Paper Towns by John Green

Released: 16th October 2008

Publisher: Dutton Books

Pages: 305

Buy The Book: Amazon

"Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life--dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge--he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues--and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew."

I am definitely on something of a book binge; surely five separate novels in five days must be some sort of record? Today I finished Paper Towns and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. One of the most profoundly moving books I've ever read, John Green is a truly gifted and wonderful writer and I've already bought everything else he's written, ready to absolutely devour.

Having read Looking for Alaska not long ago, I was very excited to read this book. It has many similarities with Alaska, with certain themes strongly represented in both books; loss, abandonment, love, solving a mystery, the idea of trying to get into someone else's head and figure out what they're thinking. The male leads are quite alike in both novels too - I preferred Paper's Quentin to Alaska's Pudge, but I can't quite put my finger on why. 

My favourite aspect of the book was the exploration of how we relate to people and how different people see us in different lights. Everybody had their own idea of who Margo really was, and who's to say any of them were right? The idea of people seeing us through mirrors and windows was an enthralling one for me. John Green's novels are not only entertaining, they also make you evaluate areas of your own life.

The plot in parts manages to seem far-fetched whilst also being entirely realistic. It's been a long time since I was so nervous to finish a book for fear of what the ending might be, but like in Alaska, the ending, when it eventually arrives, feels bittersweet and perfect. This isn't to say it's a depressing story; there were some genuine laugh-out-loud moments from really stand-out supporting characters. Radar and Ben are the perfect foils for Quentin's character and are wonderfully genuine and believable. It's one of the best representations of high school life I've ever read (and I've read a few!). John Green is fantastic at creating beautifully likeable characters, especially his protagonists.

I would recommend this book to teens and adults alike. It is one of the few books I can see myself reading over and over and finding something new each time.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Released: December 6th, 2011

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Pages: 528

Buy The Book: Amazon

"In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends. Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?"

If you read my review of City Of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare you'll know that I was disappointed with what I thought of as a lazy follow-up to one of my favourite book trilogies ever. My faith in the talented Cassandra had faltered and I was awaiting this book with a mixture of excitement and dread. All I can say is THANK GOODNESS.

The book is a brilliant return to form. One of the aspects I felt most let down CoFA was the strange backwards character development that seemed to make each of the well-loved cast regress into mere fanfiction caricatures. Clockwork Prince couldn't be any more different; no character is left unchanged. We learn about Will's heartbreaking history and the reason he is the way he is. I had anticipated that once I knew the big secret of Will's, the mysterious aura surrounding him would dissipate and I would be disappointed. I couldn't have been more wrong; hearing his revelation only made me love him more as a character. He became more real to me; he wasn't just acting up because it makes for a good scene-stealer.

We also learn more about his parabatai, Jem. In almost every other novel I've read which features a love triangle, I have always been able to guess who would end up with who. The hints have always been laid, there is always an almost instinctual feeling of which way the relationship is going to end up. But in this series, I really have no idea which way it will go. Jem is a wonderful foil to Will's caustic and impulsive nature, and it was refreshing to see his emotional side in this book. Tessa seems to care for the boys in entirely different ways and I have no idea which will win out. I just have an awful feeling that it will come down to tragic circumstance rather than choice...

Tessa is wonderful as always; brave, intelligent and a brilliant heroine. It's nice to note that Clare's leading ladies are usually the key to the plot rather than hopeless damsels swept up in something which doesn't concern them. Tessa is suddenly integral to these people's lives and she handles it all admirably. One of my favourite things about her is her love of classic fiction. I think it helps many readers to relate to a character when they share a common interest, and Clare must have known that many of her readership would have read and loved the same novels as Tessa (and Will, to an extent).

As in Clare's other work, the city of London is as much a character as any of the cast. Her descriptions of the murky Victorian city are vivid and appropriately grim, with the specific reference to places making me itch to get out a map and trace the footsteps of the characters. The backing cast are as weird and wonderful as ever, with Magnus Bane especially shining. You can guarantee that any scene with Magnus will be emotional, memorable or insightful. Jessamine's betrayal somehow felt expected and shocking all at the same time, showing off Clare's innate ability to make you care for the characters that maybe aren't so agreeable.

All previous sins from CoFA have been (briefly) forgiven. This book undoubtedly feels like it's laying the groundwork for a seriously grand finale, and I for one cannot wait.

Lola And The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Released: September 29th, 2011

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Pages: 384

Buy The Book: Amazon

"Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket—a gifted inventor—steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door."

Having literally just finished Lola this very second, I realised it was definitely time to stop procrastinating and write an absolutely glowing review of this lovely book. I re-read Anna in around five hours flat to refresh my memory before I started Lola, and the first thing I'll say is that although the two are companion novels, they are very, very different books. The protagonists are two very different girls; I found Lola much more vulnerable than Anna, and her backstory interested me much more. Where Anna's backstory played a minor role in the book as she discovered a new life in Paris, Lola's past forms the very basis of her story. Maybe it was because we didn't see much of Anna's home life first hand, but Lola felt like a more complete character because you can see exactly where she's come from to become who she is.

