Hush Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush Hush is possibly one of the most boring, predictable and tiring book I have ever read. It is identical to the millions of other vampire fiction books currently invading our book shelves plot-wise.

It consists of:
A mysterious guy
He is very annoying
Yet you love him
You endure several deadly encounters
However through it all you still predictably love him.

It really is rather infuriating, but I am a fair reviewer so I shall type out a brief summary of the plot:

When Nora is forced to sit next to a guy called Patch in science she is disgusted by his obnoxious personality. He is very irritating and seems to know everything about her even though she has told him hardly anything. However she cannot possibly judge Patch because she cannot trust her own judgement of herself, let alone anyone else. She keeps seeing dangerous scenarios involving a mysterious person wearing a ski mask. Once its running them over in a car, then its being pushed out of a roller coaster, then a woman being mugged in the street, then her friend V being attacked. Every time the evidence seems to magically disappear before she can show someone the proof. But is she imagining? It doesn't help that a transfer student who could have been previously involved in a murder wants to mingle with her and V. But deep down Nora doesn't want patch to be involved, to her he is as perfect as an angel.

Compared to my previous Angel related review, this was a major disappointment and didn't fulfil the idea of angels well at all. When one of the main characters turns out to be a fallen angel there is no discussion on this, in fact Nora seems to accept this as perfectly normal with not as much as a question.
Plus, can you think of any other young adult dark fiction books where the two main characters meet as lab partners? Slightly twilight-esk me thinks? This annoying lack of originality means that you can work out the ending from the very start. Plus the main character appears to be either deluded or suicidal, constantly putting herself in danger in the poisonous name of love. Also the police are at her house almost every night to investigate crimes that appear to have never taken place, would she not have been referred elsewhere? The only good point I can think of is that for reviewers you want to read till the end to see JUST how bad it can get.

I give it an awkward one star.

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Angel - L.A Weatherly

My first NBCS book review! Here we go! 

This is a book that I have never seen or heard about before, the cover of a pale girl is quite menacing and makes you want to know what's in store. It is a crazy mix of romance, action and drama and is a nice alternative to vampire fiction. 

Willow's life is perfectly normal, she lives with her disabled Mum and her aunt and has a girly best friend called Nina. But Willow isn't normal, she's psychic and can see into the future by simply holding someone's hand. When she first agreed to read Beth's aura she had no idea what trouble it would cause and how it would change her life forever. Beth is popular and clever at school, but an encounter with a mysterious man is going to pull her astray and take Willow with her. Next thing Willow knows she is fleeing from the Church of Angels - a mad cult who worship angels who supposedly saved humanity. She isn't alone, Alex is seventeen, incredibly handsome and an angel hunter who was instructed to find and kill Willow by the CIA. Everything is not what it seems: the CIA has been taken over by angels. Is it even possible for Angels to be bad? One thing is for sure - Willow is a half angel... whatever that is. 

One thing I realised by reading this book was how much of a novelty and truly unique idea it is. The plot line is common for vampire fiction books; but the concept of angels is completely new and fresh. It turns our pretty much set-in-stone concept of angels upside down, and by the final page you seriously begin to ponder whether it could actually be true. 

I may be suffering from 'Angel Burn' but this book seems fantastic. It's narrative is unusual yet simple to follow, sometimes third person narration of the plot, then flipping between Alex and Willow's point of view. Knowing both characters thoughts made the romance even more painstaking, L.A Weatherly spun Alex and Willow's relationship so skilfully that the reader ends up begging for them to get together. Alex is also the perfect fictional boyfriend, which means the book ticks all boxes for teenage girl readers! 

A story of betrayal, romance, angels and a whole new side to the world. Warning - this book will change the way you think about angels forever! I give it a flying five stars! 

Yay For Little Reviewing Job!

Hello!
First of all I am very sorry for the lack of updates, I've been reading too much ;)
Anyway at the moment I have a fantastic system going on for book reviewing!
Ever heard of a charity called the National Blind Children's Society? Well let me tell you something... They are AMAZING! They have a unique service called Customeyes, which provides large print books in any format for young people with a visual impairment. So I can get my books just how I like them:

• In Arial 
• Bold
• Size 24
• On yellow paper

Call me picky! 

Anyway a fantastic deal has been struck up between me and customeyes, they send me books and I review them! I also got my link on their website:

http://www.nbcs.org.uk/customeyes/CustomEyes-member-writes-review/731

Oh oh oh! I was also on the front of their newsletter this morning! It was amazeabubbles! Thank you so much NBCS :) 

Anyway so I am going to get writing my first review for them now, Exciting stuff! 

