Book Review | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive."

There really isn't anything much I can say about this book without spoiling the surprises inside it, but WOW! What a book! I have had it for years and honestly don't understand why I haven't read it sooner. I picked it up off my shelf for the month of October because I thought it'd fit the sort of October theme, and now I can't help but order the others instantly. It is absolutely incredible and I am so sad the series is over. After I read the next two, that's it for this particular series. Boo hoo.

The writing is beautiful. It is witty, humorous, in some parts beautiful. It's a very fast read thanks to the short chapters and almost juvenile writing (but what else can be expected from a middle-grade novel). It's not what I'd call a soft book. The writing is blunt and straight to the point, but the world described is wonderful. The landscape is built perfectly and that creates such a clear picture in my mind. The inclusion of photographs aids this, and adds a really eerie and spooky vibe.

I grew to really love the characters within the book. Even those who aren't the most likeable, I grew to love and feel concerned about if something happened to them. They're written well although there wasn't much character development within the book. I put that down to it being relatively short and figured they'd include more character development in the next two books. The main character is a little irritating, but he's still young so I guess that's what comes from being a teenage lad these days haha.

The plot is fun and engaging. I absolutely loved the story line and couldn't wait to see what happened next. There was a lot of world building for the first 3/4 of the book and then all the drama happened at once, and I grew more and more concerned as I neared the end of the book and the dilemma was still unresolved as I was scared I'd be left on a cliffhanger or something. But it ended well and I was content with what happened. Overall the plot is just really fun, if a little creepy. I want to be taken to their world.

I give this book an easy 5/5 starts and cannot wait to read the next two in the series!

Book Review | City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

What to say about this book... I'm so mixed on whether I enjoyed it or not that I don't even know where to begin. On one hand, I really couldn't put this book down. I was interested about the world and what was going to happen next, even though the plot and the twist were entirely too predictable. I finished this 500 page book in one day, then put it down and thought... "why"...

First thing's first, this is not one fantastic piece of literature that's going to last for generations to come. It's poorly written with similies and clichés aplenty, and with such lines as "it tasted green", I have to wonder why it's as popular as it is. Seriously, what sort of person without a sensory condition can taste the colour green?! Very poorly written. Commas were in places they shouldn't be, and missing from places they should be. You can clearly tell this is a rehashing of a badly written fan fiction from back in the day, unfortunately. The writing style is what I'd consider juvenile and childish, lacking substance and depth. Clare is also a "tell and not show" author. Instead of showing us the character's personalities, she decides to tell us through character dialogue what they're like which baffles me. I'd much rather learn what the character is about through their actions than be told the ins and outs of their personality. This is very much the same throughout all aspects of the novel.

There is not one single original character in this entire novel. Every single one has been taken from an already published book, for example Jace is clearly just a rehashing of Draco Malfoy. Clary is very Bella Swan like, in her "plain jane" attitude where she thinks she's boring and ugly. Hodge is clearly a Dumbledore or Gandalf figure who is wise and helpful etc. It's honestly all been done before. The plot is also like this. There are scenes from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and a load of teenage romance movies as well. I'm not going to go into what they are because honestly I am not one for spoilers, but there was not a single original thing in this entire book.

And yet... I had to keep turning the page. I couldn't put it down and I have absolutely no idea why. Despite the plot being predictable, I had to know what happened next. And I've already downloaded the next book in the series because I want to get to the end of it. I honestly do not understand why I feel this way. Absolutely nothing about the novel is engaging and I don't care about any of the characters or what happens to them... so why have I downloaded the next one? The world they live in sounds alright, but nothing special. And yet I long to be transported there. I don't know. I really don't. So that's why, despite being absolute drivel, I gave it three stars.

Overall, despite being very poorly written and predictable (and pretty much just a mish mash of already published stories), I can't wait to read the next one. I'm going mad, I swear.

3/5 stars.

