here for my full review.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor

This is the first novel in a trilogy and a book I can find no faults in. The characters, the plot, the worlds, the writing style. This book is like nothing I have ever read before.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

This sci-fi book which is set on Mars was not what I expected. While I was intrigued I never believed I was going to be amazed. The characters are well thought out and the plot is well balanced. The book is filled with quite a bit of politics but this did not diminish the story.

Click here for my full review.

Cut & Run Series by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban

Cut & Run is the first book in a 9 book series which follows two FBI agents Zane Garret and Ty Grady as they struggle with falling in love with each other and trying to solve some of their toughest cases yet. Where Garret and Grady are involved things are bound to blow up, someone is sure to get shot and their may even be a big cat or two.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows is the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series. A series which is quickly forging itself a permanent spot on my favourites shelf. While many people feel that this book sees the characters developing some major character shifts, I personally felt that this book was the first time none of the characters had to pretend to be anyone else in order to survive.

Click here for my full review.

Soundless

Title: Soundless

Author: Richelle Mead

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Number of Pages: 266

Publication Date: 2015

Publisher: Penguin

Summary: For as long as Fei can remember, no one in her village has been able to hear. Rocky terrain and frequent avalanches make it impossible  to the village, so Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, delivers from the zipline shrink. Many go hungry. Fei and all the people she loves are plunged into crisis, with nothing to look forward to but darkness and starvation.

Until one night, Fei is awoken by a searing noise. Sound becomes her weapon.

She sets out to uncover what's happened to her and to fight the dangers threatening her village. A handsome miner with a revolutionary spirit accompanies Fei on her quest, bringing with him new risks and the possibility of romance. They embark on a majestic journey from the peak of their jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth will change their lives.

I read this book in one sitting, it was a quick, easy and light read of a very different and unique story. Three things in particular stood out about this book.

The first thing that I absolutely loved about this book was how Richelle Mead got around the fact that none of the characters could hear anything. We rely so greatly on sound and writing a book that is filled with people who cannot even fathom what sound is, takes some true talent. As you are reading and Fei gets her hearing back you feel as if you too are experiencing what sounds are for the first time. I was also amazed at how Richelle Mead described sounds. It's not easy to describe the sound something makes when we you can't use words associated with sound to describe it but Richelle creates a seamless way around this.

Another thing I loved about this book was the Chinese folk tale aspect. It is this folk tale aspect that brings the fantasy to the book. But if your not a big fantasy fan that's ok because this book isn't fantasy focused. Unfortunately this is one of things I also disliked about the book. I absolutely loved the Chinese folk tale idea and I would loved to have known more about it. Because of how short this book is, much of the story is told in the here and now. This meant that we only got the fantasy aspect at the end of the book when it was actually happening and didn't get much of a prelude or information in the beginning.

My final point about this book is the characters. Like with the fantasy aspect of this story much of the who the characters were was left untold due to happening outside the actual storyline. This I could understand because of how short the story was but I would like to have seen more character development that was directly tied into the plot events. Both Fei and Li Wei are strong characters who are spurred into action because it is called of them but this is who the characters are already. While they learn more about the outside world and lose some of their naive perspectives, this doesn't so much change them as educate them. But then perhaps that is the point, not everyone changes and grows from every event in their lives. 

Dangerous Lies

Title: Dangerous Lies

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller

Number of Pages: 384

Publication Date: November 2015

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary: Stella Gordon's life is a lie. 

She does not belong in Thunder Basin, Nebraska. As the key witness in a murder trial, Stella is under witness protection, living a life she doesn't want.

No on can know who she really is. Not even Chet Falconer, her hot, enigmatic neighbour. But against her better judgement, Stella finds herself falling under Chet's spell.

Becca Fitzpatrick is one of my favourite young adult authors. She writes fast paced books that you have to read, cover-to-cover, in one sitting. The characters and situations they find themselves in, suck you in from page one and don't spit you out until you are well after the last page.

One of the things that I loved the most about this book was the idea of who you are and what your identity is. Fitzpatrick created a believable and heart wrenching situation in which Stella is forced to come to terms with the fact that who she really is, is someone she can't be. The emotional strain of having to lie and be someone else when all you want to be is yourself.

I loved Stella as a character, especially because she is not your typical main character. Many authors write characters that are strong and unbreakable, great heroes and heroines. Fitzpatrick writes characters who could be anyone...you, your neighbour, the guy who walks his dog down your street every day. Rather than creating a character who is strong and guaranteed to come out on top because of all the special skills they pertain, Stella is an everyday average person, who when put in a difficult situation has to hope that she comes out the other side with the help of others and perhaps a little dumb luck. 