TTFN! 

:)

My so-called Phantom Lovelife - Tamsyn Murray

My so-called phantom lovelife is a wonderful read for anyone who loves paranormal young adult fiction!

It is the fascinating tale of a girl called Skye, who was born with a fantastic psychic ability. Skye uses her skills for good by working at the 'Dearly Departed' spiritualist church, here she helps spirits pass over to the astral plane. She sees ghosts everywhere she goes and when a ghost called Owen alerts Skye to her drowning friend in the lake, they hit it off straight away. She begins to get to know Owen, he is a beautiful teenage boy with a noticeable scar on his face. Skye is curious because she knows that ghosts only stay on this earth if they have unfinished business or died tragically. Owen soon reveals that he had fallen through the ice, which he stepped on for a dare, during the snow . He has a mourning sister who visits the scene of the accident regularly, but Owen can't do anything to comfort her. Skye teaches Owen how to move away from the lake by carrying a pebble with him. But when Skye gets closer to Owen than her professional capacity allows she tries to encourage Owen to let go of this world and move onto the astral plane. Owen refuses point blanc and no amount of Skye talking to him will change his mind. In despair she resorts to getting back together with her ex, Nico. Nico is a member of the evil cult 'The Solomanarii' which promise ghosts a way to stay on this earth by enslaving them to the cult. This is Owen's dream ticket... can Skye stop him in time?

Tantalizingly twisting this book is very addictive. It is infact the third book in the series which includes (My so-called afterlife and My so-called haunting). I haven't read either of the previous books but I came against no problems in slipping straight into this one. I would read the others in the series because I enjoyed this book a lot.  There were certain characters which I would have liked to see have a bigger role in the plot: like Mary. Mary is an ancient ghost of a witch, I think she could have been used a lot more for comedy purposes rather than just appearing occasionally to remind the reader that it is actually different to any other teen novel. About half way through the plot you stop thinking of Owen as a real ghost but as just a normal boy, this was quite misleading sometimes. Also the scene where she gets back together with Nico is slightly unrealistic considering she knows he is part of an evil cult? I wouldn't take someone back who was in that kind of group, no matter how 'normal' he makes it sound! I give this book a fantastic four stars!

The Truth about Celia Frost - Paula Rawsthorne

The Truth about Celia Frost is utterly captivating, It traps you within its pages and won't let you go until you have read it cover-to-cover. It is the story of a girl named Celia, she lives with her Mum Janice. Celia is sick, she has a rare blood disorder which means if she has the tiniest cut: the cut will never close, and she could bleed to death. She is also sick of the solitude her disorder brings her. She endures terrible bullying at school: universally known as 'Freak'. Meanwhile, Janice is living in constant panic about Celia and worries intensely. But when Celia is involved in a stab attack at school, something strange happens and it puts light on a whole new scenario. It's a secret so terrible that Celia can barely believe it, but is it true...?

...The wounds sealed by themselves...

On the other side of the city, A women who is code-named 'Nemo' instructs private investigator Frankie to find the mother and daughter. She strings him along with the promise of a heavy pay check, but will she push him too far? The character of Frankie is very mysterious, he became a private investigator after being chucked out of the police force for corrupt practice. He is being instructed to find and follow Celia and Janice, but is there more to him? Or is he just the 'baddie'?

This book had me absolutely drawn in from the ominous title, to the very last paragraph. Paula Rawsthorne leads you to several different conclusions during the plot, and you are wrong every time until the very end! I must have thought up at least seven different theories about Celia until I found out the truth!

Celia meets the mysterious boy Sol through a near death experience, yet another wake up call. He becomes the perfect excuse to get out more. It's the perfect match and they spend afternoons by the lake as he teaches Celia how to swim and become more of a teenager. Sol tries to shed light on Celia's mother's strange ways, but is he right? Celia begins to play mind games with Janice and forces her into letting her go out, blinded by rage and unaware of the hurt she is causing. Or the danger she is putting them both in.

A must read... five stars!

Meeting Matt Haigh

In my town every year there is a literature festival, and it is usually a community 'cup of tea and scone' affair. This year me and my friend went to see Matt Haigh (author of 'The Radleys').

I have read the book, it is about a family of vampires trying to be normal while their mad uncle is the typical Dracula type. They hide the fact that they're vampires from their kids so they develop terrible rashes. It is a book that I would rate 3 stars- it wasn't great, could of been better.

