REVIEW: Kill the Music by Nansi Kunze

Title: Kill the Music

Author: Nansi Kunze

Genre: Young Adult. Mystery. Romance.

Publication Date: July 1^st 2013

Publisher: Random House Australia

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Rating: 5/5

Book Depository | Amazon

If everyone loves the world's hottest band, who's trying to destroy them? Most people would love to be Lorna Powell, travelling the globe with her brother and his mega-famous band. Then again, most people don't realise just how annoying four handsome rock stars can be. A new home and a new school seem like the start of a normal life - until Lorna overhears a chilling plot to silence the band forever. Soon Lorna is drawn into a frantic attempt to identify the killer before they strike. But it's not easy to track suspects around the world when she’s got homework to do and secrets to protect. And when gorgeous lead singer Marius starts to act strangely, Lorna wonders if she’s had the wrong idea all along . . .

Hand me a book by Nansi Kunze and it’s pretty much a given that I will adore it, not only that but I will read it in about two hours or less. Nansi’s books are probably the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read- there just so quick and easy to get through, but at the same time they are incredibly intelligent and witty. I could talk for hours about Nansi’s books but today, I’m just focusing on this one.

This one is a little bit different to her past two books. Mishaps and Dangerously Placed, which are both mind-blowingly amazing, are a bit Sci-Fi, but Kill the Music is something different. It’s a sort of mystery, contemporary, romance, action, almost even a bit spy-ish, and all these elements together makes for one hell of a book. It starts off normal enough and then suddenly, you’ve been thrown into the world of Lorna and Turmoil, and then before you know, you finished the book and its left a big gaping hole in your heart for Marius. (Maybe that was just me, though).

Lorna, like all of Nansi’s main characters, is wonderful. She seems so real, even though her life is something out of a teenage girls dream. But Lorna is not a pop-star herself, she’s just a normal girl going through high school, or at least attempting to go through high school. I think the fact that Lorna is just a normal girl who struggles with classes and making friends and annoying older brothers (something that I have very much in common in Lorna) is what makes her such an amazing main character. At the same time, she is so very badass- let me ask you this, how many teenage girls do you know that will try and take down a killer to save her brother and his friends? Personally, I would terrible at it. But that’s what makes this book so fun- it’s the fact that yeah, Lorna is a normal high school girl, but she also fiercely protective of the ones she loves.

Talking about the ones she loves- the boys of Turmoil. Oh my god. I swear, if they were a real band- I was be their biggest fan. They are just so funny (and incredibly attractive) but they’ve also got this sweet side that you get to see through their interactions with Lorna. Flint, Lorna’s brother, is adorable. I think that’s the only way you can describe him. It felt like he was my older brother with all of his protectiveness and silliness and even though there were times where I felt so embarrassed for Lorna- he was still a great brother and a great character. Marius. How to explain the beautiful Marius? Basically, I think I have a new literary boyfriend. At first, I wasn’t a fan of him- he sort of seems to be one of those real rock star, arrogant types but as the book progresses you actually get to see how wonderful he is. By the end, as I said before, there’s a big gaping hole in my heart where Marius belongs. He’s actually a real person, you know? I refuse to believe otherwise.

This story is just amazing. Both the plot and the characters are as important and fun as the other. They work so well together, it wouldn’t be the same story without the characters and they wouldn’t be the same characters without the story. I think that shows just how perfectly they fit together. And as for that ending...well...*heart melts*. 

You can also check out my review of Nansi's second book, Dangerously Placed

REVIEW: The Gatekeeper's House by Eva Pohler

Title: The Gatekeeper’s House (Gatekeeper’s Saga #4)

Author: Eva Pohler

Genre: Young Adult. Mythology. Romance.

Publication Date: November 1^st 2013

Publisher: Green Press/Eva Pohler

Format: Paperback

Pages: 289

Rating: 5/5

Amazon 

Eighteen-year-old Therese Mills has second thoughts about marrying Thanatos when she learns no god has ever been faithful to his wife. Before she can move into Hecate's rooms, however, the Underworld is attacked, she and her friends are crushed, the souls are unleashed, and a malevolent goddess threatens to unhinge Mount Olympus.

Hypnos has just made a deal with Hades to have his turn in the Upperworld, but before he can tempt Jen with a kiss, he's called back to rebind the souls and defend the House of Hades, and he unwittingly puts Jen and her family in harm's way.

