Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Series/Novel: Red Queen (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopia

Pages: 383

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Year Published: 2015

First Line: “I hate First Friday.”

“Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood- those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family to survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own- an ability she didn’t know she had. Except… her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of her own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard- the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince- and Mare against her own heart.”

My Rating: 5/5

This book was one of the most popular books being read right now, and my lovely boyfriend picked it out for me. He’s a smart guy, because this book was incredible. Looking at the cover of the book you can tell this book is going to be something different. It looks important, like something we should all read, almost as though it’s a warning.

But that could all just be fluff. This book takes place in a different type of world, whether or not it is post apocalyptic whose to say. I believe it is. The way the country in this book is described painted an interesting picture of how one single difference could change so much. The characters were perfectly portrayed. Although some I may or may not have thought of as Game of Thrones characters (the colours, the noble men).

THANK YOU VICTORIA AVEYARD FOR SHOCKING ME AT EVERY TURN!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This book has taken my breath away. It points out parts of our histories as humans, but other parts are so unreal it’s insane. The ideas of different blood types developing is a wild idea, but who am I to say it won’t happen. Maybe not like this. The painting of the Red villages, factories and slums is depressing. The idea that at some point people decided that other people were lower than others is despicable. Then the difference between how the Reds live vrs. Silvers in their fancy cities and palaces. It’s a bold transition that Victoria Aveyard made, but it works. It did it’s job of helping me fight for the Guard.

♥Characters♥

♥Mare: To be thrown into such a insane new world, taken away from your family and the only world you’ve ever known is a trial in itself, but then to sign yourself up for a rebellious group that is working from inside the palace you live is a lot of work. And likely terrifying. Mare is strong, and although we know there are times where she is scared, she doesn’t let it break her. She made her mistakes in who she trusted, but in the end how was she to know. She wanted someone to rely on, to understand her and she thought that she had that with Maven, but in reality she would have had that with Cal, if her brain hadn’t been ripped open. Hopefully things all work out in the Scarlett Guard, but it will not be easy.

♥Cal:  He must have loved her to take her from her conscription to the army, and then to try to help her through the hall and keep her safe. To take a chance and kiss her even though you are betrothed to another. He’ll likely die, and it will break my heart.  He’s sweet, really he is.

♥Maven: A despicable, evil genius. Maybe some of the things he had told Mare were true. He felt left behind by his father, living in Cal’s shadow and that could all be true. That being said the things he did were horrendous.  I can’t decide if I hate him or not yet though. I want to, I really do, but part of me believes he’ll turn this around.

♥The Queen: I referred to this character this way in my head. With ominous music, of course, because what would a villain be without horrible music to follow her. We all knew she would cause trouble, but I doubt we thought she’d manipulate her only child to get what she wanted. She’ll be very upset that Cal and Mare have escaped with the Guard.

♥Kilorn: So there is yet another love interest. From what I know he is sweet, but seriously you had all the time in the world to speak up.

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 111

“‘You’re a lot like Maven,’ he says after a long moment that makes my heart race.

 ‘You mean engaged to a stranger? We do have that in common.’”

♥Pg. 306

“‘What do we do now?’

He laughs to himself, eyes glint mischievously.

‘That’s not what I meant.’ But I can’t help but smirk with him.”

♥Final Line: “I will kill him.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Last Summer by Hailey Abbott

Title: Last Summer

Author: Hailey Abbott

Series/Novel: Summer Boys (Book #4)

Genre: Young Adult, Chicklit, Romance

Pages: 233

Publisher: Alloy Entertainment

Year Published: 2007

First Line: “‘Congratulations, graduates!’ cried the principal of Martin High, directly into the microphone.”

“Stealing kisses. Keeping secrets. Making memories.

Beth: Who says you can’t be friends with your ex? It’s the summer before college and George and I are keeping things totally platonic. Aren’t we?

Ella: I love Jeremy. But seeing Peter, my old flame, hook up with a new girl is driving me a little too crazy.

Kelsi: Bennett and I are ready to take things to the next level—except we’re so far apart. Long-distance makes everything harder.

It’s the steamiest summer yet on the beach. The girls have saved the best for last.”