But I went to meet Matt, hoping that what he'd say would compel me to flick through again! Or that there was another aspect to the book I missed completely. So (tea in hand) myself and a friend went to listen to what had to be said! Matt was unlucky, he started Writing the book before the Twilight phenomenon started, and finished and published it during the twilight boom. This must have been hard, to have your unique and wonderful idea of vampires demonified by an aisle of books with bite! The name 'Radleys' came from 'to kill a mocking bird''s Boo Radley who was a mysterious, shady character and a definite outsider. Matt spoke about the link between these characteristics and the way his vampire clan feel. Later, he described the places where he had set the book (a mixture of local villages near us). He then read a chapter and submitted himself into book signing.

It was a good night, but I don't think I'll re-read The Radleys, it just doesn't appeal to me. It was really interesting hearing about how the book came to be published and how the idea came to him.

Still here!

Hey guys,
Just to say I am still here and blogging! It's been a hectic few weeks and I have been non-stop! Been asked to write a few things for my other blog and some charities too! My other blog is: www.smallprintlarger.blogspot.com in case you want to be nosy! Thanks for following the blog and I hope to have something for you to read soon :)

Dizzythinker

Stone Cold - Robert Swindells

For Link life is tough. His mum gets her new boyfriend, Vince - a drunken fool who is violent and cruel.  Vince used to Lock Link out of the house at night and turn his mum against him. Then he isn't welcome anywhere - not even at his sister Carole's house because of her moody boyfriend Chris. To top it all off he was given a sleeping bag for Christmas. So Link sets off in search of a better life on the streets of London - he wants a flat, job, friends and to be happy. After struggling with mad landlords, muggers, job centers and cold winter nights he meets Ginger. Ginger could be the answer to all his problems - just her smile makes him feel warmer even in the coldest winter night. But Link better watch out: mentally unstable Shelter could be at every turn. Shelter is ex-army and on a private mission to 'save' the country from homeless people. His techniques to do so may not be classed as law abiding or humane though...

Another Robert Swindells Book that I have enjoyed, Robert is clearly an exceptional writer. This book will make you laugh and cry. This addresses the growing issue of homeless people in the UK perfectly. Shelter is a very complex but brilliant character and Link is very charming too. You must read this book because there are lots of amazing surprise twists! A Fabulous Five star!

Abomination - Robert Swindells

Martha is a good girl. She wears the dresses her Mother makes her, and receives her Dad's beatings gracefully. She says her prayers and is a quiet girl. She is a good member of the righteous church and looks after abomination well. Under no accounts would she be friends with a boy! Surely not? Scott is new in town and trying to make the most of being at a new school, it's a clean slate and anything could happen. Why then, does he make friends with Martha the weird religious old-fashioned kid? But he can't help it: he thinks Martha could be his true love. Martha comes with strings attached though:

1. Kids chase her home from school everyday yelling 'Raggedy Anne' after her because, apparently, she looks like one of those hideous dolls.
2. Her parents possibly beat her. they are so strange!
3. She looks after abomination. A secret which he is going to struggle to keep.

This book was excellent. We read it at school last year and it has stuck with me, it is an amazingly powerful plot. Abomination is dual narrated and is all about Martha and Scott and their rapidly changing lives. You become very affectionate towards the characters and it is absolutely un-put-downable read! I love it, I love it, I love it! I give it five stars for an amazing tale!

Life at the Shallow End - Helen Bailey

Life at the shallow end has been on my list of 'to reads' for a while so I finally got round to picking it up. It is a classic young adult fiction and is based around Electra Brown who is a teenager and is sensitive about her looks and desperate for a guy called Jags to notice her. Electra has two best friends: Sorrell and Lucy. Sorrell is a forced vegetarian and spends all her money on buying meat and Lucy has the perfect home and family and is forced to be very tidy. Electra's life goes into meltdown when her dad announces he is leaving: but why? She has to find out!

I found this book a bit tedious at times. I couldn't help but compare Electra to Georgia Nicholson from 'Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging'. In my opinion the plot and characters are too similar to Louise Rennison's books. Even down to the fine details like in Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging there is a snog scale, In Life at the Shallow End there is a snogability scale which is more metaphorical. Also there is the whole 'Dad leaving' scenario which also occurs in both books. I know I probably shouldn't compare the two but they are too similar for my liking. But on the other hand it did have a few laughs in it - and made me smile.  


I found this book funny but I got really bored in some parts I'm afraid. I give it One star.