My only disappointment in this entire book was that I wanted more about the murder Stella witnessed. I wanted more of the thriller side of Dangerous Lies. (Spoiler ahead) I wanted to hear more about Reed and if the cartel caught up with him? Was Reed really involved or was Trigger just being Trigger?

Like with the rest of Becca Fitzpatrick's books Dangerous Lies is very focused on the romance of the characters. The thing that I love the most about the romances that Fitzpatrick creates is that the characters always have a strong connection. Their isn't just some smouldering romance with no real substance - Stella and Chet are good friends, they talk and listen to each other and support one another. So many authors write romances that are based almost entirely off attraction and have no mutual ground that make them cheesy and unbelievable. Stella and Chet contain flaws and are far from perfect characters but this just makes them believable and real.

The One

Title: The One

Series: The Selection Series - book 1

Author: Kiera Cass

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Number of Pages: 323

Publication Date: 2014

Publisher: Harper Collins

Summary: When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown - or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realises just how much she stands to lose - and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

This book is definitely my favourite of the series. In the first book, America whinged too much, and in the second book between America and Maxon's lack of communication and lack of information about the rebels, I am kind of surprised I kept going with this series. 

There was some serious character development in The One. America in this book finally learnt to let go of the past, to stop living life with a safety net. America does a lot of growing up in this book, she learns to stand and fight for her beliefs and even when intimidated and powerless to not lose who she is. This was a refreshing take on the girl she was in The Selection and The Elite. 

I would like to have seen a bit of America's strength in Maxon, especially when it came to his overbearing father. I think that if Maxon had a bit more strength and fight for what he believed in, then his and America's relationship would have had been stronger and would have had something that they had in common. While their ideas for the future of Illea are something that they share, these ideas are restricted to freeing the caste system and helping the poor but never looked at in great enough to detail to unify these two as good couple. Sometimes I felt that these two simply loved each other because they were written to do so.

The thing I loved most about the final book of Maxon and America's story was that we got answers on who the rebels were and what they wanted. FINALLY! The first two book have hinted greatly at the importance of the rebels and yet it is only in this final book that we get answers and then it's all over. For the first time we get to see how the two rebel groups really differ and the two things that are fighting for. 

I don't think that I will continue on with the rest of the books in this series, I'll just stick with reading the original three books. I don't think I could go and read about new angst filled characters. Cass' just creates a little too much angst for my tastes.

Illuminae

Title: Illuminae

Series: The Illuminae Files - book 1

Authors: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Number of Pages: 602

Publication Date: November 2015

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Summary: One moment Kady Grant and Ezra Mason have nothing bigger to worry about than each other. Specifically, avoiding each other in the wake of their messy break up. In the next second. their entire world falls apart.

The year is 2375 and one of the mega-corporations that control much of deep space has just fired the opening salvo in an intergalactic war, destroying Kady and Ezra's planet. Forced to flee on a small fleet of enemy warships chasing them down is at first all-consuming but soon becomes the least of their worries. A deadly plague is ravaging the refugees on the ships; the fleets AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be an enemy; and High Command is refusing to acknowledge that there may be serious problems. As Kady plunges into a tangled web of data in search of the truth, she realises that Ezra is possibly the only person who can help her save the refugees before it's too late.

This book is perhaps the most amazing and unique thing I have ever read. Even two days after I have finished this book I am still marveling at how well this book was done. When I first heard about this book I wasn't interested in reading it. I am not the biggest science fiction fan and the idea of reading a book written almost entirely in transcripts of interviews, IM's, emails and official documents sounded like it would be missing the fundamentals behind a good book.

I can safely say I am really glad I was wrong. The way this book is told isn't strange and weird, it's creative, unique and brings a whole new perspective to characters and plot. Despite the fact that you never have the story told from the characters perspectives, I never felt like I couldn't understand the emotion behind the characters or why they were doing what they were doing. Kaufman and Kristoff created such emotion and depth in the speech and actions alone.

My only complaint in the entire book was the twenty or so pages leading up the middle of the book. I felt that this part dragged a bit and lacked something. But in saying that, can anyone name a book that was entirely perfect?...

The thing I loved the most about this book was the commentary that was given by the Illuminae Group, especially when they describe what is happening on the surveillance videos; these moments bring a lot of humor and emotion in to the book.

This book is also filled with twists and turns that you don't see coming. Just as you are starting to work everything out, it all changes and you are thrown for a loop. This book gets a strong 5 stars and I can't wait for the second book to come out, because after the ending of the first book...well I need to know more.