Book Review | Fractured by Karin Slaughter

A woman comes home to find a man with a knife hunched over what she believes to be the dead body of her teenage daughter. She did what she felt she had to do, and fought back, killing him. But all was not as it appeared.

This is the first Karin Slaughter book I have read, and I loved every second of it. Slaughter's writing style reminds me a lot of Lisa Gardner's, which is a huge compliment from me because I adore her books also. The story was gripping and I genuinely couldn't figure out who did it. I'm not used to being unable to figure it out. Usually my overly-analytical brain doesn't give up until it's done, but I think that the plot for this book was so enthralling that I couldn't think of anything at all, I was far too engrossed.

Slaughter really seems to care a great deal about her characters. Throughout the book, I really felt like I got to know them and actually developed some deep feelings towards them. I was actually really saddened when I turned the last page; I just wanted to stay there with them. I'm already looking into the next book in the series because I feel like I can't stay away from my beloved Will Trent for much longer.

I can't speak too much about the writing style. I simply wasn't paying attention to it. I know that she is considered to write quite vigorously and can be quite a tough read, but I didn't find this at all. I found this book to almost turn the pages itself. I was reading, and then before I knew it, I was at the end. It took me two days to read over 500 pages and I think that really speaks volumes for how much it captivated me and how easy to read I found this book. It was a sophisticated book, though, and that's for sure.

Both the plot and characters were incredibly realistic. This is important to me (although I can't say why). The plot itself was captivating and really leaves you wanting more. Everything ties in nicely with everything else, and despite all loose ends being tied at the end, it wasn't perfect. And that lack of perfection at the ending really adds to the realism of the story. Slaughter writes as though she's just telling a tale of something that happened in real life, and I think that when writing a thriller, the scariest and most captivating of tales are those that we can see really happening to our neighbour, our father, ourselves. It is brilliant.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book and am so excited to read the next in the series.

Unpopular Opinions | Book Tag

Okay so I wasn't tagged by anyone in particular, but I am an opinionated person with quite a few unpopular opinions and I thought this looked fun. I watched a few Booktube videos and realised I actually had some different answers to some of the questions but have yet to make a YouTube account so figured I'd make a blog post here, and eventually make a video to accompany the blog post. Phew that was a long sentence. I'm soooooorry! Haha

So this tag was originally created by The Book Archer on YouTube back in April. I'm a little behind, but ah well. It still sounds fun! So onto the questions. As always, these opinions are entirely my own and are not meant personally towards any person who does not agree. If I don't like a book, it doesn't mean the book is BAAAAAD. It just means it didn't personally engage in my brain, and that's okay, because we are all unique people with unique thoughts and that's what makes us wonderful ^_^

1. A Popular Book or series that you didn't like.

Oh gosh there are so many that fall into this category. Twilight, definitely. It's an insta-love book that's not written too well with characters I genuinely did not like at all. So... Twilight would definitely be up there. Gone Girl was another one. I absolutely HATED Gone Girl. I found it silly, predictable, slow to build and incredibly dull. I hated every character and genuinely didn't care what happened to anyone within the book. I think Gone Girl would be my number one

2. A Popular Book or series that every one else seems to hate but you love.

I honestly can't think of anything for this category... I can't even think of a book or series that everyone hates haha. I can think of books I love that aren't well known, but honestly cannot think of a single book or series that I love that everyone else seems to hate... Hm. Maybe I'll come back to this one later? OH WAIT I HAVE IT! :D

I found Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code very entertaining. No, they're not groundbreaking, showstopping literature. Yes, they're written in a very formulaic way, possessing a very linear plot. Yep, the character development is poor and it's very "one bound and then you're free", as my beloved grandma would say. But as a bit of light reading on a Sunday afternoon with a good cup of tea, they're great fun. So I'd have to say The Da Vinci Code for me :)

3. A Love Triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with (warn ppl for spoilers) OR an OTP that you don't like.