Okay, even though this is the fourth book in the series, I’m going to attempt to keep this spoiler free just in case there are a few of you that want to check out if this book is good (WHICH IT IS UNDENIABLY) before you read it (WHICH YOU SHOULD ALSO UNDENIABLY).

*Slow clap* Eva Pohler, you have done it again

Can I just start of by praising Eva Pohler, the author, for being able to not forget anything for her previous books in the making of this book and the series. You have to be amazingly talented and truly dedicated to keep that up. I’ve read so many books in which the author forgets a character in the room or forgets a detail that is quite important to the quest of the main character, but here we are, not doing any of that. I think this is one of the things I value the most as a reader. Being able to be consistent with the protagonist’s story line. This series really satisfies this.

HIP! If you had read any of the previous books you would know that there was less Hip, but this book sure pulls him in. At first I was not that fond of a relationship that was forming between Hip and another significant other, but over the course of the book I began to like it.

Gatekeeper’s house never lacked in suspense and twists and turns and all that crazy stuff! I felt like I was on a rollercoaster holding on for my life. It was ironically full of life (as they were in the underworld), and it always had be guessing and pining and feeling so much emotion that just UGH. UGH.

If I could say it simply, then: You should read this series. Just do it.

As I’ve come to expect with Eva’s books, ‘The Gatekeeper’s House’ blew me away. We return to Therese and Than’s story right where the last book left off, but it takes absolutely no time at all for the action to kick in. From that moment on, it is impossible to think about stopping- once you’re in, there’s no way you can escape this amazing story that Eva has created.

Throughout the last three books, we’ve seen the main character, the lovely Therese Mills, grow and develop as a character. This book is no different as Therese continues to adapt into her new life, as her loving nature and her incredible strength continues to shine through, more importantly, you get to see Therese’s worries and flaws as well. And while we aren’t all goddess, I think Eva still manages to write a character that you can really connect to. Despite her new powers, she is ultimately still a teenage girl trying to find out where she belongs.

Without a doubt, my favourite part of the fourth book was Hip. The last three books has sort of lacked Hip, and if you’ve read any of Chami and I’s previous reviews you’d know that we adore Hip more than anything else. But you really get a chance to see the real Hip in this book. While he seems like his usual cocky self for a while, as the story goes on he shows himself as actually a really genuine guy. I really like how he develops- it’s not an instant change, it’s been built up in all the previous books but this one is honestly Hip’s time to shine. If you don’t love him by the end of this book, well I don’t even know what you’re doing!

The plot of this particular one is just insane. Honestly, there are so many twists and turns that you just never see coming. Everything is crafted to perfection. I think we’ve mentioned this in all three of our previous reviews, but Eva is insanely brilliant when it comes to tying everything together. She never misses a single detail, and while other authors may forget things from their previous books, Eva never does. It’s honestly amazing, and I have no idea how she manages to remember all this stuff! And I can’t even begin to describe how much effort Eva puts into these books, not just in her writing but in every single aspect. I don’t think there is a more dedicated author out there.

If I were to suggest only one series ever, I would definitely suggest this one. You will fall in love with all the characters, even those that you hate with a passion. You will fall in love with the extreme attention to detail that Eva pays to everything in this series. I think you’ll just plain fall in love with this entire series. It is just, honestly, amazing.

I’d like to thank Eva for sending us her books to review and for making our reading experience so wonderful. There aren’t nearly enough words to describe how thankful we are.

If you'd like to buy this series, please check out the following Amazon links: The Gatekeeper's Sons (free) | The Gatekeeper's Challenge | The Gatekeeper's Daughter

ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES #WEAREBACK

Hey Bloggersyouthoughti'veforgottenabout

So...It's been a while but Ely and I have a completely plausible explanation for this. That is: EXAMS. Ely had her final exams while I had my semifinals and we've just been completely busy studying, dying after reading Allegiant and partying for Ely's birthday. But we are coming back to save the day.

To Keep you guys happy, here is a couple shots of your blogging girls:

Here is an amusing selfie of me: (Ain't this amusing?)

Ely and I will be back very soon! We've missed you all!

REVIEW: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

 
Title: The Body Finder (The Body Finder #1)

Author: Kimberly Derting
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery. 
Publication Date: February 15^th 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: Paperback

Pages: 328

Rating: 5/5
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

 A gripping tale of a girl with a morbid ability that could lead her to a killer . . . and the boy who would never let anything happen to her.