Carry On

Title: Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 517

Publication Date: October 2015

Publisher: Macmillan Press

Summary: Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen. That's what his roomate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here - it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

Carry On is Rainbow Rowell's version of the Simon Snow fanfiction Cath write in her novel Fangirl. While it is not necessary to have read Fangirl I personally found that by doing so I got that little bit from the story. In Fangirl Simon Snow is in many ways their version of Harry Potter.

Carry On was a hugely refreshing take on the fantasy genre. So many fantasy books are weighed down in deep and emotionally intense plot lines or on the flip side they are cheesy and don't take anything seriously. Carry On finds a nice balance by making sure that the magic is believable and realistic while making the characters fun, devious and a little crazy. The spells were a little on the cheesy but not too much.

The beginning of this book starts off at a relatively medium level then suddenly up and dumping you before taking off full steam ahead for an action packed ending and bringing together the final clues of the mystery of the Watford Tragedy.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the character development, and I don't just mean the bad guy learning to be good. But the fact that the good guys weren't perfect, in fact they were kind of far from it; but learnt to accept this and keep trying any way. This book also showed the importance of over coming differences and how important teamwork and friendship really is.

However, what I loved most was Simon and Baz's relationship. Simon and Baz has perhaps the sweetest relationship ever, despite the fact that they are "nemesis'". As these two grow and the dynamic of their relationship changes you just want to smile and watch all the problems of the world fall away as they realise what their relationship has really been like all along. The relationship of Simon and Baz is progressive and well done, Rainbow Rowell doesn't rush the changes but works it so that it is a seemless and a naturally expected change.

Rainbow Rowell has an incredible ability to write amazing characters that you can't help but love. They are smart, witty and just a little crazy, but they are also deep and so very real.

The Winner's Crime

Title: The Winner's Crime

Series: The Winner's Trilogy - book 2

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Young Adult

Number of Pages: 416

Publication Date: 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Summary: The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria's crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement...if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For - unknown to Arin - Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country's freedom, he can't fight the suspecion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dagger that cuts him open, but the truth. And that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

What a spectacular sequel to The Winner's Curse. This book picks up a month following the end of The Winner's Curse as Kestrel and Arin try to come to terms with the drastic changes their lives have gone through. In The Winner's Crime Kestrel and Arin are not only pushed to their limits but have to exceed them. They have to be smarter than ever and play the game harder than they ever have before. And all the while keep in mind that their actions drastically effect others.

The Winner's Crime is filled with even more deceit and deception than you can imagine. Just as you think one lie has been unspun you realise you have only found the tail end of it. As Kestrel and Arin work at discovering the same secret plot the two inadvertently find themselves working against each other as they go to great lengths to stay away from one another. But the further the two of them push each other away the more they want to fight for each other.

While the trickery in this book made it so incredible it also made it a struggle. There were a few moments in this book where Kestrel and Arin's lack of communication and trust dragged the story a bit. What made this difficult was that it is such a fundamental aspect of the book. In order for Kestrel and Arin's character to grow and learn from their actions they had to see just how destructive their lies and games were. 

I was also glad for the arrival of the new characters such as the Emperor, the prince Verex and the more prominant role of Kestrel's father, General Trajan. The Emperor and Verex relationship offers Kestrel an example of how power games can push away they people who should mean everything to you. To put yourself so far above others you begin to forget how human others are. Kestrel's father, General Trajan allows Kestrel herself to feel the stinging blow of betrayal by someone you love and the loss of friends brings Kestrel into the reality of what it means to lose everything. 

And while Kestrel learns to experience betrayal and isolation first hand by her own deceit and games as well as by others; Arin learns how hard it is to love someone who not only doesn't trust you but who can also cause your own destruction. Arin is forced to learn to that in order to save himself and his people for now he must let Kestrel go.

This book is filled with dread, pain and suffering and it won't let you go until you have read to the last page. The Winner's Crime is a powerful and seductive read that will pull you in until you are just as invested in the plot as the characters are.

The Winner's Curse

Title: The Winner's Curse

Series: The Winner's Trilogy - book 1

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: Young Adult

Number of Pages: 355

Publication Date: 2014

Publisher: Square Fish

Summary: As a general's daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin's eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him - with unexpected consequences. It's not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved the world, the characters, the plot, all of it.

This book consisted of a world that was a mix of ancient Rome, the Middle Ages and fantasy without the magic. Here the characters live under the rule of an Emperor with generals holdings high powers of authority, there were old fashioned rules for society such as women needing an escort yet at the same time woman could join the army and had the right to then be considered a soldier like any man.Yet despite all these mixing genres the world never felt as if different styles were being forced to co-exist; the world was seemlessly created and easy to imagine existing. The world was very easy to get lost in and it felt as if you were standing right beside the characters in this ingenious world.