Ohhh boy do I have some unpopular opinions for this one. I absolutely HATE Harry and Ginny together. Ginny in general is a weak character for me, and I feel her story should have really concluded with The Chamber of Secrets. In my opinion, her character is poorly developed and she didn't mesh well with Harry AT ALL. There are whole Tumblr posts dedicated to the hatred of this character and this OTP. Just... no.

The second is also Harry Potter related and is Remus and Tonks. These are two people who are total opposites in every way and I just genuinely don't understand why Rowling decided to pair them up. It sort of feels like she just didn't want Remus to die alone to me, so she pushed him together with the first free female available like "oh hey, I'm single, you're single, let's hook up!" I just... don't get it. I adore Remus, he's my favourite marauder. So I'm very protective of him ¬_¬ I just ignore their relationship as best I can ^_^

4. A popular book Genre that you hardly reach for.

I very rarely reach for two genres in particular - contemporary "chick lit" literature, although I absolutely despise that term as I think it's completely sexist and very limiting in its descriptive properties (what does chick lit even mean?!) and straight up romance. I don't mind a nice book with a bit of romance thrown in, who doesn't like a good romantic sub-plot going on. But I don't like it to be the entire substance of the story. Contemporary chick lit includes authors like Jojo Moyes and Cecelia Ahern. I prefer my stories to have a bit of grit and suspense. So these are two I hardly reach for.

5. A popular or beloved character that you do not like.

Boy do I hate this character. So much. I think he's manipulative, childish and ultimately doesn't care about Harry a single bit. When Harry is in trouble and seeing visions of Voldemort, Dumbledore doesn't take him aside and explain things to put his mind at ease. Dumbledore simply ignores him, avoids him and blanks him. He has Snape protect the boy for years just so that Harry can die at the right moment, and Dumbledore ultimately tells no one of this until the moment when he must die. Snape says it best when he says "now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter"... Ultimately a cruel man. I despise him. 

6. A popular author that you can't seem to get into.
Oh boy you're going to hate me for this ;) I really cannot get into John Green. I've tried to read every single one of his books but haven't been able to finish any of them. I find the pace slow, the story the same every time, the character development weak and two dimensional... I just can't finish them. I absolutely ADORE his videos, so it makes me very sad that I don't enjoy any of his books :(

7. A popular book trope that you're tired of seeing. (examples "lost princess", corrupt ruler, love triangles, etc.)

I picked two main ones for this. I hate the "insta-love" trope. Where their eyes meet across a crowded room and they just KNEW they were "the one". I believe love takes time to develop once you truly grow to know and appreciate a person. Your eyes meet across a crowded room and it could be anyone on the other end. They could be a rapist, an abuser, a sociopath. It isn't until you get to know a person that you grow to love them deeply, so insta-love really bothers me for some reason. 

The second is what I like to refer to as the "Bella Swan". The "oh I'm so plain and nothing special and no one thinks I'm special except that one very particular boy who sees how wonderful and unique I am, with my brown hair and pale skin that means I don't fit in anywhere, but you see how wonderful and special I am" etc. It's just such a flat character, and is silly because every single person on this planet is unique etc. Very two dimensional with a lack of true personality and development. Such a special snowflake, indeed.

8. A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

Boy do I have a rant here. And the series is 50 Shades of Grey. Now, I'm no prude. I'm not opposed to a bit of erotica. However, 50 Shades is SO poorly written that I find myself reading through it and correcting the spelling and grammar, wincing at sentence structure and groaning at the pathetic character building and inner dialogue of the characters. It's truly painful to read for an English Language and Literature student such as myself.

There's also a huge problem with the "BDSM" within 50 Shades. I have a few friends in the BDSM community, befriending a professional dominatrix as one example, and this book is an insult to that culture. It isn't BDSM, it's an abusive relationship masquerading poorly as a BDSM one. Within BDSM, there are safe words, stop words, limits. They do not threaten physical harm when you try and leave the relationship, they do not follow you everywhere you go and threaten your safety when you go somewhere you are not asked. They STOP when they are told to. It is a relationship based on mutual trust, understanding and RESPECT above all else. Christian Grey is an abusive partner and it is an insult to the community that a lot of people I care about hold dear. So I will never read 50 Shades of Grey, nor see any of the movies. Absolute disgrace of a series, in my opinion.