Sixteen-year-old Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her unusual so-called gift. While her confusing feelings for her best friend are new, she has been able to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered—and the imprints that attach to their killers since she was a little girl. Violet has never considered her ability useful, but now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Fiercely protective of her, Jay agrees to help Violet search for the murderer. But even as she's falling in love, Violet is getting closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

Before I even actually picked up this book, I had some ideas about how I would feel about this book. I really didn’t have high expectations for it- I don’t really understand why, but I didn’t. But as you can see by my rating, it definitely exceeded those expectations. In fact, it was so different to what I thought it would be. I suppose that I kind of thought there would be similarities between this series and the Need series by Carrie Jones (which I’m not exactly the biggest fan of). Again- I’m not entirely sure why because they are about completely different things. Though I had this in mind, I still decided to give at least the first book a chance- and well, I’m glad I did.

The main character, Violet, seemed kind of like one of those characters who would really get on your nerves- the usual annoying type that you end up hating by the end of the book. However, I actually found that I really like Violet- I didn’t find her annoying but instead I found that I could relate to her. I thought that many of the things she did, or said or felt were very realistic, but I liked that her ‘gift’ create that little bit of difference. I also really like how she handled her ‘gift’, I think how Derting allowed Violet to dislike her gift but still be willing to use it for good, even if it got her in trouble, was amazing. In addition to that, I thought the descriptions of the echoes and Violet’s feelings were fantastic- they were creepy and mysterious, but they also bought along this sadness with each of the victims.

I liked the other characters. Jay, especially. Oh, how to describe the wonderfulness that is Jay Heaton? He’s a really sweet character and so genuine- I think he’s also very realistic. I like how he respects and supports Violet even when some of her ideas end with her in a bit of trouble. He’s also protective of her, but not crazy you-can’t-do-anything-without-me protective.

Finally, I want to talk about the plot. Now, this- this is where stuff gets real good. Who doesn’t love a good serial killer story? I think this one is especially creepy because you get a sort of insight into the killer’s mind but you still have absolutely no idea who the actual killer is. One of my favourite things about the plot, without giving too much away, is that it seems so obvious who the killer is and then suddenly, there’s a nice little plot twist that just blows your mind.

So even if you have doubts, like I did, I’d still suggest that you read The Body Finder and maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised like I was. 

REVIEW: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Title: The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1)

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Publication Date: December 11^th 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Format: Paperback

Pages: 488

Rating: 5/5
Blurb: When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a government ′rehabilitation camp′. Ruby might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America′s children, but she and the others had emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now on the run, she is desperate to find East River, the only safe haven left for kids like her, and she joins a group of other runaways who have escaped their own camps. Liam, their brave leader, is falling for Ruby, but she can′t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all Liam. But there are also other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government.

Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice - and one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.

Review: ‘The Darkest Minds’ is one of those books which is just surrounded by hype, therefore I felt a little bit nervous about actually reading it. It took me a while to actually pick it up, but once I did I finished the whole book in the space of a couple of hours. It was completely not what I was expecting it to be. I had ideas of what I thought it was but it exceeds most of my expectations.

I loved how everything was done. I especially liked the world- it was different. Dystopic without being too dystopic, there was still that connection to our world that I think sometimes gets lost in other books of this genre. I liked learning about all the different groups- like the ‘reds’ and the ‘greens’ etc. and I thought that was really nicely done.  The plot itself was awesome- I liked how there were the setbacks and difficulties in the character’s journey rather than just making it simple. This being said, there were a few moments where it felt like the story was dragging on a bit or lacked action or seemed to be irrelevant to the actual story but all in all I think the pacing was done reasonably well.  

As for the characters... I liked Ruby well enough. I really liked how she developed through the story- it wasn’t like she was suddenly a new person as soon as the main plot of the story kicked in, she grew as the story did. Liam was just. In a way, he kind of reminds me a bit of an Adam-like character (from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi), but in other ways he was completely different. It was nice how he looked after Ruby, Chubs and Zu and treated them all with respect. I think that’s not often something you see in a YA love interest, especially in dystopia. I just feel like he was a well-rounded character and incredibly realistic. Chubs, of course, is just some kind of awesome human being. I loved seeing the friendship between him and Ruby grow and he is honestly someone you want as a best friend!

But that ending. Look, I absolutely hate what happened because ALL THE FEELS but at the same time, my brain is like OMG, SO EXCITED! I can’t wait to see how everything is dealt with in the sequel.