The characters of The Winner's Curse are some of the best characters I have ever read about. A large focus of this book is based around the romance between Arin and Kestrel but at no point was there any lines about how they were shockingly good looking, charming, breathtakingly beautiful; instead each of these characters were strong characters who were admired for their talents and actions they took. These characters were each refreshing and made the book so much more.

The main characters were not the only one's who helped to carry the story. Every character that was apart of this book left some kind of impression, both good and bad, but none were forgettable. The characters in this story made impacts on the story line and helped to add depth to both the other characters and to the world itself.

The plot of this book was, however, was what drew me in the most. I picked this book up and I didn't put it down until I realised that I had run out of words...I even read the acknowledgements looking for something extra that continued on the story - no such luck. This book was captivating and well written.

Right from the beginning this book has a story to tell, at no point did I feel like the book dragged or failed to convey its message. The second half of the book seems to appear out of nowhere; suddenly the book picks up and begins to weave an incredible story about fighting for your freedom, the people you love and using your wits to survive.

This book meets so many criteria that anyone who reads it is likely to find some aspect that they like about it. I would have loved to have given this book 5 stars but there is something (no idea what it is) that is missing. From here out the series can surely only get better.

The Selection

Title: The Selection

Series: The Selection Series - book 1

Author: Kiera Cass

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia

Number of Pages: 327

Publication Date: 2012

Publisher: Harper Collins

Summary (from the back of the book): In a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels The Selection is a chance of a lifetime: to compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon's heart. But for America Singer it means turning her back on her secret love, and leaving home for a prize she doesn't want.

The America meets Maxon and all her plans start to crumble. Can the life she's always dreamed of compare to a future she never imagined?

This book is definitely one of a kind...it's like a dystopian meets the bachelor. Unfortunately it was this unique idea that was the only really interesting thing about this book.

As a character America Singer annoyed me. For one: she seemed to be happy living a life with no where to go, she was totally unambitious. She just wanted to keep living her life the way it was and not try and improve it. The second thing that I didn't like was that I found she came across as a very simple character, especially in the beginning of the story .However, as the book progresses America does slowly develop into a more substantial character.

The second thing that annoyed me was that the characters seem to do a lot of waiting around. There are a few occasions where America spends time with Maxon but mostly I kept getting caught up in the whole waiting for something to happen vibe.

Then when something does happen, this something being rebels its anti-climatic. Very little is said about the rebels except for there are two groups, one more dangerous than the other. Nobody knows what the rebels want, or why they come and despite the supposed frequency of the attacks no body really seems concerned with this. I'm starting to think that the characters in this book have a problem with doing anything or taking action. They all seem to be quite content to stand around and see the world go by.

But there is always that intriguing idea of selecting the future queen through a bachelor like process. I mean they even televise the event. Despite the few holes in the characters and the plot I actually really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, light read that was entertaining. 

This book is something that I would recommend you read before, not after, an intense or long book. It would probably also be good to get out a of reading slump.

The Invasion of the Tearling

Title: The Invasion of the Tearling

Series: The Queen of the Tearling - book 2

Author: Erika Johansen

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Number of Pages: 511

Publication Date: 2015

Publisher: Bantam Press

Summary: Kelsea Glynn is the Queen of the Tearling. Despite her youth, she has quickly asserted herself as a fair, just and powerful ruler.

However, power is a double-edged sword, and small actions can have grave consequences. In trying to do what is right - stopping a vile trade in humankind - Kelsea has crossed the Red Queen, a ruthless monarch whose rule is bound with dark magic and the spilling of blood. The Red Queen's armies are poised to invade the Tearling, and it seems nothing can stop them.

Yet there was a time before the Crossing, and there Kelsea finds a strange and possibly dangerous ally, someone who might hold the key to the fare of the Tearling, and indeed to Kelsea's own soul. But time is running out...

The Invasion of the Tearling is not a fast paced book nor does it cover a huge amount of time in the plot line. But this does not hold the book back. Johansen's story is told from multiple perspectives which allow you to fully understand the complexity of the world she has created for her regressive-fantasy future. Johansen manages to weave the web of a world that is familiar, yet unique with characters that are so complex and well developed you can't help but love them all.

While the first book in this series deals with Kelsea's journey to taking on her rightful position as the Queen of the Tearling, this book follows Kelsea's next major hurdle...how to deal with the impending doom that is coming in the form of the Mort army. In this second book we begin to get more details on who the Red Queen is, even a name...which I won't spoil...

Through the stress that Kelsea faces we are reminded that she is human, a major highlight for me. We get to see Kelsea make a few decisions she would not have made in the first book and begin to her unravel a little at the edges.