But this isn't a comparison essay, it's a review, and even as a standalone, Lola is a completely lovely book. The characters are well-thought out and vibrant, and that's saying something when they're cast against the colourful backdrop of San Francisco. Stephanie Perkins has a remarkable way of making you want to immediately visit any city she describes. Cricket Bell is a truly lovely 'boy next door'; he is thoughtful and kind and intelligent, and I also loved the way that, towards the end, he said things intimating that he might not be such an innocent boy (a certain sentence about him pressing someone against the wall with his hips made me come over all flustered). Making him a twin was also an interesting insight into a sibling relationship that I found sweet, endearing and lifelike.

As in Anna, action and plotline generally play second fiddle to character development and interaction, but this is at no detriment to the book. Stephanie Perkins creates characters that you miss when they're not in scenes; whenever Cricket wasn't home for the weekend I felt impatient to read Lola's next interaction with him. The wonderful author is also a master of slow-burning romance. The last third of the book is sheer torture, in the best way.

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a dose of realistic romance in their life.

(Also, Cricket you are adorable, but my heart still belongs to Etienne St. Clair and the amount of Etienne-loving in this book, though unexpected, makes me very happy indeed.)

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Released: February 2006

Publisher: Klett Ernst / Schulbuch

Pages: 210

Buy The Book: Amazon

“Every war has turning points and every person too.”

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy. As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

Although this book is billed as a novel for older children, I found some of the themes touched upon to be much more adult than that. I don't know what I was expecting when I first picked up this book some years ago but it wasn't the underage sex, incest, horrific violence and depictions of war that I became enthralled with. 'It would be much easier to tell this story,' Daisy explains, 'if it were all about a chaste and perfect love between Two Children Against The World At An Extreme Time in History, but let's face it, that would be a load of crap.'

The novel is written in a beautiful stream-of-consciousness style that barely gives you a moment to breathe. Although I first read How I Live Now at least four or five years ago, there was one passage that sticks in my mind to this day as being so simple and yet incredibly beautiful and relatable - "We were quiet for the longest time just listening to the rain on the window with his leg resting against mine and a feeling flying between us in a crazy jagged way like a bird caught in a room. The feeling which had been starting up for a while now was so strong it made me dizzy and so far we'd just been pretending it was what cousinly love felt like and all that garbage you tell yourself when you want to pretend something's not really happening."

The image of the bird caught in a room is something I think we can all relate to, that odd feeling of palpable emotion. As you can see from that passage, when I said you barely get a moment to breathe, I meant it. Rosoff, or rather, Daisy, doesn't seem to live commas or punctuation very much at all, and others I've spoken to who have also read this book found it very off-putting. I, however, found it engaging - it really made me feel as though I was in this girl's head, thinking her thoughts with her.

How I Live Now has won countless awards, and rightly so. It's not for the faint-hearted, and the ending requires some thought. But it's a book that will always stick with you for a whole host of reasons, not least the sharp and sarcastic protagonist, her utterly captivating family and the oddly romantic dystopian world Meg Rosoff so masterfully creates.

Special Review! The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Released: Book 1 - 2008, Book 2 - 2009, Book 3 - 2010.
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: Book 1 - 374, Book 2 - 391, Book 3 - 390.
Buy The Books: Amazon



"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love."


Okay, I resisted for a while, thinking that maybe for once I'd watch a film trilogy before I read the books, to see how that works out. But the intrigue got too much for me and I bought the Hunger Games trilogy. It took me four days to get through all three books and, as I read them so quickly, I have trouble distinguishing where one finished and the other began, so I'm going to do a joint review. 


Before I get carried away in discussing the politics or the plot or the fantastic world created by Suzanne Collins, I'd just like to say how much of a relief it is to find a book with such an absolutely kick-ass heroine. There are quotes attributed to Stephenie Meyer on all three covers of my copies; it must have been hard for her to read what is essentially a masterclass in creating a flawed, likeable, exciting, believable lead female for a book series. Katniss is everything a leading lady should be, in my opinion.


I'll forego the plot synopsis, it would take me hours to do it justice, and just get straight down to the nitty-gritty. Suzanne Collins' dystopian vision of the future is realistic and terrifying, mostly because it doesn't need much suspension of belief to consider that the world could really end up like this. When I wasn't reading the books, I was thinking about them. The first book never lets up in terms of action, and never compromises - I would say it's not really for younger readers because some of the death scenes and themes touched upon are fairly traumatic. But the first book's parting shot reveals a much bigger story, bigger than Katniss ever anticipated, and then we are sucked into a full-on war.