My Rating: 5/5

This is the end of the series by Hailey Abbot. It’s a bittersweet end for me. I feel like I’ve traveled so far with the Tuttle cousins. Seeing them through three summers of their lives. Important summers of their lives, I feel that being a teenager is a tough 7 years, especially when you notice the opposite sex. This final book made me laugh, cry and gasp in surprise. I will gladly say that this is one of my favourite chicklit series I have ever read. I’ve been wondering how the series would end and this seemed to be a perfect way to finish with the majority of the girls going out of high school and starting into the real world. To see the characters end on such a sad note was heartbreaking, but I realize that this is how it was meant to be. To leave Pebble Beach behind for a while and focus on each individual life afterwards.

THANK YOU HAILEY ABBOTT FOR MAKING ME FEEL AT HOME AT PEBBLE BEACH!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Last Summer by Hailey Abbott

This series was a rough one to read. It reminded me of prior years and things that I wished I could have been, I mean who wishes they weren’t as confident as Ella. The Tuttle cousins slowly became my family too. I cried through their struggles, laughed when they laughed and got goose bumps as I watched them fall in love. It was a wild ride, but Pebble Beach became a second home to me, in my mind. That sounds insane, but I’m sure some of you will know exactly what I’m talking about.

♥Characters♥

♥Ella: I’m happy to see that she’s settled down with Jeremy. They’re made to be together. I understand her jealousy of Taryn. It’s hard to see someone your close to grow close to someone else. It often seems like you’re being left in the dust. But in the end it usually means you’ll find a way to make new friends also. Your sister will always be your sister.

♥Kelsi: The way she acted with Bennett was odd, but I understand that distance is hard. In the long run I don’t see Bennett and Kelsi lasting just because of their different life styles. I’m happy that she realized that she had to let Bennett follow his dreams and had to follow her own; even if that means that they are separate. I hope that she’s happy and has learned to follow her own dreams to her hearts content.

♥Beth: Beth lost so much this instalment. She lost the place where she spent all her summers, the place she fell in love, etc. She lost George, she lost her idea of moving on but in the end she found that people are even more important than materials. I’m happy that she realized that George and her will always have a spark. Whether she wants that spark or not, they can’t go back to being just friends when they’ve loved each other so much. This gave me hope that eventually they will be together.

♥Jamie: I really wish that we had been able see how the private school had changed her love life. It seems incredibly wild that she’ll be taking a year off to go to Europe with a boy she barely knows but hopefully that all works out.

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 144

“‘You’ve been sad lately,’ Jeremy said, smiling at her. ‘And you know I hate that. It’s like, my duty to make you smile, and I like that.’”

♥Final Line: “But that didn’t mean that she had to leave anything- or anyone- behind.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Title: Dear John

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Series/Novel: Novel

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Chicklit

Pages: 276

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Year Published: 2006

First Line: “What does it mean to truly love another?”

“‘Dear John,’ the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever.

When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree, knows he is ready to turn over a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school, not know what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah vowing to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty. But neither can foresee that 9/11 is about to change the world. Like so many proud men and women, John must choose between love and country. Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover how love can transform us in ways we never could have imagined.”

My Rating: 4/5

Now before anyone gets upset about the fact that this is also a very popular movie, and that I probably watched the movie before I read the book, you should all know this. I haven’t watched the movie yet as I’m completely out of the loop. So this review is purely based on the book.

This book was far better than I thought it would be. I expected it to be so lovey dovey stuff, and there was some of that. But it wasn’t all stuff that makes us regular people want to puke. But it was a lot of character struggle, showing how a long distance relationship can feel.

To begin with I was interested in how much the military would play into this book, and while there are plenty of times that it is obvious that is what John does for a job, it doesn’t always consume the story line.

All in all, I really enjoyed this novel. It was better than expected and made me fall in love with my man all over again. It had the twists and turns that were to be expected, but some that I certainly did not see coming.

THANK YOU NICHOLAS SPARKS FOR SHOWING LOVE IN A DIFFERENT WAY!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny

Spoiler: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

This novel broke so many boundaries for me. So many people go through long distant relationships and find those difficult. But nothing can be as difficult as someone who has signed to live away for years at a time, risking their life for those around them.

Dear John shows a side of the military I had never witnessed, love at first sight and a love that is beyond words.