While all of this is happening, Kelsea starts getting visions of the past before the crossing over to what is now Tear. At first I must admit I really didn't like where the book was going with these and I was tempted to skip ahead, but as the story progressed it becomes more and more obvious that these flashbacks of soughts, play an integral role in the story's present. Johansen's ability to weave the past and future together seamlessly is astounding and brings so much to the overall story.

The only thing I really wished that this book had included was more of The Fetch. I absolutely loved him in the first book and I was dying for him to play an even bigger role in this book and he didn't. I hope we get to see a considerably more of him in the next book because the short moments we do get of him, one thing is clear, he knows a lot more of what is going on than everyone else.

I would totally love it if we got a novella or even better a entire book that focuses on the story of The Fetch.

Ghost Medicine

Title: Ghost Medicine

Author: Andrew Smith

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Young Adult

Page Numbers: 357

Publication Date: 2008

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Summary: The summer before Troy Stotts turns seventeen, his mother dies, Troy and his father barely speak, mostly communicating instead by writing notes on a legal pad by the phone. Troy spends most of his time with his closest friends: Tom Buller, brash and fearless, the son of a drunk; Gabe Benavidez, smart enough to know he'll never take over the family ranch; and Gabe's sister Luz, whose family overprotects her, and who Troy has loved since they were children.

Troy and his friends don't want trouble. They want this to be the summer of what Troy calls 'Ghost Medicine', when times seems to stop, so they won't have to face the past, or the future. But before the summer is over, their paths will cross with people in dangerous and fateful ways,

Troy and his friends want to be invisible. Instead, they will become what they least expect - Brother's, Lovers, Heroes, and Ghosts.

This book is unlike any other book I have ever read. The writing style, the themes, the premise; the entire book and every aspect of it is unique. Ghost Medicine is Andrew Smith's debut novel.

The thing that I loved most about Ghost Medicine was the writing style of this book; but in particular the way the writing style portrayed the story. There is an almost simplicity about the writing of Ghost Medicine. That rather than reading a book, I was listening to a story to being told. But this added to the story rather than took anything away from it and fitted nicely in with the premise of the book.

The writing style is also in many ways responsible for the thing that I loved most about this book and that was its humbleness. Which is a little ironic given the trouble and lies that fill the pages of Ghost Medicine. Rather than being filled with characters that are complex and deep, with a story line that steers them on a course of development, this book seems to exist within itself and the story just is.

But this incredible uniqueness also made the book a little difficult to get into as it was not fast paced nor was it written in a way that I am used to. And while I seriously contemplated putting this book down a couple of times I am really glad I didn't. A book like this is one of those one's you just have to read for the experience. 

I also found that this book had nothing that stood out and grabbed my attention, yet once again I feel like this suited the story and helped to build to it. I think this book is one of those books that in order to understand what it is like you just have to read it. 

This book will not be for everyone, that I can guarantee. I am really interested in giving some of his other works ago to see if they share this same unique style as what Ghost Medicine does.

The Warrior Heir

Title: The Warrior Heir

Series: The Heir Chronicles - book 1

Author: Cinda Williams Chima

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

Number of Pages: 426

Publication Date: 2006

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Summary: Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.

Soon Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind, part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At their helm sits the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing the Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.

As if his bizarre heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind - he's one of the last of the warriors - at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.

I found this book to be an interesting and unique read. The world that is created within this book is complex and well thought out. For every possible question you could ask, you can guarantee that their is an answer, not that any of the characters like to share any important information. Clearly a lot of work has gone into building this world as it continued to expand and become even more impressive and detailed. The Weir and their world is one of a long history of bloodshed, betrayal at the ultimate cost and a world steeped in tradition.

As complex as the world is, the characters are even more so. Every character you meet has some important role to play, some trick or treachery they are meant to fulfill. Just when you think you have the devious characters distinguished from the good guys, you find out you couldn't be more wrong. As I was reading this book I couldn't help but imagine myself in Jack's shoes. The way this story is written meant that I was just as confused and lost as Jack was feeling. The sense of hopelessness, betrayal and fear he feels are so easy to get drawn into.

I must confess that as much as I enjoyed this book I did struggle with it quite a bit. First of all as I mentioned earlier the world and the characters are complex. Each and every time I thought I has it all figured out, I found myself having to start over. The story is also not particularly fast paced, in fact it's slow. The first half of the book is simply Jack learning that he is a warrior and that he must train, with a few hit and miss fight scenes thrown in for luck. The last half of the book is all about him getting ready for the actual 'Game'. And when I found myself with only about 50 pages to go and no Game so to speak, I was seriously beginning to wonder if I had brought a book that was missing part of the story and within a couple of pages you find yourself at end and its game over.