9. The saying goes "The book is always better than the movie", but what movie or T.V. show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

I have two for this - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I think that the casting for the TV series is absolutely phenomenal, they did it all amazingly and touched upon the sensitive scenes with dignity and grace and portrayed it beautifully (despite being such a horrendous thing to happen). I adored the books and loved the series even more, because while the book was somewhat slow in a few places, the series really did capture AND KEEP the attention. 

The second is The Hunger Games. The books were okay. I thought they were good but missing substance in places. Katniss in the book is irritating and somewhat of an airhead, muttering about whether Peeta liked her truly or not and what she thought of him etc, whereas in the movie series she is a sophisticated and intelligent young woman fighting for her life. She is dignified and gritty. This isn't the case as much in the books, so I truly did prefer all of the movies to the books. Very well done and excellent casting all around.

Book Review | Yeager's Law by Scott Bell

I  was lucky and received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. It was truly an honour, thank you.

This is the first book review I've done in a long time, and I hope it brings me out of my writing slump because it's really not doing me any good. 

"Abel Yeager is dead broke, down on his luck, and suffering from a serious case of what-the-hell-does-it-matter. His transition from active Marine to stateside long-haul trucker hit a wicked speed bump when his rig was involved in a wreck that claimed the life of a pregnant woman and laid him up for several months.
Back at work but deeply in debt, Yeager meets bookstore owner Charlie Buchanan in St. Louis and jumps at the chance to haul a load of remainder books to Austin for her. On the way south, a crew of truck thieves tracks his every move. But none of them know what Charlie’s ex has smuggled inside the book pallets, who he stole it from, or how far the owner will go to get it back. Charlie’s the first person Yeager has cared about in a long time, but as their bond deepens, so does the danger they’re in.

With enemy forces closing in, Yeager battles greed, corruption, and his own fatalism in a bid to hold true to Yeager’s First Law: come home at the end of the day."
The first thing I'd like to say about this book is that it is expertly written. The prose flows and creates an incredibly easy to read novel, enabling you to get through it in the blink of an eye. I truly didn't want it to be over at the end. The use of language is beautiful and suitable for the premise, and Bell manages to use dialect for different cultures that doesn't come across as stereotypical or racist, which is greatly appreciated.

The plot is intriguing. I must admit, there are so many sub-plots and characters that sometimes I got confused with who was who, and whom they were working for. This is the reason it's not in my tip-top list. However, the twists and turns were thoroughly engaging and I greatly enjoyed coming to the climax. It seemed to build up very much and then ended very suddenly and quickly, almost stopping dead in your tracks. I'm not sure whether this is a positive or a negative just yet, though. The plot was thrilling and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next; a real page turner in my eyes.

Overall I'd give this book a solid 4 out of 5 and would be VERY eager to read his next books. I'd highly recommend for those thrill-seekers and mystery-lovers!

* This book was sent to me for free through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Depression: My Life With

So some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted here lately. I figured I owed you an explanation as well as some insight into me and my life. Of course you don't have to read, and I will put trigger warnings here for depression, suicide and anxiety. So don't read if you think it may harm your own mental well being.

I've suffered with severe anxiety and depression for six years now. It all started when I was bullied at school pretty much from the age of 5 to 16. From the age of 14, I was in an emotionally abusive relationship with my first ever love. My mum is a narcissistic sociopath and my dad is also emotionally abusive. I've lived my life behind cage after cage and insult after insult, and it got to me. I started skipping school just to stay in bed all day. I didn't do anything at all, just laid there. Sometimes put a movie on. Sometimes just stared into space feeling worthless and as if I didn't belong anywhere.