I often read this book while on my lunch break at work. I was often warned that I was going to cry and had people throw the Kleenex box at me. I did cry in the end after I flopped the book down and was going back to my office. Throughout the book, as a reader you realize that maybe things will not always work out, and by the end it just doesn’t fit together. It’s heart breaking, but that’s also how you can tell John feels a real love for Savannah.

♥Characters♥

John: He’s a little rough around the edges. The beginning of this story doesn’t do much to make us like John. He acts like a jerk towards his father, and rebels. But as he joins the army he becomes that all good guy type, that is with the tattoos included. I did fall in love with him a little more story by story. The trouble with that is, that as I read about his heart breaking, my heart broke over and over. Seeing the struggle he went through with Savannah was sad, but seeing him finally give his all to his one love without reciprocation is hard.

♥Savannah: I know there are probably some who blame her for not staying faithful to John. I don’t agree with that for the simple reason, that you can’t control what the heart wants. Sometimes we can fall in love with two people at the same time, especially when there is such a great distance between two people. I strongly believe that while long distance is a capability, not all people or relationships are built for it.

♥John’s Father: It was heart breaking to hear about how his life had diminished near the end, but I’m happy that John had a chance to get to know who he really was, and why he was the way he was. It’s hard to learn something like that about someone you love. But just because there may be an additional support need it doesn’t mean there is something the matter with a person.

♥Tim: It said at the beginning that Tim appeared to be in love with Savannah, but I never thought the book would end with him. I was surprised they ended up together, I just didn’t see it coming until she sent the letter. Then again, the fact that he got cancer was a tragedy in itself. John couldn’t very well steal up a cancer patient’s wife, now could he? All the same I’m happy that Tim made it through thanks to John’s contribution.

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 47

“‘I have to start my day with coffee. It’s my only vice.’”

♥Pg. 133

“‘I’m going to marry you one day, you know?’

 ‘Is that a promise.’

 ‘If you want it to be.’

 ‘Well, then you have to promise that you’ll come back for me when you get out of the army. I can’t marry you if you’re not around.’”

♥Pg. 144

“From the very beginning, the calls and letters between us were regular. We e-mailed as well, but I soon learned that Savannah preferred to write, and she wanted me to do the same. ‘I know it’s not as immediate as e-mail, but that’s what I like about it,’ she wrote me. ‘I like the surprise of finding a letter in the mailbox and the anxious anticipation I feel when I’m getting ready to open it. I like the fact that I can take it with me to read at leisure, and that I can lean against a tree and feel the breeze on my face when I see your words on paper. I like to imagine the way you looked when you wrote it…”

♥Final Line: “And for the briefest instant, it almost feels like we’re together again.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: After Summer by Hailey Abbott

Title: After Summer

Author: Hailey Abbott

Series/Novel: Summer Boys Series (Book #3)

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Chicklit
Pages: 163

Publisher: Alloy Entertainment

Year Published: 2006

First Line: “Beth lined up her bare toes along the edge of the platform and arched her body forward, extending her arms over the still, blue water.”

“Summer may be over; but the hook ups are hotter than ever:

Beth: George is supposed to be my boyfriend and my best friend. Now, it’s like he’s only interested in one thing- and it’s not my friendship

Ella: Unbelievable. Ryan is an even bigger player than… I am. Have I finally met my match?

Kelsi: Even though Tim is great, I still want us to wait a while. But what if I’m the only one at college who hasn’t done it yet?

Cold winds. Hot boys. Can summer love survive?”

My Rating: 4/5

This book is the first and only book from the Summer Boys series that takes place in each of the girls’ separate towns. I was surprised how much of a difference that made. While this novel showed some contact between the cousins it made it harder to follow each individual story as they did not overlap nearly enough for my liking.

That being said, I also found that this instalment in the series was completely over dramatic. It seemed as though it was repeating parts from the first two books, so it was hard to be put on edge by anything.

But truth be told, I’m a sucker for drama. I got sucked into each story and was heartbroken at times along with the girls, but also angry at the girls for doing things I never thought they would do.

I am extremely excited to read the last instalment of these books, as I want to see who ends up with who and why, etc. In all honesty, I’m hooked!