As for the main character Jack, while I found myself getting caught up in so many of his emotions, there were also quite a few times that I was left wondering what the hell he was thinking and why he was feeling the way he was. But overall I did enjoy the premise of this book and the unique world and will continue with the second book. I feel that The Warrior Heir is the kind of book that you appreciate it more the second time, when you know a bit more about what is going on. So if you love betrayal, and a little bit of mystery, I would recommend this book.

An Ember in the Ashes

Title: An Ember in the Ashes

Series: An Ember in the Ashes - book 1

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Number of Pages: 448

Publication Date: 2015

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Summary: For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she's never had much of a choice.

For Elias it's the opposite. He has seen too much on his path to becoming a Mask, one of the Empire's elite soldiers. With the Masks' help the Empire has conquered a continent and enslaved thousands of Scholars, all in the name of power.

When Laia's brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commandant, ruthless overseer of Blackcliff Academy. Blackcliff is the training ground for Masks, and the very place that Elias is planning to escape. If he succeeds, he will be named deserter. If found, the punishment will be death.

But once Laia and Elias meet, they find that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire.

I absolutely loved this book. The premise, the world building, the whole thing. This book is set in a Roman Empire type world with magic, betrayals and death around every corner. Everything about this book worked. In fact I found this book so good, I read it all in one sitting. There was always something happening that meant I couldn't put the book down, I just had to keep reading.

Despite the fact that this book is set in a fantasy world with magic and supernatural creatures, you don't get thrust into a new world that is confusing and distant. Sabaa Tahir mixed this strange and magical place in with a Roman Empire feel making it easy to get drawn into.

I loved the idea of the Masks, the soldiers of the Empire, trained from the age of six to twenty, who are taught one thing: obey. Obeying usually involves a horrible death of those that are considered a threat to the Empire. So much detail has been clearly put into creating the Masks and in no way can they be confused as anything other than deadly and dangerous.

This book is told from the perspective of the two main characters Laia and Elias, with alternating perspectives given for each new chapter. At no point in this story did it not work. Despite the constant perspective change, the story flowed in a way that it never would have been able to if only one of them had been narrating.

The characters also contained an unbelievable amount of back story and depth. Just when you think you have the characters all worked out, they get infinitely more complex and well thought out. The pain, the fear and the anger that these two characters feel is so real at times you will feel like its your own. Both Laia and Elias go through an incredible amount of character development. Both, despite being two very different characters, learn to stop letting the world go by and to stand up and fight for what they believe in. 

This book ends at the cusps of a new and dangerous era and I can't wait for the next book to be released in April 2016.

Ignite Me

Title: Ignite Me

Series: Shatter Me Trilogy - book 3

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 4

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia Sci Fi

Number of Pages: 421

Publication Date: 2014

Publisher: Harper Collins

Summary: With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn't know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won't keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world...but that's not all he wants with her.

What a fantastic conclusion to the Shatter Me Trilogy. This final book is action packed, fast paced, and brings the series to a nice close. By the end of this book I had well and truly fallen in love with the characters and was sad to know that their story had come to an end.

May contain spoilers...

The character development in Ignite Me was perhaps my favourite part of this book and this series. I originally found the characters to be very two dimensional and I couldn't really love them. But by the end of this book I found myself understanding who the characters were and the difficult decisions they were making. Juliette had a huge amount of character development in this book. When I read Unravel Me I thought that she was finally the character she was meant to be, but after Ignite Me I realised that only the surface of the strength and determination she possessed had been revealed.

Warner also makes huge changes in this book. While in the previous books and novella we have slowly been revealed to the human side of Warner, it is in Ignite Me that I fell in love with him. In the previous books Warner, while having genuine and redeeming qualities, had ultimately done what he needed to survive. But in Ignite Me he learns to be a strong individual who not only does the right thing, but isn't scared to do so. Warner also learns to do things for others, and I don't just mean doing things for Juliette because he likes her.

The character development that I loved the most, however, was that of Adam. Why?.. because he went kinda backwards. I loved seeing the petty, angry and not-so-perfect side of Adam. Previously I had found him to be too perfect, too flawless and lacking any realistic dimensions. But seeing him crumble and failing to be this perfect crutch that would help Juliette and the rest of the world onto the right path was a refreshing sequence of events in the book.

I was also pleased to see a more active role of the Reestablishment in this book. This series is meant to revolve around the destruction and corruption of the world and the Reestablishment, but in many ways it was lacking in the first two books. There was a lot of talk of the Reestablishment but no real action. While a large portion of the beginning of this book did continue in this same fashion, the big epic battle at the end did make up for this. 

