Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why has recently become popular due to the release of the TV show on Netflix. Though I am very disappointed in myself to say that I jumped on this book for the same reason, I am glad that I did. 

If you don't know what Thirteen Reasons Why is about, 1. Where have you been?! And 2. Its about a teenage girl who commits suicide and leaves behind seven tapes explaining the thirteen reasons that lead her to it. 

I want to start by saying that this book has a very powerful message in it. I love the way it explains that your action can affect someone, even in the instances when you don't do anything at all. It also explains what happens after a suicide and how everyone is left unsure in how they played a part or if they could have helped in some way. 

I finished watching the TV show around the same time as finishing the book and I decide that in this instance I actually enjoyed the show better that the book. I know, I know, it's sacrilege. Let me explain why. 

The characters in the book just seemed to be there. You got no background to who they were or what they were like, you only got what Hannah knew. I liked that the TV show gave them more to their story. Justin in the book was a jerk, there is no other way to describe him other than that. In the show you got to see who he was and why he did some of the things he did (not that I'm sticking up for him, he is still a jerk) and it allowed you to understand him more. I feel the same way about the rest of the group too, they were all given more background and more time to explain what they were doing. 

Clay was the same in both the book and the show for me. So well done Dylan Minnette for pulling that off. He truly did an amazing job and I couldn't fault it at all. 

Hannah... where do i start... In the TV show I understood why she felt the way she did and why as a result she did some of the things that she did. I got it. In the book though, she just got on my nerves. By the end of the book I found her so infuriating that I had to keep putting the book down.

Overall I really did enjoy this book and recommend that teenagers, not just the girls, pick this up. Adults too, adults need to read this too. Anyone and everyone needs to read this at least once in their live to be perfectly honest. I do think the TV show did a better job at explaining things though, so you sound totally give that a watch too if you haven't already. 

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry by Rupi Kaur. It is a very feminist based collection of poems with an incredible message behind each one. There are four main themes within the book all with their own way of making you think and feel. That being said, each poem truly deserves its place on the page. 

I can honestly say, hand on my heart, I did not expect to be moved in the way I was while reading this. 

Some pieces from this wonderful collection of poetry made me ball my eyes out to the point where words were blurred and I had to physically put the book down. Others made me angry or peaceful. This glorious book shook me to the core and brought me back out of the dark hole I had found myself in over the past few months. 

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone and I mean anyone. Yes, the poetry inside is focused on woman and feminism but I truly believe that everyone would be able to find something within this book worth mentioning to someone. 

The Sun Is Also A Star By Nicola Yoon

This one probably took me longer than it should have to read but I think subconsciously I knew it was worth savouring. The Sun Is Also A Star is so much more than the love story it first comes across as being. It is beautiful and thought-provoking and I am so glad I picked it up. 

Like I said this is a love story but at the same time it's not. Woven into the love story between Natasha and Daniel is the story of two teenagers trying to solve their problems and find where they are meant to be. There is also the stories of many other minor character woven in with their story too and I loved that concept of the book. 

The story is told from both Natasha and Daniel's point of view along with the Universe who explains the history of minor characters and eyes and the concept of half-life. It is just a wonderful way to experience a book. 

I listened to the audiobook of this book for parts and it truly is a great audiobook too. The characters are so well presented. I found the audiobook made it easier at times to understand who was talking at different points in the book so if you feel like you get lost easily in a book with different POVs in it i highly recommend picking up the audiobook. 

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much is because it is so beautifully written. Nicola Yoon has a way with words. The way part of this book are written truly helps you to understand the situations the characters have found themselves in while bringing out the different personalities in each of them.

I also loved that Yoon was able to write about some pretty serious topics throughout the book. It covers racism, deportation and the science vs love debate that is prominent throughout. 

It truly was an amazing book to read and I loved every minute of it. I recommend this to anyone looking for a more diverse book to read that will get your brain going a bit.  

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The idea behind this book is incredible so props to Siobhan Dowd for that. This book is about a young boy whose mother is dying, she has Cancer. One night after walking from a nightmare Conor finds a monster outside his window. This leads to three tales, many nights of frustration and a revelation that nobody knew they needed. The story of Conor and his monster is both heartbreaking and beautiful. 

I know I have already said that Conor's mother has Cancer but by no means is this a cancer story, at least I wouldn't consider is to be one. This isn't A Fault In Our Stars or This Star Won't Go Out or any other book like those. This about a boy and his struggle at a very hard time in his life. Patrick Ness does a beautiful job in weaving Cancer in with bullies, and friendship, and school, and simply all of the things that a normal young boy could face. 

This book truly is phenomenal and deserves all of the incredible reviews that it already has. The writing of Patrick Ness is so beautiful and the story he tells with Siobhan Dowd's idea is like nothing else I have ever read. 

I don't want to say too much more because 1. I could be here all day and 2. It is something you need to experience for yourself. I highly recommend you go ahead and pick this book up. 

