Review: In Bloom by Matthew Crow

Book- In Bloom

Author- Matthew Crow

Genre- Young Adult, contemporary

My rating- 4 STARS 

So, I won In Bloom in a Goodreads giveaway which was great! I had no idea I had won it so when it came in the post I was excited to get reading it. This review will be completely spoiler free.

Here is a little bit about the book-

When Francis is diagnosed with leukaemia, his life comes to a stand still, his once bright future isn't looking so bright anymore. He is faced with words he has only ever heard on the television, given immediate treatment and has to learn to cope with the illness that has changed his life. But then he meets Amber, who helps him along the way, together they face the illness together. 

I did enjoy this book, it is extremely well written and the story line is fantastic. I had a slight problem with it, which was the fact that I didn't seem to connect with the book or the characters, which I can't really describe but that was the way it was. But this definitely does not take away the fact that this is a brilliant book. I gave it a very solid 4 stars, I definitely would not give it any less than that, my favourite things were the writing style and the character development.

In Bloom deals with very serious issues and is moving, but it is also light and made me laugh.

The book is fairly short, but there is a lot to the story line and no parts in it that I would call unnecessary. 

Francis is a main character who is very complex and his thoughts come across in the book, you know how he feels about certain events and different characters. I think all of the characters were quite complex. I like Francis' relationship with his brother, Chris, their connection was very sweet to read about. Also, Francis and Amber's relationship was extremely different and not one that you normally find in books, I personally liked this, it was sweet.

I also think that the plot went into lots of different matters and I feel like everything that happened was important in the book. There are painful moments, but along with those come the funny and heart warming parts which make the book.

If you are wondering whether I recommend this book, then I do, it is brilliantly written and not difficult to get through. I recommend it highly, if you are looking for a book that will move you whilst warming your heart, this is it!

Thankyou for reading,

-Darcy

Recommending the books

So, I want to recommend some books in this post! These are books that I have loved myself and recommend to everyone! I will leave out obvious picks, like The Mortal Instruments and Divergent etc...

But if you are like me and constantly searching for books that people recommend, then this may help. I thought that I would do it in parts, so I won't give you all my recommendations in this post, instead I will recommend three books now, then another three some time else.

If you have read any of these books then definitely let me know in the comments below because these are books I love!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

So, if you are like me and have grown up with the Harry Potter series and/or a huge fangirl/boy, you will love this book.

Cath and Wren are twins, the identical kind. And they used to do everything together, including the Simon Snow books. They grew up with Simon Snow and his magical adventures, writing fan fiction and plastering their walls with posters. But as Cath and Wren leave for college, Wren seems to be beyond Simon Snow and is more interested in drinking and boys.

This leaves Cath, still writing her fic and totally out of her comfort zone. But then she meets Levi, her room mates boyfriend and things start to change for her.

This book is amazing, reminding me so much of my personal  love for the Harry Potter series and writing. Cath is such a great character and you can completely relate to her. I highly recommend this book, it is extremely cute and funny at times, not lacking in a fantastic story line. I definitely recommend this book, it has so much to it and many moments that anyone will love.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

This book is the first in a series of action packed books which I love. Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight are the two that are currently out, but in total there is going to be 6 books, which is extremely exciting.

 Celaena Sardothien is an assassin, trained to kill, but she made a mistake, she got caught. She has to suffer in Endovier, living with her life sentence there.

But then she gets and offer, she must represent the Prince in a tournament, where she will fight some of the worst killers and thieves there is to offer.If she wins, she will be free, if she looses, Celaena will be send back to Endovier.

These books are fantastic, promising us an amazing series to come. I could not recommend Throne of Glass enough, I really do love this book as well as Crown of Midnight which in my opinion is even better, which is saying something. Sarah J. Maas writes Celaena so well and everyone should read these books...

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

So, this series is definitely one of my favourites. The characters are awesome and the plot is brilliant. There are four books currently out and the final book comes out this year! 

Katy has just moved, her and her Mom are going to start over in West Virginia. But when she meets Daemon, the extremely hot boy next door, and his sister, Dee, Katy is forced into things she never imagined.

