Review: Last Chance (Blog Tour Stop)

Warning, this is a review of a sequel. The first one, The Last Keeper, is an amazing book but if you don’t want spoilers please don’t read this review, I cannot promise this won’t have spoilers.

Author: Michelle Birbeck

Publishing Company: Smashwords

Blurb: With her race saved from the brink of extinction, Serenity’s life could not be better. Married, finally, to Ray, and back in London for the first time in a century, retirement isn’t coming easy. Being a housewife was never in her make up.

But when Lizzy calls to say the Keepers’ records have been stolen, retirement is preferable over the danger they now face.

Targets once more, Serenity’s isn’t inclined to sit back and let her brothers and sisters face the losses she witnessed, but the order to move an entire race comes at a price.

Whoever is behind the threat, they show none of the mercy The Seats once did. No broken families left to suffer the loss of parents, aunts, uncles. This time they’ve gone too far, and when they take the lives of the race’s children, Serenity’s mind is made up.

This time they will be no threats, no mercy.

This time there’ll be no survivors.

My Review:

The first book, The Last Keeper I read last year. I was more than happy to read this for Michelle when she asked me to be part of the blog tour. I have to admit that it took a while to get into, but I think that was more about the crazy stuff I’ve had to do with classes and assignments and everything like that. So, when I actually got time to get into this book, it was just such a nice thing to do to actually get reading again!

The book is set a good chunk of time after the first one, so we’ve missed Serenity and Ray and how their relationship has worked together. The characters in this book still have the same spark and fun and light in them, and it was lovely to be reintroduced to these characters.

So, I loved the characters, I know I’ve just said that, but the sassiness, the bitchiness, but the way that they work together. You can see the reality that they are family and that they fight together and with each other. It’s so interesting to see these dynamics together.

The bad guys in this (I’m not spoiling) are freaking awesome. The way that it all came out, I didn’t expect what happened, and when everything kicked off. Oh my goodness I was in tears at one point (if you’ve read it then you know what I mean, if not go read it).

The only thing was, I felt like it was a little stop and go at a few points. The first major fight that happened in the book, I wanted to find out what was going on, and then after Serenity had gotten better from the fight, it was only mentioned in passing right at the end. I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

Also, just to say Michelle, if you’re reading this, which I hope you are. WHAT THE HELL WAS UP WITH THAT ENDING?! SERIOUSLY?! I need the next book ASAP please. Thank you.

My rating:

Setting: 4 out of 5

Characters: 4.5 out of 5

Plot: 3 out of 5

Writing: 3.5 out of 5

If you read the book, I hope you enjoy(ed) it, and I’ll talk to you guys later! Bye x

Review: The Hallowed Ones

Author: Laura Bickle

Publishing Company: Graphia

Blurb: If your home was the last safe place on earth, would you let a stranger in?

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers are free to experience non-Amish culture before officially joining the church. But before Rumspringa arrives, Katie's safe world starts to crumble. It begins with a fiery helicopter crash in the cornfields, followed by rumors of massive unrest and the disappearance of huge numbers of people all over the world. Something is out there...and it is making a killing.

Unsure why they haven't yet been attacked, the Amish Elders make a decree: No one goes outside their community, and no one is allowed in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man lying just outside the boundary of their land, she can't leave him to die. She refuses to submit to the Elders' rule and secretly brings the stranger into her community - but what else is she bringing in with him?

My Review:

I picked this one up with some pretty high hopes. The blurb sounds fantastic, it's a different culture, end of the world, fiery helicopters. Sounds awesome right? Wrong.

It's unbelievable how disappointed I was with this book. The start I was really hoping for something good. Instead I got a book where so little happened! Katie was a good character, but sometimes she was lacking something. I was in love with Elijah at the beginning, and as the book went on he just made me angrier and angrier and angrier. There was so much that I wanted from the characters, and yet they lacked it, they weren't pushed far enough, and they changed so drastically.

The evil things that destroyed the world were really not as well explained as they should have been, in my opinion. You hear biochemical warfare, zombies is what you leap to. Then they come out to be vampires. Okay. Wasn't expecting that. But these vampires aren't the normal vampires, they're cunning, evil, smart, animalistic. Great! Thank goodness it's not some flowery vampire that we always see. Then again, they weren't in it that much. How can we be excited about a bunch of vampires who aren't in the book too much.

