Month: September 2017

Sweetfreak by Sophie McKenzie #bookreview #Han

Sweetfreak by Sophie McKenzie

Buy it here
From Goodreads: A brand new edge-of-your-seat read from bestselling author Sophie McKenzie!
Accused of bullying her best friend, Amelia, online, Carey isn’t prepared for the devastating consequences of online anonymity when the attacks spill over into real life. But who is really behind these vicious comments and threats? And will Carey be able to get to the truth before it’s too late?

Cyber Bully meets Gone Girl, SweetFreak is full of Sophie’s characteristic twists and turns, and will keep you guessing until the very end…

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I love Sophie Mckenzie’s books. They never fail to engage me from start to finish and this was no exception. I stickered so many parts throughout this book; it was far easier than updating my Goodreads every two seconds.

 

Characters
I hated Amelia from the get go; told myself I would tell her to get lost at the very start, knowing too well that I probably would do exactly what Carey did.
I successfully identified the sociopath! Once the story unfolded and we got to meet other people; I was able, through my recent research, identify the traits within a certain character. Oh how I wish I’d been able to read this book a year ago.
Carey is an amazing character and someone everyone would identify with. You might not agree with some of her actions, but you can understand why she would do it.
I found the actions of the parent’s the most alarming; mainly because I think that is exactly how many parents would react.

Plot
The plot, as with any McKenzie book, it full of twists and sinister turns that you think you can predict, but the moment you think you’re sure; the rug will be pulled from right under you.

The narrative explores many different forms of relationships, loyalty and betrayal. Its amazing progression does keep you on edge until the very end and you’re with Carey in suspecting everyone.

Writing
McKenzie’s writing is always gripping and fast paced. It’s comfortable in the sense that you know what you’re getting with the writing and the voices that leap from the page. McKenzie is comfortable bringing out the emotion and hints at a location without having to spend time describing it. There were so many snippets that struck me as things to keep in mind; they ended up as stickers that I intend to go back to when another school holiday comes around.

The Jewel by Amy Ewing #bookreview #Gem

The Jewel by Amy Ewing
Buy it here

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“The Selection meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this darkly riveting debut filled with twists and turns, where all that glitters may not be gold”

That strap line alone would entice me to read this book, and having read it now I agree with the comparisons to The Selection and The Handmaid’s Tale, I’d also say it has shades of Megan MecCafferty’s Bumped in there too.
Violet is a wonderful character and I loved seeing the Jewel through her eyes as she tries to adjust to this new world into which she is forced. Amy Ewing has created a world in which girls like Violet have no choice in their future, they will become surrogates for the Royalty and the way in which this is described is brilliant – it felt scarily believable. The main plot is interesting, and lots of sub-plots add further intrigue! The last few chapters really ramped up the pace and the cliff-hanger ending left me wanting to move straight onto book two! The only problem with reading proofs is that it’s always so long before the next book comes out! I will definitely be reading the next instalment and I have bought about 6/7 copies of this to give to friends, it’s fab!

 

Who Runs the World? by Virgina Bergin #Bookreview #Han

Who Runs the World? by Virgina Bergin 

Buy it here
From Amazon: Sixty years after a virus has wiped out almost all the men on the planet, things are pretty much just as you would imagine a world run by women might be: war has ended; greed is not tolerated; the ecological needs of the planet are always put first. In two generations, the female population has grieved, pulled together and moved on, and life really is pretty good – if you’re a girl. It’s not so great if you’re a boy, but fourteen-year-old River wouldn’t know that. Until she met Mason, she thought they were extinct.

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Characters

I liked the bond between the characters and the way each was formed based upon their upbringing. The older generation speak and act exactly how they would have when they were children.
Interestingly, I thought the main character of River was male at first. I wonder if this is due to there being no gender stereotypes in the world run by women.
Mason, aside from my aversion to the name, was a likeable character and I was happy with his vulnerability and his misconceptions of women.

Plot

I want more. I like where this went and I was happy with the ending, but if this was Hunger Games; River is Katniss and I want her to lead a revolution, or at least I would like to have had the hope that one was on the cards.

The Writing

I loved the use of language to convey the generations. The thought of an elderly person using slang brings me a surprising amount of joy.
It seems a little void of descriptions, which works for me; I don’t need to know what is in the corner of a room or how fresh an apple tastes to get a feel for this world.

Trial by Fire written by Josephine Angelini #bookreview #gem

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini
Buy it here

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I loved everything about this book! The story was amazing and intricately plotted, the characters were all unique, well defined and genuinely served to further the action and the descriptions of the places were wonderful.
Lily and her identical other self were captivating, they reminded me of Elena and Katherine in the Vampire Diaries, but the plot adds to their depth of character and makes them even more interesting.
The magic that powers the other world is brilliant, the idea of magic v science was really clever and I loved that it was set in modern times, yet seemed almost medieval.
The tension builds throughout the novel to bring it to a dramatic ending that had me screeching at the book that it couldn’t possibly end there because I wanted the next instalment straight away!
Absolutely riveting!