Because Daemon and Dee are not what -or who- they seem. Katy is forced to look at the world differently and to put up with Daemon and his infuriating personality.

I love this book as well as the rest of the series, you grow so attached to the characters and the feel of the series is something you get to know. I have certainly grown attached to Daemon and Kat, infact I really need the next book in the series right now. A warning- this series is addictive, just a heads up.

So, there are three books that I recommend, like I said at first, if you have read and loved any of these books, do let me know in the comments. I will definitely be recommending books this way in the future, let me know what you think.

Thankyou for reading, I will have a new post up soon,

-Darcy

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

 Book- Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author- Stephanie Perkins

Genre- Young adult, romance, contemporary

My rating- 5 STARS

 So, Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins... What can I say?
I read this a while back in one night and am only just writing the review because I didn't write one as soon as I read it, so I didn't know what to do... Then tonight I was just like, 'I have to put a review up for Lola and the Boy Next Door! I just loved it so much!' So that is what I am doing now... 
Back in January I wrote my review for Anna and the French Kiss and if you have not seen it, go check it out. Lola and the Boy Next Door is the second in the series, the main character is different and it is a new story, but the characters all intertwine... Its really awesome.
I recommend these books highly, they are extremely addictive and mind-blowing-ly cute. The feel of the book is something that I love, the characters are so lovable and Stephanie Perkins writes in a way that I adore. I have so much faith in Stephanie Perkins that I will love Isla and the Happily Ever After, the next book that comes out this year. The first two just blew me away, which makes me extremely eager to get my hands on the next one with much excitement.

Lola's story was so addictive which made me turn the pages extremely quickly, in my opinion these are very easy to read, but they don't miss out a great story line.
Here is a little about the book-

Lola has one rule, never wear the same outfit twice. She believes in costume, clothes that are fun, individual and expressive. She knows what she wants to do and is pretty sure life is great, with her rock-star boyfriend, Max. However, when the family who used to live next door move back, Lola is confronted with old feelings from her past. With that, Cricket Bell, the boy next door.

So, I certainly recommend these books... Go get Anna and the French Kiss right now and start reading, because it really is that good. But now I am going to go into spoilers, so if you have not yet read Anna and Lola's stories... Go read them then come back. But if you have read them, do carry on. So onto the spoilers...

Ahhh... 
Lola and Cricket... The thing about these books is that the girls' last names go with the boys' last names so well... Aw... Lola Bell, Anna St Clair... Can we just appreciate those names?
I loved this book, obviously, that is why I gave it five stars. The plot was definitely NOT lacking and the characters were extremely well developed. Lola was a complex character and extremely likable, but she did get on my nerves quite a bit... Stupid decisions and mistakes and little things like that... The way she stayed with Max when he quite clearly was an idiot, (Yeah, I really did not like that Max dude.) It made me feel so bad for Cricket, he is such a sweet and kind character, so when he was mistreated, I did not like it. But other than things like that, I did really like Lola. She had an awesome personality and I loved her outfits, everything she wore you got a description of and I loved imagining the different costumes. She would just be like, 'today I'm a strawberry.' Or, 'Tonight I'm fire.' 

Anna and St Clair being in these books was just amazing, their relationship with Lola was great too. Oh! And the fact that St Clair was friends with Cricket, I thought that was a really cool thing to put in. You can see how Anna and Etienne's relationship is going, eventhough it is not from Anna's perspective, which was great. 
I think something that I need to put in, is how in these books, is these characters are not perfect, they have problems and issues which make these books more real. I saw with Anna, the way she develops and grows up, it is so clear to see and I have also seen it with Lola. Her character development was (I am running out of adjectives) awesome. I just love Stephanie Perkins, got to say that, she is a fantastic author and everything about the way she writes, I adore.
I want to say, I loved the ending... It leaves so much to be wrapped up, it killed me too. (Book endings always do when I am enjoying the book because I want more...) There was a clear link between the start of the book and the end, because obviously Lola wants her Marie Antoinette dress... The start of the book is talking about her dream dress for the winter formal and at the end... Well, ofcourse she gets her dress. That was really sweet and Cricket helping her with the dress and being as into it as she was, that was extremely sweet. Cricket's character is just the cutest-sweetest and such a contrast to Etienne, but I love them both way too much.
And with that, I end this review. Hopefully I will have a new post up extremely soon, I have lots planned! Thankyou for reading,
-Darcy

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan- Review

Book- The Lost Hero

Author- Rick Riordan

Genre- Greek mythology, young adult, fantasy.