Oh, and there's one part that's so predictable that it's unreal. I'm not going to say what it is until I get to the spoiler bit, but I really saw it coming from a mile off. It was ridiculous.

I think one of my problems with this book was how content Katie was with her life. She was dead excited for Rumspringa, but there was so much that she just took. And I get culture differences and everything, it's just...weird though.

This book made me angry more than anything, I have to say. I got angry with the characters, I got angry that the vampires weren't in it enough, I got angry at how confusing it got with everything. Some bits were overkill, and I was so annoyed that I got bored. This book looked amazing, and it turned out to be blah. More than blah.

FROM HERE ON UNTIL YOU SEE BOLD WILL BE SPOILERS PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK

Prepare for a rant. So, you know Elijah's brothers? How they went missing at the very start of the book? And then you're told that the enemy is vampires? Yeah. Just. Predictable. I was so annoyed at that because you knew it was coming from a mile off.

And what was with Elijah's constant changing mood? He was a nice guy at the start! And then he was mourning, I get that. But then...he was suddenly all like 'yep, I'm getting baptised, you should do it as well, God will save us, and I'm now a man so you should just get over it'. Gah, I just wanted to punch him (and quite a few other characters) in the face! And then at the end when he was trying to...just, he was supposed to be a good guy, and he turned into something horrible and disgusting and out of character from what he'd been set up to be at the start.

SPOILERS DONE

I'm not sure if I'll pick up the second one. I know, I've ranted about how I hated this book and I'm considering picking up the second, weird huh? But the second one seems like it could be decent, it's a chance to see more action and violence, and throw some new things at us. I may have to kindle sample it first and see what I think.

My rating:

Setting: 3 out of 5

Characters: 2 out of 5

Plot: 2 out of 5

Writing: 3 out of 5

If you read the book, I hope you enjoy(ed) it, and I'll talk to you guys later! Bye x

Update!

So I haven't finished any books lately (in fact I'm annoyed at myself because my friend who doesn't read that much has read more than me this year) but I have a few books on the go at this point that I'd like to give a few updates on so you guys aren't left reviewless and postless.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling

This is just a lovely wonderful nostalgia filled read that I'm so happy I'm reading. It's strange because I'm currently sitting in my room at home, in my bed, reading a book I remember so many memories of reading at school and when I was younger. It's pretty amazing to be reading it again. I'm taking this one pretty slow though. Harry's only just gotten onto Platform 9 3/4 so yeah. It's awesome to read though.

The Vampire Stalker by Allison von Diepen

This book just takes me back to my badly written, fanfiction obsessed days. The days when I genuinely couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if this happened or this happened or this. It's one of those books that I'm really enjoying quite a bit, but not because it's anything spectacular. It's a stupid read but it's one that you can kinda enjoy if you don't take it seriously.

Last Chance by Michelle Birbeck

This one is an ARC that lovely Michelle sent me. It's the sequel to her first book The Last Keeper. I won't be reviewing this until very very later. I'm helping with her blog tour, so that's exciting! I'm taking this one slowly so I can write up a concise and fun review. But I have to say, I'm already getting excited to see the same characters popping up and being so fun and similar and everything.

Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Surprisingly, yes I am reading a Gothic Classic! I know crazy. Basically we're doing a big Gothic Conference at my University, and my friend and I are helping with a big opening to the Phantom Overture, and with the day in general really. However, to get myself in the mood for this big Gothic Conference, I wanted to actually read the book. I'm five chapters in so far and I'm really enjoying it! I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying it to be fair, I'm not a Classics girl and I will openly admit that. However, I have a love of Frankenstein, and this is kinda reminding me of my love for that. I'm also planning on reading Dracula. I'm interested in going to some of the roots of some of the horror films we see today (I'm quite a big Horror film buff, though a lot of them make me laugh). So you might be seeing a big list of Gothic fiction reviews coming up in the next few months.

And right now that's all that I'm obsessed with book wise. Unless you count the Zombies, Run! app as a story. Because seriously that app keeps shocking me and making me want to run more just to hear what'll happen.

