Blood Red Road by Moira Young

A friend recommended this novel to me, and if this wasn’t the case, I doubt I would have brought it. Luckily, I trusted my friend’s opinion.

After reading the first page of the Kindle sample, I thought the unique writing style and language would be too distracting for me to last through the whole novel. The words are broken, being written more like how they sound than the true English spelling. This fits with the theme of the book – a world where books are antiques and written words are long forgotten.

Thinking of my friend’s love for the book, I continued reading and found that the different writing was refreshing instead of annoying. I wanted to know what happened next!

So what is this book about? It is set in a ruined future, where the majority of the world is desert and has severely deteriorated. The story is told from Saba’s point of view, a very stubborn 18 year old, who has lived isolated with her family her whole life. She is close to her twin brother, and blames her sister for her mother’s death. So when five men kidnap her twin, she promises to find him. The rest of the story is fast paced and full of adventure; this gives you no time to get bored, or put the book down during an uneventful part.

You see the main character, Saba, grow with independence and her willpower is inspiring. However, she isn’t the most likeable person during the majority of the book. You will find yourself willing her to react differently, listen to the people around her, or just stop and think a while. She doesn’t see what is right in front of her. I found this very frustrating at times, but I am a romantic. I put myself in her shoes though: growing up only knowing family members, no sexual or romantic contact, with no experience of life outside her area. You would behaviour similarly for some actions.

I was surprised to hear there was a sequel yet to be released. Although I loved this novel, I’m unsure whether I would like to read the second one. The novel ends in such a way that I found myself continuing it in my mind, playing what will happen. A sequel may be a mistake… I will have to read it and find out!

Saba’s strength and how she develops throughout the novel makes up for these flaws. This novel will send you on an adventure that you have never experienced. The imagery created is strong, and I could picture it like a film in my head. I am very pleased I brought this novel; it is unique and, after reading as many novels as I have, this is a brilliant quality to a story.

4 out of 5 stars!

Blood Red Road by Moira Young (Full review coming soon)

A friend recommended this novel to me, and if this wasn’t the case, I doubt I would have brought it. The unique writing style put me off at first, however it is easy to over look this when the story grabs hold of you. There are ups and downs to this book, which I will inform you of soon.

If you are looking for a new, unique adventure then this novel is definately for you! It is fast paced and action packed - the brilliant combination.

The Lunar Chronicles: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I read this book in a day and a bit. I was hooked! Cinderella is my weakness, so when I heard about this book I had to buy it.

‘Cinder’ is a brilliant transformation, merging the classic Cinderella with a futuristic world. After following Cinderella for so long, I didn’t think the transformation could surprise me as much as it did, and I even found myself wondering how it would end!

The world of ‘Cinder’ is set in the future, where cyborgs and androids live among humans. The story begins with Cinder, a mechanic and cyborg, removing her metal foot in preparation for a new one. This futuristic theme was exciting and a new area to explore, gripping me to the pages.

When the Prince turns up at her market stall, you are introduced to the light conversation between them that will bring a smile to your face. This relationship is one of the many storylines that grows in the novel, parallel to each other and all connected by Cinder, and is the happy part of the novel that all you romantics will look forward to.

For the more fantasy/action lovers out there, there is a deeper side that will keep your eyes glued to the text. There are hints at the beginning that cyborgs – humans with robot-type features – are not highly thought of in the world. Cinder doesn’t want the Prince to know about this part of her, and her stepmother is disgraced by having a cyborg in the house. When Cinder’s kind stepsister gets the plague that has killed thousands of people and threatens the current King, Cinder is volunteered by her stepmother to be a participant in their experiments to find a cure. This should result in the death of Cinder, however a set of circumstances unravel that makes Cinder more important than anyone gives her credit for. The story continues, with a new race being introduced, sections from Kia’s viewpoint as he takes on new responsibilities and deep secrets being discovered.

This novel is much more than another Cinderella transformation, and Marissa has not allowed the fairytale to narrow the depth or restrict her story at all. Cinder is a great heroin with a strong personality, and I can’t wait for the sequel, to get to know her more and see how the story unfolds.

Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson

This book gripped me from the start. It is about a woman, Christine Lucas, who forgets everything when she falls into a deep sleep. She wakes up with the mind of a child, but in an adult body. The man beside her says he is her husband. She doesn’t recognise the photos around the house. She doesn’t remember the past. She doesn’t remember the doctor who calls her daily.

I thought this book would be repetitive. I also thought that it would just be a story of her rediscovering her memory. Being a psychology student, this intrigued me anyway, but what I really found was beyond intriguing. It was addictive.

The author, who I was surprised to find out was a man, uses a brilliant writing style that made the story flow in a way that was the opposite of repetitive. The novel begins with Christine waking up, thinking she is a young adult after a one night stand, and is horrified to discover that she has amnesia. The man carefully explains that he is her husband and shows her a photo album. After her husband has left for work, her doctor calls to remind her of their meeting, and gives her a journal that she has been writing in for the last few weeks. The majority of the story is her rereading over this journal, and it becomes clear that something is not right about how she lost her memory.

There is so much to this novel. It is so beautifully written; you would feel a connection to Christine, because whilst she is discovering herself, you are discovering her. This book is definitely worth the read. It will make you appreciate your memory, your family, your life.

Coming Soon: Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson

A quick post to say I have finished another book - Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson - and a review is coming soon! The story was brilliant and makes you think how depended you are on your memory. I would recommend it to anyone, and will tell you why soon...

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Wow. I was expecting another supernatural story; a predictable plot after how many I have read. This novel surprised me! And that is saying something.

In this novel there are witches, vampires and daemons – the perfect combination for any supernatural lover. The main character, Diana Bishop, is a witch but tries to ignore her magic and be as human as possible. I did ask myself, if there was a possibility of having magic who wouldn’t use it? Trust me; she has a good reason not to… Until she meets a vampire called Matthew Clairmont. He is perfect, if not slightly annoying in his superiority.

The best part of this novel is the maturity. It isn’t some teenage fantasy romance of falling in love with a vampire, but a story of how love can conquer all in a semi-realistic (besides all the supernatural stuff) world. This is definitely to attract the adult readers who like this topic, yet at 17-years-old I enjoyed it as well. You will love the heroines and be happy for them, but this isn’t a novel where you will go crazy in love with Matthew.

I couldn’t put this down! What captured me was the detail. I am rubbish at history and science, yet after reading this I wanted to read all about Darwin’s Species of Origin and start studying alchemy. I also wanted to visit Oxford and go to France. If you have the money and time to do all of this, then it could be an expensive book!

The emotions created were so strong, I felt like putting on the witchwater with Diana at some points. I felt like I could connect to her, because I know that I would have her reaction to some of the situations. This connection to the main character and the fact that it was a topic I love – romance, the supernatural and all that geeky stuff – made the book really enjoyable for me. I honestly couldn’t close the book! My eyes stayed glued to the pages way beyond when they should have been in another dream world.

Although I couldn’t put it down, the book is very long and it took me a while to read. When I thought it would come to some conclusion, there was a lot left yet to read. This is refreshing after modern books where the stories are quite straightforward (although still exciting!). This book is not possible to read in one go, even if you constantly read for most of the day, and I did try! Due to this length, I did get a bit impatient at one point, feeling like it was dragging on. It was still a good read during that impatient moment, but I just wanted to flick forward a couple of pages.

Deborah made the background story run so deep through the novel, and a mystery was built in correlation to the romance and Diana finding out about her powers. Part of this mystery was uncovered in the book, but towards the end the author built up preparations for the sequel. After finishing on a cliff-hanger, it’s sad that we will have to wait until July for the second part, because I feel that all the details and pieces from this novel is going to be important in the second.

Overall, this is a brilliant read if you like the topic. Definitely give this book a try. If you hate waiting for the sequel to a book, you might want to save the read until closer to the second release date.

True Blood series by Charlaine Harris

A quick post to recommend True Blood series by Charlaine Harris. They are brilliant novels, with romance, mystery, action, homour, everything! I got addicted to the story and the world that Charlaine created. Sookie is by far the best perspective to read from. You will find yourself laughing and crying, with your heartbeat racing to the end! Definately give these books a try, even if you were put off by the TV series. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed them!

These are definately for the more mature readers, as the fight scenes aren't all pretty and there is some sexual content.