Fangirl - Book Review

I feel like I'm constantly neglecting the book part of my blog so here is another review for you :D 

As you can see by the title I'm going to talk about Rainbow Rowells Fangirl. It was published in September 2013 and belongs into the contemporary YA section.

Note: Once again crossed out writing marks SPOILERS.

Synopsis:
Cath and Wren are identical twins and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to college and Wren's decided that she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She would rather bury herself in the fanfiction she writes where there's romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life.
Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible... 

Story:
The story is very typical for this genre... if you just brush its surface but deeper it's really not that typical anymore. What makes it unique is that Cath is a big fangirl, writing her own fanfiction and burying herself in that world. Naturally there are parts of fan culture etc in the book which is something I've never read anywhere else before and I think it's great that it is a subject in this novel. 
I also liked that she created the Simon Snow series as the Harry Potter series of Caths world but it confused me a bit when the actual Harry Potter was mentioned as well because why reinvent it, when you're going to mention it anyway?
The beginning of the story can be a bit frustrating, especially if you can not relate at all to Cath and her anxiety because she just turns down all the invites for any kind of social activity and mostly stays in her room. But it gets better towards the middle and you really start rooting for Cath. 
I was sad that it ended so soon because there were a couple more things that I would have liked to see. For example her finishing Carry on and the eight Simon Snow book or how her relationship developed. Second book please??

Characters:
This novel has the most relatable protagonist EVER! I could understand Caths issues and fears very well. Though I probably wouldn't have survived that long on protein bars and peanut butter ;) What I also loved about her was that while she is introverted and anxious she's not afraid to stand up for herself. 
Then we have Levi, probably one of the nicest and cheerful guys in all the books I've read so far. I just want to pick him right out of the novel so I could be friends with him. 
I also liked Reagan and her kind of forceful/brusque manner. She led to a lot of laughs. I'd also pick her out of the novel to be my roommate because while she might appear mean she's always there to give you a little push when you need it :P Here's an example of her interaction with Cath:

"I feel sorry for you, and I'm going to be your friend."

"I don't want to be your friend," Cath said as sternly as she could. "I like that we're not friends."

"Me, too," Reagan said. "I'm sorry your ruined it by being so pathetic."

Generally I really enjoyed how Rainbow Rowell developed the characters and the relationships between them. They are all different from each other and realistic which in my opinion is important in contemporary coming-of-age stories like this one.

Writing Style:
I don't really have much to say about the writing style. Rainbow Rowell managed to create lovely cute scenes and I particularly liked how she wrote all the fandom related scenes. They are very realistic and I guess many Harry Potter fans will remember what events etc are/have been like for them. The story is written from Caths POV but in third person which is perfectly fine since we stay pretty close to the protagonist and are able to sympathize with her as if it were written from a first person POV.  

Overall Opinion:
I really really enjoyed Fangirl and I think the biggest reason for this is that I could relate so well to the story and the characters. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars on goodreads and I would recommend it especially for girls who can see themselves in Cath or people who enjoy coming-of-age stories.

My Life Next Door - Book Review

Woot, another book review coming your way. This time it's about My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. It is her debut novel and came out in 2012. There will be a sequel in 2015 (so EXCITED!).

Original Cover

Version I read (German)

Synopsis
"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them...until one summer evening Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

Story

The story is very realistic but still delicate and cute which I think is what makes this novel so interesting. That is also what makes it stand out from all the other contemporary YA romance books. Also there is a good amount of tension and excitement and you'll want to keep reading until you're through.

Characters
What I enjoyed most about the book are the characters. They are all unique, very well developed and appear so real. Even the smaller ones are perfectly thought out and likable. Then I also loved how mature Jase and Sam are. By that I mean that they aren't just guided by feelings and hormones but they also think and reconsider.

Writing Style
The story is written in first person from Samanthas POV. This suited very well because we get Samanthas thoughts and comments on certain situations. A lot of them are sarcastic remarks which she would never say out loud but for us as readers they are hilarious. 

Overall Opinion
I rated the book 5 out of 5 stars because I just really enjoyed this book. It made me feel happy and the characters felt so real. Also the story is very touching and I liked that besides the romance between the main characters there was also focus on other themes like family and friendship. 

I would recommend the novel to people who enjoy teenage love stories. It is also a nice read for the summer or the beach when you're on vacation. Generally I think girls will enjoy this more than boys would.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Book Review

This book is the first in a trilogy, it was written by Laini Taylor and published in 2011. It had been on my TBR shelf for quite a while before I finally picked it up and I don't know why I waited this long because I absolutely loved it! Seriously I was so pleasantly surprised with everything that happened that it became my favourite book of 2013 and it also has a spot on my Favourites of All Time list. But before I just go on and on about how great it is, let's start with the actual review.

Paperback (version I read)

Hardcover

Warning

I feel like I can't do this without revealing minor spoilers. I'm going to write them like this so you can skip these parts if you want to get through the review completely spoiler free.

Synopsis (as written on the back of the book)

"Errand requiring immediate attention. Come,

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. 

When Brimstone called, she always came." 

In general, Karous has managed to keep her two lives in balance. One the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunter and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole. 