Soulmates by Holly Bourne #Bookreview #Han

Soulmates by Holly Bourne

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The first book of Holly’s I read was Am I Normal Yet? It talked to me; I related with the anxiety portrayed in the book. She’s my go to writer and I’m off to her next book’s launch on the 20th September.
I devoured the Spinster Saga and I’ve handed them to anyone who was looking for something to read.

Soulmates is Bourne’s debut novel. It only pales because of her writing going from strength to strength. You can see Bourne’s Spinster characters being developed here in this novel and a lot of her style and tone is here too.
There’s what feels like a supernatural element to this romantic story. I had it in my head that Rain and his manager were angels and there was something larger at play. So I was surprised when it fell firmly into reality with a little artistic sudo-science. It was a nice touch. I just wished that I’d read it before the others as it didn’t gel with my expectations.
I liked Poppy; she was a good and well-rounded character. It was just a shame I didn’t really like anyone else, especially Noah who was too Edward Twihard for my liking.

GBBO ramblings #tvreview #Han

GBBO

I’m weak, I wasn’t going to watch; I was going to boycott. However, how can I say no to Noel Bloody Fielding!

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Hosts
We have Sandy and Noel replacing the irreplaceable Mel and Sue.

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Judges
Pru replaces Mary Berry.

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Bakers
Look… gender neutral cakes!

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Opening
“All newbies here, except old blue eyes.” Noel, Noel, Noel… you are amazing.
Close your eyes and Pru sounds like Mary Berry. Oh man, this is making me incredibly weird.
Signature Bake – Fruit Cake
Stacey- I actually would have preferred you to have called it a ‘Buzz Cake’
Liam- 19 years old. “But I like loafs.” I love him. He’s a classroom dream. I can’t wait to see him develop on the show.
Julia- Lemon and courgette cake. Interesting. “How do you squeeze the moisture our of a courgette.” Was that an attempt at an innuendo?
I love the chemistry between Paul and Scouser Flo.
Tom and his gilded pear- where’s the fun innuendo?!
“I don’t know what it is, but I want to stick my finger into it.”- That wasn’t the innuendo that I was after.
Noel attempting to eat the marigold was genius.
Flo- “I’m awfully please.”/ lemon KERD! I love Flo!

 

Technical Challenge- Mini rolls
I LOVE Noel. “Bare bottom”
I’m with Kate though; why would you make them when they’re so easy and yummy to buy?
Liam to comedian Sandy “Yeah, but joking can only take you so far.”- awkward!
Sandy “I can actually feel my hips widening as we do this.”
Liam’s rolls- “This is art.” Bless.

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Show Stopper- Illusion Cake
“Looking forward to the moist clutch.”- I’m only allowing this ‘close to the knuckle’ innuendo because it was Noel who said it.

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Julia! Oh Julia “Outside is Russian like me, the inside is British, well like me now.” I love her analogy of her Victoria sponge Russian doll cake. I love that GBBO is still at the forfront of celebrating Britain as a rainbow nation.
Sophie and that Champagne bottle. Eeeeek, that wasn’t innuendo, that was pure tacky.
Noel puts It right when he says the standards are high this year. Proven when Steven pulls that BLT sandwich and loaf of bread out the bag.

Final Moments
Star Baker– Steven
Home– Peter
Next week: Buiscuits
Predictions and final thoughts
It still feels the same and I am loving Noel. However, the humour, despite having two very funny hosts, isn’t quite right. The obvious innuendos are missing, and the ones that they do hit, they either fall flat or are a little too close to being sleazy.
Final 3 (This isn’t a Nadiya year, I don’t have the confidence in a single baker)- Steven, Flo and Kate.

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Rick and Morty Series 3 Episode 6 – Rest and Ricklaxation #tvreveiw #Han

Rick and Morty Series 3 Episode 6 – Rest and Ricklaxation 

From IMDB: Following a stressful adventure, Rick and Morty go on a break to a spa where they remove their toxins, which in turn take a form of their own.

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For me, this episode beats Pickle Rick. It has everything I want in an episode. The two-story arcs take place when Rick and Morty have their ‘toxic’ parts removed; each going on a journey to get things back to ‘normal’

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I love this change in personality that the removal of toxins creates. Of course, it wouldn’t’ work in the long run, but I do expect there to be a development based upon what we’ve seen in this episode.

Morty
I love that the show acknowledges all the bits about Morty that I find incredibly annoying. It makes my opinion, that is ever changing, a little more validated.
The hatred I felt for sociopathic, Bateman-lite, Morty is way more passionate than regular Morty. This might be down to my current aversion to sociopaths, or the very fact it was a sociopath that got me into this show but I’m just so glad we got regular annoying Morty back by the end credits.

The ultimate thing that makes this my favourite episode is the Rick fight. It was the best, ever. Not too many Ricks, but their knowledge of each other made it genius.

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Keep an eye out on my twitter @hscptcrash over the next few days as I will be putting up a Rick and Morty giveaway.