Okay I'm going off on a tangent. Hopefully I'll have a review up of The Vampire Stalker and get a few more review up of other things. Unfortunately I don't think I will I'm apparently doing a lot of rereading/reading of books I can't review as of yet. Sorry guys. I will get to it I promise!

I keep being bad at book club

So I was planning to read Cloud Atlas, but as it turns out its a ridiculously big book and I don't have time this month to read it. I'm sorry but classes come first.

Instead, I'm rereading a classic, a childhood favourite, and a book that already has almost made me cry three times in chapter 1 (mainly from nostalgia)

I'm rereading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling.

It still fits in with my book club requirements, but it's something quick and easy to read as well as something nice to remember. Last year was the first time that I didn't read a single Harry Potter book all year since I was eleven.

So now we've established how bad I am at picking a book, let me promise you this. I will finish reading this book by the end of March.

Yup. I didn't finish it.

Were you expecting much from me? I went to see a film with an old friend and when I got back home, my flatmates were going out to play pool. It was a chance for actual human interaction, it doesn't happen that often.

So yeah, I haven't finished Uncommon Criminals yet. I PLAN TO FINISH IT THOUGH. I will be reading it and reviewing it later on in the month. Basically Uni comes first and then sometimes when I really need to go out and just relax from Uni work, books are left. Yeah, I'm sorry I'm a bad bookworm.

This month's theme is now up on Once A Month Book Club, and the theme is a book that has been turned into a film/tv series. And I have loads of these. Seriously, I have so many. However, I decided to pick up a book I wouldn't usually read, and that I'm excited for the film. And that is:

 Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Goodreads Summary: A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan’s California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified “dinery server” on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilisation—the narrators of Cloud Atlas hear each other’s echoes down the corridor of history, and their destinies are changed in ways great and small.

In his captivating third novel, David Mitchell erases the boundaries of language, genre and time to offer a meditation on humanity’s dangerous will to power, and where it may lead us.

Now, since buying this book, I've been told by a fair few people that it's hard to read. However I'm determined to read it. So I've decided if I read 20 or so pages a night and leave it at that, then I can probably get through it.

As always if I finish it I will try to post a review on here, and I'll try to do a few updates throughout the week. If you'd like to participate let me know below what you'd want to read, or go visit the blog and tell us there. We also have a Goodreads bookclub up too! There's no excuse for you not to join one of them. Go on. It's not crazy pressure, it's a lot easier than you'd expect. We don't bite promise!

If you've read Cloud Atlas let me know, tell me what you thought too I'd love to hear!

One day until the end of the book club and...

....yeah I haven't finished my book. To be fair the past week has been crazy busy, I have barely had time to sit down and think never mind read.

I'm now up to Chapter Ten and about a quarter of the way through the book. I'm not going to give up though! I'm going to read as much of this book as I can in the next twelve hours and hopefully I'll have a review up by tonight of it. Maybe tomorrow.

So far what I think of it:

It's very typical Ally Carter, very fun quick reads that you can enjoy reading and don't have to worry too much about understanding them. The characters still work the way they do, Hale and Kat are still having their little weird thing. Gabrielle is having her normal bored tone. I was really interested to see how she'd move on from Heist Society, because bar the Visily Romani part, it could be a stand alone book, and really even if you have that element, you could just read Heist Society and leave it like that.

I think overall so far I'm really enjoying it, I'm just annoyed I've been so busy with essay writing and helping people out with Medieval Extravaganzas and Radio dramas. Don't get me wrong, I've had some awesome fun times in them, it's just left me a bit more than stressed out.

So yeah, no more updates on this months book until I finish it (and yes I'm aware it's technically March, but the book club blog says the new challenge goes up Saturday, so that's fine with me)

Comment below if you've read this book (no spoilers please, I'm still in the process of reading it) and I'll talk to you guys later

Happy reading!

Book Club Update

Okay, so I said I was going to reread Perks of Being a Wallflower for this months book, but in truth, I decided that it was probably more worth while if I read a completely new book. So instead, I'm now reading Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter instead. This is book two in the Heist Society series, and I enjoyed the first one and thought it would be a quick read.

The trouble is, I have a lot of work to do for all my classes this semester, so I'm reading a lot of stuff and doing a lot of work each week. It kinda eats into my reading/reviewing time. However, I'm going to try to get some done, at least a few chapters a night.