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

Story:

I didn't really have much information about this book and so I was very surprised with how it all turned out. The world was built beautifully and the story developed so nicely. Generally Laini Taylor did a great job planning it and all the pieces fell into place by the end of the book while also leaving us with new questions and excitement for the sequel. 

I also liked how we discovered most of the mysteries just as Karou did. There are some things you could predict but most of the story came as a surprise.

Another point I particularly enjoyed about the story was that it's divided into different parts. This suited very well because Karou also went through different stages of finding out who she was and every part kind of matches with one of these stages. 

Characters:

I loved the diversity of the characters personalities and that you actually care about them. To me that is one of the most important things when reading and so I was very glad to have it in this book. 

The relationships between all the characters were developed so beautifully and delicately which lead to several very emotional scenes and I loved it. An example would be the relationship between Karou and Brimstone. You only learn about the true depth of their relationship towards the end but it's just so bittersweet considering how coolly he threw her out and that he's possibly dead now.

Writing Style:

The story was told in third person which I do not always like but in a Fantasy novel like this it was perfect because your view of the world is still focused on the main character but you also have a broader knowledge of what is going on around her. For once I even enjoyed the altering POVs because it let me learn more about Akiva and his motives. Also the changes seemed fitting.

What was truly amazing was Laini Taylor’s descriptive and vivid style of writing because it really helped letting Karous world come to life in my head. You might feel a little weirded out at the beginning because Mrs. Taylor has her way of weaving in information which won't always make sense to you but as you read on it's just like: Ahh now I see! 

Overall Opinion:

As you certainly figured by now I really enjoyed the book and I'd definitely recommend it. There is a bit of everything: romance, mystery, badassery... and once you get used to that world and how Laini Taylor builds it you will fall in love with the story and the characters. This is why I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I was very excited for the sequel and started reading it right away. Now I can't wait for the final book which is coming out in April. 

The Maze Runner - Book Review

German Cover (I read this one)

Original (English) Cover

Woot! My first book review is finally here. I’m going to give you some base information first and then follow up with the actual review.

Alright let’s jump straight in then… The title of the novel is the Maze Runner and it was written by James Dashner. It is the first in a YA dystopian series and it tells us the story of Thomas and his friends. In 2014 it will be out on the big screen with Dylan O’Brien playing the lead role.

If you haven’t read it yet, here is a brief SYNOPSIS: Thomas wakes up in an elevator remembering nothing but his name. When he gets out of it he arrives in a strange place called the Glade which is surrounded by gigantic walls. He tries to find out where exactly he is but the boys (Gladers) living in the Glade won’t answer him properly. Despite that he then finds out that they are in the middle of a giant maze filled with deathly creatures and that their purpose is to solve it and escape. The Gladers have been trying to escape for about two years and soon after Thomas arrival things go crazy and their time starts to run out.

Ok, now that we have the basics let’s start reviewing. I’ll split this part up in several categories. It is spoiler free and you should be okay reading it even if you haven’t read the book yet.

First I’d like to talk about the STORY. I think that the basic idea and the world setting are great and exciting. I also enjoyed that James Dashner let us discover what was going on at the same time as Thomas did. That way new events weren’t always predictable and it was interesting to start a story knowing absolutely nothing about the society or the world outside the maze. I sometimes felt though that the planning of the story wasn’t executed properly. I got that feeling because there were contradicting actions happening within one page and generally some development didn’t take place very steadily but just happened from one second to the other.

My next topic is the Characters. To me all the boys seemed two have almost the same personality. All of them were somewhat unfriendly and harsh. Also their ability to have a conversation without mildly offending their counterpart seemed to have been lost in the maze. The only ones that I kind of grew to like were Chuck and Minho. They are also the ones who were a bit more lively and likeable.

The third point I’d like to discuss is the Writing Style. For me it was kind of hard to get used to because the style was somehow distant and unfriendly despite the fact that we see everything from Thomas POV. Due to that I couldn’t totally connect to the characters and the story and it really bothered me because I didn’t genuinely cared about the people in the book and I like to do that. Then Mr. Dashner also invented some kind of slang for the Gladers which was really annoying because it wasn’t used consistently and seemed very unnecessary. That brings me to what bothered me the most about the writing style of the book. The author wrote so repetitive which is the most UNNERVING thing in a novel EVER!!! At the beginning Thomas just went on and on and on about how sick he felt, then he was constantly complaining about how frustrated he was when no one gave him answers and it just never really stoped with the repetitions. Generally I felt like James Dashner or the person who translated the book did not have the biggest vocabulary.  

Ok, so now we have my Overall Opinion. Despite the fact that I had issues with the writing style and the character development I really enjoyed the story and finding out more about the world Thomas lives in. That is also what encouraged me to finish the book and kept me excited. I rated the book a 2.5 out of 5 stars. At the moment I’m not sure if I’m going to continue the series or not. If I do I might pick up one of the sequels in English, so I can see if that solves the issues with the writing style.

I would recommend you to read this book if you like a different tone in the story telling and don’t really care about the writing style. Also if you’re into Dystopian series totally give this one a go it might not be the Hunger Games or Divergent but it is still pretty interesting. And otherwise you can still go and watch the movie next year :P