Fangirl

Title: Fangirl

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Number of Pages: 460

Publication Date: 2013

Publisher: Macmillan

Summary (from the back of the book): Cath and Wren are identical twins and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She would rather bury herself in the fanfiction she writes where there's romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life.

Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realising that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible...

I absolutely adored this book. If you love living in books and have gone to university, you will really be able to relate to Cath's experiences. This book is very much a coming of age story; finding who you are and more importantly accepting who you are. On top of finding out who she is, Cath also faces the problem of dealing with her social anxiety. Something that I found Rainbow Rowell handled really well.

I found this book to be a fun, light read that is very realistic and for the most part couldn't find any faults with it. But at the same time I can't say I found anything overly amazing about it either. This book just was. Yet despite this I would recommend it to anyone. One of the reasons I personally think it lack the wow factor is that I do prefer fantasy to contemporary.

This probably explains why my favourite parts of the book were the events surrounding Cath writing her fanfiction and the inserts both from the fictional Simon Snow books and the fanfiction that Cath has written. And I must say, I am really interested in reading Carry On after reading the small snippets throughout the book.

This book is very dialogue based, which I personally love. I find that dialogue is what brings any story forward. It is one thing to be able to write and describe a story but to have characters that can talk and communicate between each other and effectively is what I love and more importantly, it's what I remember. Another thing about a good dialogue driven book, is that the things that aren't said have such a greater impact.

This book is one of the best stand alone's that I have read this year and I can't wait to read something else that has been written by Rainbow Rowell.

Unravel Me

Title: Unravel Me

Series: Shatter Me Trilogy - book 2

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia

Number of Pages: 461

Publication Date: January 2013

Publisher: Harper Collins

Summary (from the back of the book): Juliette is still haunted by her deadly touch. But now she has teamed up with other rebels with powers of their own, she'll be able to fight back against the Reestablishment to save her broken world. With the help of these new allies, she will learn the secret behind Adam's-and Warner's-immunity to her killer skin.

I didn't particularly like the first book in this series but I had heard that it gets better as you go along so I picked up Unravel Me and I'm really glad I decided to. Everything that I didn't like in Shatter Me seems to get sorted out in this book and everything that I was uncertain of, was cleared up. It's not often you come across a second book in a series which is the one that holds it all together. 

The main thing that I disliked in the first book was the relationship between Adam and Juliette, and Warner and Juliette. It all felt a little forced. After reading this second book and watching the characters develop I began to understand why the characters came across like this. In Shatter Me all the characters seemed to be going through the motions, doing what they thought was expected of them. But in this book they start to see that maybe they need to think a little of themselves and do what they want. But not quite as much as the reader realises how much they need to rethink a few things.

I was also glad that who the Reestablishment was and their goals were brought more into this story. Once again I did, however, find that the role of this corrupt group did play a slightly less significant role than Juliette working out who she is and what her abilities are, and her boy issues.The ending of this book has set up the Reestablishment to play a huge role in the final book and I hope I won't be disappointed. 

Que some minor spoilers....

In this second book we learn why it is that Adam and Warner are immune to Juliette's powers...but more importantly we see Adam stop being immune to Juliette's power. Something which brings a staggering amount of reality into the story. When Juliette and Adam realise that he is not quite as immune to her powers as they thought, they are forced to seriously reconsider their relationship and whether or not it is wise for them to keep seeing each other. When Juliette pulls away to protect Adam, we also get to see a darker side of Adam. Especially when he is put in situations involving Warner.

Without Adam acting as a crutch on reality for Juliette, she is forced to be a little more independent and we begin to see her learning to live and not just existing. Juliette begins to make friends and with Warner a prisoner at Omega Point, we get to see her interact with someone who actually understands what she has been through. It is through Juliette's interactions with Warner that as a reader you begin to understand how badly Juliette has been forgetting to live her own life, how much she has been relying on others and doing what she thinks is expected of her. And much like the first book, Warner pushes all her buttons and makes her react and feel. Something that Juliette has spent a large chunk of her life trying not to do.

I found Unravel Me to be the book where the story started. In many ways I have found Shatter Me to simply be the starting point, the book that sets the scene. But now the story has really begun.

The Clan of the Cave Bear

Title: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Series: Earth's Children - book 1

Author: Jean M. Auel

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 502

Publication Date: 1980

Publisher: Hodder

TBR Challenge: Read a book that was recommended to you

Summary (from the back of the book): Orphaned by an earthquake at the age of five, Ayla is left without a family or people. Until she is adopted by the Clan, a group of Neanderthal. Ayla inspires first surprise, then wariness and finally acceptance by the Clan. She is cared for by its medicine women Iza and its wise holy man Creb. Only their future leader, Broud, is not willing to accept this strange women. Consumed with hatred, he does all he can to destroy her. But Ayla bears the marks and the spirit of her totem, the Cave Lion. She is a survivor.