So right now I'm onto Chapter 4 (page 17), and I'm going to do a little update on what I'm thinking about it.

So far it's very simple, Kat is finding herself with a reputation, there's a bit of sexual tension between her and Hale (come on you knew from reading book one it was there, that's not a spoiler) and she's up to her old tricks again. All I can think is 'if she tried her hardest to get out of this world, why has she gone back so quickly?' but you know. There's a saying about new tricks and an old dog or something like that.

It's a quick fun read. Plus, I'm really into the whole heist genre right now (I watched the Ocean's Trilogy the other day, so not good for my learning, but really good for certain muse).

If you have any good heist books that you think I'd enjoy, let me know, until then, I'm going to go back to reading. I will update at Chapter 8!

Heist Society

Author: Ally Carter

Publishing Company: Orchard

Blurb: When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. But now her dad's life is on the line, and Kat must go back to the world she tried so hard to escape...

My Review: I read I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You last year and thought it was pretty good. So I went into this book with similar hopes, I wasn't expecting anything perfect, but I was hoping for a quick fun read. I have to say I wasn't disappointed.

Ally Carter has these quirky fun characters who can fit into her worlds so perfectly, and are contemporary but at the same time something that the normal people like me wouldn't expect. I would never ever think about what it's like to be a master thief at the age of fifteen/sixteen. It's so easy to get caught up in this world of crime and heists and seeing all of the terms used for what they do. If I didn't know any better I think that Ally Carter is both a spy and a thief and is hiding out somewhere and pretending she's just an innocent author.

I love how easily you can love the characters, how easy the plot is to get into, and yet how you can still see the complexity of the whole thing. So Kat is a thief, but doesn't want to be, but has to be to save her dad. That in itself is kinda crazy, throw in an art collecting villain who's basically made his mind up as to who stole his paintings and you have this insane plot that's intricate, yet you can actually follow along pretty easily.

The characters are really interesting too. Most of them you instantly fall for, Kat and Hale being the two main ones. Some you kinda grow to love, like Gabrielle. They were simple yet had enough complexity to keep them interesting.

My rating on goodreads for this book was only a 3/5. I did this because though I enjoyed the book, I can't remember half the characters' names, and it was a book that I can say I've read but it didn't blow me away with how amazing it was. If you're looking for a light fun read with humour and action, this is your book, for me there was something missing to give it a top rating though.

My rating:

Setting: 4 out of 5

Characters: 4 out of 5

Plot: 3 out of 5

Writing: 3 out of 5

If you read the book, I hope you enjoy it, and I’ll talk to you guys later! Bye x

Sooo....this is awkward...BUT HERE'S A BOOKCLUB!

Hello fellow readers, I have not done a blog post in a long time, but that is (hopefully going to change). I have been swamped with work over the past year or so, and really went into a reading rut over the past year or so.

But now I want to get out of that. The best way to do that? Do some form of reading challenges with friends.

My friend Becky and I were in Waterstones today (don't judge me), and we were talking about how many books we own that we haven't read. To be honest, the amount of books that I own but haven't read is well into the 100s. Which is ridiculous. So, while also doing a 'tbr challenge' of reading ten books this year that are from at least a year ago, we thought we'd do another thing.

So we have a bookclub, Once A Month Book Club is an idea that we came up with where it's a very informal, very simple, and fun way to get these books read. Every month we're planning to read a book on our tbr pile and be able to start a discussion up about it.

We're basically going to make it really simple, so each week we'll have a sort of theme or one particular book. If you'd like to join along, you might want to follow her blog, and expect posts regularly on here too. I want to do a progress of it every week.

I will be commenting on her posts so that it's interactive, and fun.

This month we are planning to read:

 Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Goodreads Blurb: Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

I have actually read this before, I read it last May and absolutely adored it. So much so that I'm willing to read it again. So my month isn't really going to be reading a book I haven't gotten around to yet, but getting back into the swing of reading.

So, if you would like to check out the book club blog, please do, and if you want to participate let me know. Also, expect quick updates every few chapters on here, it may not be anything crazy insightful, but I want to get back to reviewing.

Reviews to come: 

• Beautiful Creatures (Film & Book comparison)
• Sweet Evil
• Heist Society

I AM GOING TO GET BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS. I promise. Hopefully.