Taking into account the non-stop adventure of the first book, I expected much of the same in the second, Catching Fire. However, what I found was an incredibly intelligent account of war propaganda and an unmatched unpredictability I have rarely come across in teen novels. The emotional complexity of the situations Katniss faces is never played down and the second book is more intense than the first. And then comes the cliffhanger...!


I won't give it away. Now we come to the third book, the big finale. I'm still struggling with how I felt about it, to be honest. Again, it was intense and unpredictable and everything a great action novel should be, but the ending... it's hard trying to say how I felt about it without spoilers but the ending wasn't the ending I wanted, or the ending I'd have chosen if I was Suzanne Collins. However, I strangely felt it was the right ending for the characters.


This review isn't to say that the trilogy is all action, action, action. Oh, no. There is a love triangle right at the centre of the plot, and unlike the majority of love triangles in novels, I genuinely couldn't predict who would end up with who. While there were no long, steamy romance scenes, you get more of a sense that the characters care for one another, which is sometimes lacking in books aimed at this age group. 


I'm still working out how I feel about the novels, but isn't it the mark of a great book that you're left thinking about it long after you've put it down? I would recommend The Hunger Games Trilogy to absolutely anyone and I would defy them not to be entranced and enthralled.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Released: 2nd March 2010
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 470
Buy The Book: Amazon



"What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life? Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing."


This book is a surprising, heart-wrenching mixture of Groundhog Day, The Lovely Bones and every girly teen movie you've ever seen. I wasn't sure what to expect on picking it up, and don't get me wrong, the first half wasn't exactly riveting. When it got to day three or four, the format of the novel started to get a little bit stale. Until this point, characters seem like overblown cliches of typical high school stereotypes and the plot doesn't seem to have any direction.


When the storyline really kicks in, however, and the main character, Sam, realises what she must do, the book really comes into it's own. The rest of the supporting characters become more believable as we delve into their secrets and it becomes more obvious what Sam is going to have to do to put things right and cross over into whatever afterlife she might be in for. 


Parts of the dialogue were cringeworthy, with terrible attempts at banter between the four girls, but then I realised - weren't we all like that in high school? A little bit embarrassing, trying to act older than we really were, coming out with sentences we wouldn't dream of saying now? Lauren Oliver got this down to a tee, getting right into the teenage mindset and reminding me vividly of my own school days. The last section of the book, days six and seven, really saved it from being purely average and I couldn't put it down by this point (even when experiencing extreme travel-sickness on a coach through Albania... yes, really!).


I'd like to read more of Lauren Oliver's material, maybe something aimed at an older audience. I'd recommend this book to anyone in or just leaving high school, although tissues may be required towards the end!

Beauty by Robin McKinley

Beauty by Robin McKinley
Release Date: October 1978
Publisher: Corgi Children's (New Edition - 2004)
Pages: 259
Buy The Book: Amazon


"Sixteen-year-old Beauty has never liked her nickname. Thin, awkward, and undersized, with big hands and huge feet, she has always thought of herself as the plainest girl in her family – certainly not nearly as lovely as her elder sisters Hope and Grace. But what she lacks in looks, she makes up for in courage. When her father comes home one day with the strange tale of an enchanted castle in the wood and the terrible promise he has made to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows what she must do. She must go the castle and tame the Beast – if such a thing is possible…"


The Disney version of Beauty And The Beast is possible one of my favourite films (not just animated) of all time, so I'd been planning to read this book for a while (although I had no idea it was first published in 1978!). However, this may have prevented me from reading the book impartially, as I found myself comparing the two very different retellings. 


The book starts off slowly; it takes just under half of the book for Beauty to get to the castle and meet the Beast. If I didn't already know what was coming, I would have grown bored with the book after 100 very detailed pages about her chores around her new house and how much Beauty misses the city. I persevered with the book, knowing that it would pick up eventually once she reached the castle. When she finally did, I wasn't disappointed. McKinley creates a wonderful, ethereal atmosphere in-keeping with the whole tone of the book. No talking teapots, no friendly candlesticks, just two mysterious housemaids in the form of a 'helpful breeze'.


As with all retellings of a popular story, there will always be changes made. I found myself missing the boorish Gaston from the Disney version, however I really enjoyed the concept that Beauty doesn't become physically beautiful until the end, meaning that the Beast really does fall in love with her personality. A criticism? I had thought that reading the book would give me much more of an insight into how the two fall in love; I thought there would be long and touching conversations and a slow, gradual falling process, but it does seem that one minute she's terrified of him and the next they're in love. This could possibly be my only criticism of the book but it is a significant one that marred the ending slightly for me.


Overall, once Beauty arrives at the castle it's very easy to get lost in this book. McKinley creates believable, warm characters and is adept at embellishing that wonderful atmosphere that only fairytales have, and her version of this story is spirited and satisfying.