Review: Me and Me

Me and Me by Alice Kuipers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've always been interested in the Many Worlds theory, and it's fantastic to read about it in a book this entertaining. Lark is a brilliant character, racked with guilt over something that wasn't her fault at all. That said, I liked World 2 Jade...where she saved Annabelle...better than World 1 Jade, where she saved Alec. Maybe that was part of the point, to show how someone's character can change very quickly in certain circumstances. If so it's clever.

A great read that should spark some fun discussions.



Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.


I swim toward the screen, toward her. I feel like I might die the effort is so immense. But then, with a ripping feeling through my entire body, as if my insides are being torn from me, I'm there.
I'm standing on my street, looking at myself. Oh, my God.
She's me. She's wearing the same jeans, the same shirt, the same everything. Even the same makeup. But her hair only just reaches into a ponytail and is dyed red.
"Can you hear me?" I say to her. To myself.
"Oh, my God. I can hear you," she replies.

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Review: All of This Is True

All of This Is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A strange, meta novel about a novel, written in interviews, journal extracts and samples of the novel. I didn't mind the format, it's interesting, but the story itself didn't grip me, especially when I was basically getting it twice; the novel-within-the-novel mimics what's happening in the interviews and journals down to the word. I skipped about thirty percent in the middle and didn't feel I'd lost anything. It's interesting from a moral standpoint, though.

Enjoyable but not fantastic.

Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

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Review: The Fallout

The Fallout by Glasko Klein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A short, action packed novel about teens during an alien invasion. I hadn't realised it was part of a series, but I'd love to read more to get a fuller picture of what was going on elsewhere and what the full story was with the aliens. I'm impressed that a full squad of soldiers risked themselves for two teens, but I guess that's to be expected in this kind of story.

Easy, enjoyable read.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.



Nina was becoming less frightened and more frustrated by the moment. The Visitor was being thwarted pretty handily by an unlocked glass door, and Steve seemed to have switched his brain into some other mode that thought only in action star one-liners.

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Review: Next in Line

Next in Line by Vanessa Acton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A quicker read than I was expecting, but that's no bad thing. This is a cute story about expectations, wish fulfillment and being true to yourself no matter what. Carly read a little young to me, but not so much it was distracting. A nice story.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.


After the call ended, Carly looked around at her enormous, glittering new bedroom.
She was Charlotte Valmont, Princess Royal of the Kingdom of Evonia.
She was second in line for the throne.
And she had never felt so small.

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Review: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was a little worried going into this one. Could it possibly be as good as Forest of a Thousand Lanterns? Second books are often weaker, what if this wasn't good, what if it spoiled the memory of Forest for me?

I shouldn't have worried. This is an amazing close to the series, with fantastic characters and even more of the wonderful worldbuilding I loved so much in Forest. I loved watching characters I knew turn back up in unexpected ways, playing different roles this time around.

I can't wait to see what else Julie has lined up for us. I'm sure it'll be amazing.


She didn't know if she would be successful. She didn't care to make grand, empty promises - to herself or anyone else - that she might be the ruler Feng Lu deserved. But if she ever reached that throne, she would try to be an empress of whom her family might be proud.
Yes, there was time yet to discover what sort of monarch she wished to be.
For if you wished it, you could light all the world.
Jade lifted the rose higher and raised her chin to face the darkness.

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Review: The Cursed Queen

The Cursed Queen by Sarah Fine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great companion novel to The Impostor Queen, expanding on a race that were only 'savages' in that book. Ansa's struggles and race were fascinating. I do wish she hadn't gone back and forth quite so many times, as it makes her look weak and indecisive, but I wouldn't have any idea who to trust in that situation either!

Now I just have to wait for The True Queen to find out what happens!

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Review: Witch Born

Witch Born by Nicholas Bowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A great look at a slightly alternate England. Alyce is a great character, and the changes to history have been cleverly woven into and through the history we know. I'd love to read more and see what becomes of the witch queen's daughter, and just how far she manages to alter things.


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Review: KILLER T: A near-future dystopian thriller from the bestselling author of CHERUB

KILLER T: A near-future dystopian thriller from the bestselling author of CHERUB by Robert Muchamore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Muchamore can write action.There's no doubt about that. And he knows how to choose a compelling plot; the idea of back street gene enhancers holding the world to ransom is very intriguing and throws up a lot of questions around morality and ethics. Unfortunately, the execution leaves something to be desired in this case.

The first time skip kind of makes sense; nothing much was going to happen in the interim anyway. The second surprised me. After that they were just jarring. I couldn't connect to the characters, because every time I got to know them we skipped some time and they'd changed in the interim. The events we'd missed were always neatly filled in, the plot didn't suffer, but the emotions did. There was no real connecting story, unless you count Charlie's sister, who barely featured in several of the sections. Instead there was The Prologue - Now SNor Is Around - Now It's Killer T - Psych, It's Something Else - Now Everything's Over Very Abruptly.

It's not a bad book by any means; I kept reading to see what happened next, and I'd read more set in this world. But from Muchamore, I expect a lot better.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

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Review: Sanctuary

Sanctuary by Caryn Lix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

X Men meets Prison Break in this fantastic sci fi novel, set on an orbiting space prison full of super powered teen criminals...Or maybe not criminals. Maybe this seeming utopia is something very different...

Action, twists and excitement make for a brilliant read. I don't know if there'll be more, but I really hope so. I'll be looking out for it.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

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Review: That's Not What Happened

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've seen other novels by Kody Keplinger; The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend, Shut Out. I've always thought they looked interesting, but I've never gotten around to reading them. I'll be changing that at my first opportunity. Kody is amazing.

It's a sadly current book, the story of a school shooting from the point of view of the survivors. As I write this, the Texas shooting is still in the news. By the time the book publishes, it'll be some other shooting.

The book is mostly from the POV of Lee, a teenager who was shot at, but not physically injured, during a shooting rampage in her school. A legend has built up around one particular victim, Lee's best friend, causing townsfolk to harass and abuse another survivor who tried to correct it. Lee knows the truth and is finally ready to come forward, but it's not going to be as simple as she thinks.

I started crying within a few chapters and never really stopped. This is an incredible book, heartfelt and real, showing a range of coping mechanisms used by the six survivors - forgetting, faith, happiness, ignoring, medication and alcohol. Each choice is treated and right for that person, although the alcohol user stops during the course of the novel, and no one is demonised for how they cope.

My only tiny problem, and it's very common across a lot of media, is that while initially a couple of the survivors were against Lee's plan, in the end they all came around and agreed it was for the best. Why couldn't they have dissenting opinions that were right for them? However, I see this a lot and it's not by any means a deal breaker.

I also loved that Lee is asexual. It's comparatively rare still, but gaining ground and it's nice to see. It's great to have books to recommend to people, especially like this when it's not a major focus, just a part of who she is.

A fantastic read. I'll definitely be trying more by this author.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

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Review: Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings

Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings by Linda Rodríguez McRobbie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A more grown up version of the 'Rebels Girls' books that are growing in popularity, this well laid out book has divided its girls into loose categories. Each category has one or two detailed stories, and a couple of less in depth ones. All in all a fantastic read, probably not one that I'll read cover to cover again but I'll definitely dip in and out of it.

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