It's a strange thing, believing you're worthless and the world would be better off without you. I stopped doing anything I enjoyed. I stopped reading, writing, going out with friends, playing games. I just... existed. I didn't LIVE. This continued until I hit 18. That's when the first serious suicide attempt happened.

I'm not going to bore everyone with the medical details and what I took etc, but it was big and it was an overdose. I ended up in hospital, and then a psychiatric unit for six months battling my depression and my anxiety. I spend new years there, and I am blessed with some dear friends from that experience. I was released and given no further care.

For the last couple of years, I've continued just existing. I do nothing with my day or my time, I have very few friends and ruin any friendships I do/did have. Feeling down and having no motivation is pretty much my existence. I read a book but have to read the same page 3 times until anything sinks in. It is hard, and it is sad. I have tried and tried and will continue fighting and trying. I just got released from hospital after another serious overdose, so I will attempt to continue reviewing.

Please know that if you do suffer with ANY mental or physical health condition, you are beautiful, and I love you. You matter to someone. You matter to me.

Guess this ramble is over. So over and out.
Kerry x

Book Review | The Institute by Thomas E. Montgomery

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much.

"The heroine, Sylvie has been trained from early childhood in the martial arts, first by her father then by the master that trained him.
When her friend is abducted by a psycho doctor, she confronts him and is gassed and captured. The Doctor, alters her memory. She now believes she works for The Institute, a top-secret organization in Maryland near Washington DC.
Its mission is obscure. Even its existence is known to but a few. Outside the grounds, the Institute is thought to be an expensive, privately owned sanitarium.
Their patients, who are their operatives, are availed the product of years of technical advancements in covert processes. Their minds are cleaned before a mission and then imprinted with only mission critical data. No need to pretend. They are their cover identities.
They have no knowledge to leak to the enemy. Once back from the mission, their minds are returned to a pre-mission state. Fool proof.
Jackson is a college friend of Sylvie. Her mother asks him to find Sylvie. He tracks her to the Institute. Where he, too, succumbs to the doctor's nefarious ways.

Jackson and Sylvie struggle to maintain their own identities, as they travel a path of danger and intrigue during missions for the Institute, and then against it as the Doctor tries to keep them under his control."

The premise of this book is really interesting and not one I've seen or read before, which I thought was absolutely fantastic. The plot and layout was also unique and something I really enjoyed. In some chapters it starts exactly the same as other chapters for a very specific reason, and I thought that this unique way of starting a chapter was something that was one of the wonderful things about this book. Nevertheless, I sometimes found it hard following the story. In places I got really confused about what was going on and had to flick back a few pages to try and follow it. I think it sort of jumps around a lot and was a tiny bit hard to follow, but that's just a minor detail that could be very easily solved.

There were a lot of very short, simple sentences which made this a very choppy read. It would have increased the flow to have a mixture of simple, compound and complex sentences, just to tie everything together nicely and make it an easier read. It was very fast, however, and I do enjoy reading a fast paced book sometimes. There were also a lot of inappropriately placed commas which is easily fixed just by grabbing hold of some BETA readers and getting them to check over everything. I've been known to place too many commas also, so I can understand it, but sometimes they're just not necessary or don't fit in.

The author clearly has amazing potential for writing, and despite these little niggles I had with it, I did enjoy reading this. I thought the story was gripping and I wanted to find out how it ended and was eager to get to the end to see if it all worked out for everyone. Character development could use a little bit of work, as could scene setting. The author uses a lot of "tell, don't show" in this novel. I believe a greater description of character and setting, and more development of the main characters to be crucial, but that does not negate the author's clear ability to write.

For a first novel, this is absolutely brilliant, and I really really hate writing about the negatives of a book, especially with such a clearly talented author. The whole novel has potential, as does the author, and that is clear throughout. I enjoyed it, feeling that the wonderful things about this book balance the negatives, and would definitely read the next book in the series.

* This book was sent to me for free through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.