Series- The Heroes of Olympus

My rating- 4 STARS

This book is the first book in The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, this series is a spin off from the Percy Jackson series. However, I would call it a continuation, as it has the same characters along with others.

I love the Percy Jackson series, and I read it last year and loved it, the world building and characters in the books is just amazing and I recommend the books to anyone. It is a fantastic adventure that the reader can experience with the characters.

So, a little about this book. The Lost Hero is from three perspectives, Jason, Piper and Leo. The book starts with Jason, waking up to having no idea where he is or who he is. He does not know who his supposed girlfriend is, Piper. He has know idea who his supposed best friend is, Leo. Whilst on a trip with his school for 'bad kids', Jason, Piper and Leo are thrown right into action and are taken to Camp Half Blood. They find out everything is not as it seems, they are Demi-Gods and there is trouble ahead.

So, I highly recommend this book, as well as the Percy Jackson series if you have not yet read them. The Lost Hero is an extremely good follow up from the Percy Jackson series and I am so excited to read the rest of the series. These books also teach you things about Greek Mythology, which I love. We hear about the different stories and Greek myths which is something that is extremely interesting. Learning about the different Gods is awesome, I think my Godly parent would be Athena. 

I ordered the rest of the series immediately after finishing this book and am already quite far into The Son of Neptune, the second book. 

So now I am going to give spoilers... So if you have not yet read The Lost Hero, you should, and I advise you to stop reading this! If you have read it, then do carry on!

Wow...

So, firstly, Percy. Was. Not. In. This. Book.

The reason I gave this book 4 stars was admittedly because I missed Percy. Also, many of my favourite characters from the previous series were not in this book... I know they are coming soon and all, but I did miss them. I am glad we had Annabeth though, I would have been sad if she were not in the book.

 Other than missing Percy and other characters, I did really enjoy this book. Jason, Piper and Leo are really great characters and I think I liked Piper's chapters the best. I was so curious at the start of the book as to who their parents was. When Piper was revealed as a child of Aphrodite, I didn't know what to expect from her. But I really like Piper's character, I think she and Jason should get together right away! 

Leo is a really likable character, I found his attachment to Festus really sweet. Finding out about his back story was interesting and I was really sad when I found out how his Mother had died.

Jason is still a bit of a mystery, though. We know nothing about his back story and I hope to Gods that he doesn't have a girl friend at the Roman camp! Seriously though, Piper and Jason. I love that Thalia has a brother! Ofcourse they are nothing alike, but it gave us a bit of Thalia's past as well as Jason's. 

One thing I love, is when the Gods are there for their children. Ofcourse we had Hephaestus who broke Zeus' rule and spoke to Leo. Aphrodite also came to Piper in her dream which was a really good bit. I loved when Aphrodite gave them all clothes.  The Gods are really interesting in themselves and I love learning about their characteristics.

Something I am looking forward to in the next books is seeing the Roman side of things, it is amazing that there are more demigods that we have never met! They could be completely different to the demigods we know, which is fantastic.

This book has left us knowing there will be so much more to come, with the Giants and Gaia, we know that these characters have not just given up and we will definitely be seeing more of them... One thing I will say is I hope Gaia never wakes up... That would be very bad.

So, we find out that Percy is in the Roman camp, meaning he has completely forgotten about everything like Jason... NOPE NOPE, I refuse to believe it!

I leave you on that, as I am going to go and read more of The Son of Neptune and hopefully have something new up soon! Thankyou for reading.

-Darcy