I used to see this book series in the library all the time but never picked it up. However, in my second year of university, one of my lecturers mentioned how the Earth's Children was one of her favourite book series. When I realised that the books I kept seeing everywhere were the same as the one's she had recommended, I figured I should probably pick up The Clan of the Cave Bear and give them ago. I was pretty excited when I got my TBR challenge this month because it gave me an excuse to move this book up to the top of my TBR pile.

This book did take a while to get into. One of the things that I struggled with was the way that the characters communicated. Rather than speaking with words to one another, the Clan (aka the Neanderthals) talk in a series of hand gestures and a few spoken words to help emphasis certain points. To portray this as well as what she did, would have been no small feat and shows just how incredible a writer Jean is. It does, however, take a while to wrap your head around, especially in the beginning but soon you find yourself getting use to reading someone gesturing a sentence as opposed to speaking it.

In line with this idea of a different communication style was the incredibly different cultural portrayals that Jean created. For example, because the Clan speaks with hand gestures, it is considered rude to look at others, especially when they are 'speaking', much in the same way that we consider eavesdropping to be rude. But I really enjoyed learning these social customs of the Clan through Ayla, who as an outsider or other, struggles to learn the new social customs. This was particularly obvious in how the Clan originally viewed Ayla's smiles as signs of hostility which they saw as bearing her teeth, like an angry animal would and Ayla crying when she was overly emotional which they saw as her having weak eyes.

Jean also created interesting parallels between the Clan and the Others. In particular the idea that the Neanderthal relied on memory and as a result were a stagnant people, unable to let go of their traditions and move forward, never creating. While Ayla's people, the Other, were forward thinkers, able to create and think ahead, as opposed to constantly seeing the past. Yet despite creating this parallel, at no point did she ever diminish the Neanderthal by giving them an unjust stereotypical unintelligent persona.

Through doing an archaeology degree I have both indirectly and directly looked at human evolution and I am amazed at the world Jean created 30 odd years ago. A lot of the ideas that Jean has presented in this book surrounding Neanderthal are ideas that have only recently been accepted as true. Sure there are some points that are questionable, but considering when The Clan of the Cave Bear was published, Jean must have done a lot of research.

Shatter Me

Title: Shatter Me
Series: Shatter Me Trilogy - book 1
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 3.5
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy/ Sci-fi
Number of Pages: 338
Publication Date:November 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins
Summary (from the back of book): Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong colour. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war - and the Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now. Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

The first thing I want to mention is the writing style of this book. You are either going to love it or hate it. Personally I found all the metaphors and crossed out to words, especially in the beginning of the book, difficult to get the flow of. It was a bit too stop and start for me. However, I do understand that this style of writing is essential for the book. Through writing from Juliette's perspective this style of writing provides an incredibly detailed line of sight in Juliette's mind. And the lack of stability that she is experiencing.

The second half of this book is a lot better than the first half, in fact the first quarter of the book almost made me put it down. For the first part of this book I was a little confused as to what was going on, especially the role of Adam and Warner. While I understand that Juliette is confused and therefore so is the reader, at times this caused the story to lack enough insight to hold my attention.

This next part will be a bit spoilery, so if you haven't read the book yet, divert your gaze:

The relationship between Adam and Juliette and even Warner's feelings for Juliette, leave me mildly annoyed and unhappy. To me, I found them both to be quite forced. The relationship between Adam and Juliette happens too fast, it almost insta-love. And I hate insta-love. While later in the book it is established that Juliette and Adam not only know each other from the past, but have always loved each other, this was not developed enough for me, and not developed early enough, for me to loose this feeling of insta-love. At first I questioned whether I had missed a page or two.

The potential for a relationship between Warner and Juliette was also something I struggled with. It is only now as I read the novella following the first book where I have gotten any idea of where a potential relationship between the two stems from. It is only near the end of Shatter Me that it is really hinted at that Warner has been following Juliette's live with interest, border lining obsession. And it is only in the novella that it actually becomes clear what Warner is thinking.

Once again I'm not sure if this is because Juliette thinks this way, so as a reader, so do I (after all, a larger proportion of this book is her internal monologue)...or if the relationships she has with these two boys is just something I find lacking. I will be persevering with this series as I have heard many people claim that the rest of the series is a lot better than the first book. I also feel that Shatter Me is a book you almost need to re-read once you get a better understanding of the series to fully appreciate it. The premise of this book really interests me as well and I am interested it seeing how the Reestablishment side of this series plays out.