A Court Of Thorns And Roses By Sarah J. Maas

Wow. Just wow. 

I really do not know what other words I can use to put across how much I loved this book. I am honestly struggling to write something that isn't just "asdfghjkl". 

Maybe, I should just start at the beginning...

When I first picked this book up I was a bit sceptical because of the hype that surrounded it. I was scared more than anything that I wouldn't enjoy it as much as it seems a lot of people did. I think that is part of the reason I put it off for so long (it may have also had something to do with the ever growing TBR pile I have). As soon as I picked this book up though I questioned myself so much. 

I loved the idea behind this book too. I loved that it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, especially seen as Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite stories of all time. It was such a good and different retelling. It was never something I would have expected and I loved every minute of it. It may have started as a retelling but this book truly has its own life.

Ok, so the story goes. Feyre is a simple young girl whose family are poor. Feyre provides most of the food for the family by hunting and while on this hunting trip she kills a fairy in wolf form. This forces a series of events to unravel which ends with Feyre being whisked away to live in the fairy lands. There Feyre has to settle into her new life and along the way finds out secrets about the place she is living in. 

I think my favourite character in this book was Lucien. When we first meet Lucien he is very stand-offish with Feyre which is understandable considering she just killed a friend of his. Slowly though you begin to see more of Lucien and his personality. He turns out to be a great friend. He is wary when it comes to conflict but isn't afraid to face it head on either. He is very protective of those he cares about and would do anything to help them in some way even if he has to face the consequences himself. I love the relationship that Lucien and Feyre have, even if there is still some work to be done with their budding friendship. 

I also loved Feyre as the main character. She is this totally independent, strong-willed character that would go to the ends of the earth for those she loves (almost literally). She also doesn't take no for an answer. I think the reason I like Feyre so much is because in most YA books the lead female always seems to be dying for any form of attention from the male lead whereas Feyre didn't want to have feelings for Tamlin, she didn't really want anything to do with him at all in the beginning but she grew to care for him and want to look out for him as much as he was looking out for her. 

There are so many points in this book that I could talk about, things that I could reference or compare to Beauty and the Beast. I could go on and on forever about how great I think the storyline is or how amazing the writing is but I really believe it is something you need to experience. This book really is just an experience. 

So my final words on this book are these, if you haven't already read this book then I highly recommend that you do. You really are missing out. If you have read this book then you know what I mean. 

I am now off to pick up A Court Of Mist And Fury because I need more of this world in my life. 

Initiate by Laura L. Fox

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was released on November 15th but I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy from the publisher. 

Initiate is the debut novel for author Laura L. Fox and is also the first book in The D'Andari'i Cycle. 

The plot of Initiate surrounds Riga Garrison. Riga is a teenager who has lived her whole life in an underground research facility in the middle of the Antarctic known as the "Tunnel". Life for Riga seems normal enough, she goes to school, hangs out with her friends and doesn't have the best relationship with her mother. There is more to life in the Tunnel than Riga first believes however. Riga's life is turned upside down by the discovery of an animal that she believe has been extinct for a number of years. This puts Riga on a course to discovering secrets kept from her whole community and leaves her facing exile to the unknown wasteland on the surface.

I loved the setting of this book. It's rare to find a book that totally encompasses a setting like Antarctica. Laura L. Fox did a beautiful job at combining the senses to fit the setting. I love how she added colour to the world using blues, greens and whites as well continuously mentioning the cold and the ice that surrounded the characters. It was such a different way to get the reader totally invested in the world. 

This was definitely a great introduction to the world that Fox has created. She has the excitement and the emotional investment already with this story and I for one cannot wait to see where this story goes next. I want to find out the truth to more secrets with Riga as she discovers the new world she has found herself in. 

This is a book that I would definitely pick up again and I am excited to see what Fox brings us next. 

Lumberjanes Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy

I have never read a comic/graphic novel quite like Lumberjanes. It is truly an adventure. 

The girls that this story is centred around are not the typical kind of girls that you get in books. These girls are all so totally different but all with one thing in common, they love a good adventure. 

I seriously could not put this volume down and the second I finished it I was tempted to go and get the next one right then. The combination of the mystery and adventure, and the fun, only made for an amazing read that makes you want to be friends with five lumberjanes just so that you can get in on the action too. 

On top of the amazing story, the artwork for this particular comic is crazy good. It captures the essence of scout camps while also having more excitement added into it. The layout of it being the Lumberjane handbook is such a good idea and with each chapter being a different badge just makes you become more involved in the story than you already would be. I like the use of photographs of the girls that they seem to have stuck in their guide book because it adds to the essence of them being away from home and looking for somewhere to store their memorable moments. 

I honestly cannot wait to get my hands on the next volume and see where this story and these characters go next. I just wish I could get my hands on it right now like it could materialise right into my lap.