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece - Annabel Pitcher

Terrorism. Bereavement. Alcoholism. Eating disorders. Love. Hate. Life. Death. Hope. 'My sister lives on the mantelpiece' is a book that faces many modern day issues and has a million and one different perspectives to take. Jamie is ten years old and has just moved to the Lake District with his Dad, his sister Jasmine and his other special sister, Rose, but she lives on the mantelpiece. Before five years ago Rose was Jas's twin: then she was tragically killed in a terrorist attack; for Jamie and Jas life as not been the same again. Jas has turned to piercings, hair dye and not eating, Dad has turned to drink, Mum has abandoned them but Jamie is possibly affected worst as he is yet to cry. Jamie can't really remember Rose and often feels negatively towards her memory - after all her death has destroyed his family. He begins to become friends with a girl at school called Sunya - but will his Dads prejudice get in the way of their friendship? Will Dad ever let go of his deceased daughter, or is that something no human can possibly ever do?

This book is deep, really deep. It affects you on every level emotionally and makes you think about situations you wouldn't necessarily think about. Prejudice and letting go are the main things that are striking to me in this book. Jamie's Dad takes Rose's death badly and develops a big prejudice and anger towards people of the Islamic faith. This gave me a real insight into why someone in this particular situation might be so stereotypical towards Muslims. It also put me right in Jamie's head and allowed me to see from his point of view why he doesn't miss/cry about his sister Rose. Though in the first few pages (chapter even) I certainly thought he was just insensitive, but as you go through the book you begin to love Jamie and sympathise with him. I enjoyed this book a lot and give it a four star rating!

My Kindle!

So today was very exciting! I got a cover for my kindle which is quite cute! (Yes I get excited about the small things!). So here is my opportunity to review the Amazon Kindle 3g. Here we go!

The amazon kindle is an ereader which is as thin as a pencil and is only 247 grams heavy! It can store an incredible 3,500 books which can be downloaded from the kindle store to the device in just 60 seconds. With the type I have (kindle 3g) you can have free 3g internet connections whereever you go to download books anytime.  You can also connect to the wifi internet in a specific plsce. The device is small and light enough to hold in one hand and you are also able to turn the page with one hand too. The screen is fantastic and looks just like paper it isn't backlit so you can read easily outside in sunlight. On the kindle Estore you can choose from up to 700,000 books all availible to you and your imagination.

The cover I got is a 'Gelaskin' I love it because it was easy to apply and it stays firmly on. I am also told they are easy to remove. There are lots of designs but I chose the owl because it is so sweet and for some reason makes me think about reading! Get yourself a kindle, They are awesome! If you are in the mood for a treat go for a gelaskin too!

Book Giveaway!

Hey Guys,
Since my sight went downhill I still have piles of unused books! So I am going to do a trial giveaway and see how it goes... this is my first giveaway! YAY!

So I am giving away a book called 'Emily the Strange: the lost days'. Emily the strange has come out of cartoon and is now a feature length novel in this lovely hardback edition! Emily is a thirteen year old amnesiac who lives alone with lots of black cats. If she isn't making monsters or napping with her cats she is planning or carrying out some form of an evil plan... this is an amazing and unusual read, definitely not to be missed out on! Oh and I am throwing in a paperback copy of 'Glass Houses' which (as many of you may know) is the first of the morganvilla vampires series.

So: For your chance to win you must follow these terms and conditions:
1. You must live in England
2. You must follow this blog.
3. You must re-post about this giveaway on your blog.
4. You must comment with your email.

Winner will be chosen by www.random.org !

Keep smiling,
Dizzy thinker.

Scarlett - Cathy Cassidy

Another book from the kind folks at National Blind Children's Society. Scarlett is a story about a girl who is a bit of a trouble maker. She has been expelled from five schools in two years and she only lasted four months at Greenhall Academy. Now Mum's had enough, the suitcases are packed and Scarlett is shoved onto a plane to go and live with her Dad who - as far as Scarlett is concerned- is a waste of oxygen. As if this isn't enough, she has a new stepsister to ignore and her evil stepmum who keeps trying to be nice AND her Dad's new baby on the way. She has to be on gaurd - Scarlett doesn't want to be dragged into this happy family charade. Then there is Kian... the mystery boy by the loch... could he make her stay?

Scarlett is a great young adult read. You really feel like you are in the story because of Scarlett's strong narrative. I read this book in a day and it had me gripped. It has great morals - maybe not in the first chapters, but towards the end. It's main moral is that you should embrace second chances and make the most of whatever situation you are in. These are morals I certainly believe in. I would recommend this to any young adult (12+) wanting a read that will keep you gripped! I give it a fabulous four star!