THANK YOU HAILEY ABBOTT FOR MAKING ME FEEL LIKE A TUTTLE COUSIN!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: After Summer by Hailey Abbott

Welcome back (told you I’d get better with posting more frequently!). So this book caught me off guard in so many ways. As I’ve read through the Summer Boys series, I realized that the girls lived in different areas. When I found that this book wasn’t based on Pebble Beach I thought nothing off it, in fact I looked forward to it. Truth be told it changed the way the individual perspectives were told, as the girls didn’t see each other nearly every day. I found it hard to keep all the stories separate when a lot of similar things were happening with Kelsi, Beth and Ella. Also, can we hear from Jamie more often??? Please!

♥Character♥

♥Ella: I think I expected her to leave Jeremy in the dust during the beginning of the book, but I was still disappointed in her when it happened. Although that being said, it seemed like Jeremy had decided he was out, so she must have been hurt. So forth, Ryan. What a piece of work!! I was overjoyed when she realized that she was a different person than who she was before Jeremy. She’s really changed and started to think about having one boyfriend, instead of every boy. That’s a real step up for her. Hopefully she can make it to summer to be with Jeremy. Fingers crossed.

♥Beth: What in the world is going on here? I was cheering for her and George. But I guess things can’t always be patched. Especially when she was feeling so stretched out. It could happen with time that she and George get back together. But at some point I had to realize it was done for them. Especially with how jerk-ish George was acting about the sex thing. Grrrr….

♥Kelsi: Kelsi is certainly right. People change, they grow apart, it just happens. It’s sad, and parts of you might still love the other person, but it takes a real adult to be able to stand up and say, “This isn’t working.” I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up with Bennet, but if she doesn’t that’s ok too. Maybe she just needs time to explore her options and whatever. Have to wait and see I suppose.

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 111

“‘Not the hotel, George,’ Beth snapped at him. ‘I can’t believe you. This was supposed to be a new romantic weekend. And you decide that means I should dress up like some ho. Then you paw at me all night, and now you think I want to go and have sex with you? Who are you? What happened to you?’”

♥Pg. 116

“Kelsi wasn’t sure she’d missed her sister while away at college. But when Ella came up for the long Veteran’s Day weekend in November, Kelsi realized that she had. A lot.”

♥Final Line: “All she had to do was jump.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Four by Veronica Roth

Title: Four: A Divergent Collection

Author: Veronica Roth         

Series: Divergent Collection (0.1-0.4)

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction

Pages: 285

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Year Published: 2014

First Line: “I emerge from the simulation with a yell.”

“Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened ‘Four’, he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future- and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting the world might become more clear. With her it might become possible to be Tobias once again.”

My Rating: 5/5

This book follows Tobias through his transfer into Dauntless, his initiation and several trials that help him become the man we know as Four in Divergent. The stories are put into several different categories that show different values that Tobias has completed.

Although it’s been quite a while since I finished the Divergent series, books which are told from Tris’ perspective, this book was a beautiful reminder of the world Veronica Roth has created. It gives a different perspective of the faction system, Dauntless Initiation, and the rebellion as a whole. Not to mention a few of the amazing moments that Tobias and Tris shared through the series. Learning more about Tobias’ life before leaving Abnegation helps the reader understand his actions throughout the series.

I only wish that this addition to the collection had come out, but I understand how that would not have been possible, as the series had to gain a following first.

THANK YOU VERONICA ROTH FOR OPENING A NEW AREA OF DIVERGENT FOR THE FANS!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Four by Veronica Roth

The first thing I thought when I finished this novel was that it was pure poetry, a bittersweet ending to a fantastic collection. This being said there are many of us who wish this was not the end. I suspect, sadly, that Veronica Roth may have trouble returning to the series again.

Following Four through similar struggles as Tris was fascinating. But I found it was most interesting to see Four’s life in Abnegation. His perspective on why he left, why he never became a leader and how he found out about the Erudite plans helped patch together parts I felt were missing a bit in the rest of the series.

I’m so extremely glad to have read this novel!

♥Characters♥

♥Four/Tobias: This man is strong, compassionate and quite the introvert. I found that the way he began vs. the way he came to be at the end of the third book was a huge contrast. I was shocked at the way his appearance changed, as well as the massive strides he took to controlling his own life. Although he went through so much he continued to overcome and was able to begin trusting others again.  While I often thought in Divergent that Four was acting stupidly with Tris this change of perspective helps readers understand how Four handles different situations.

♥Zeke: He’s that fun best friend you can count on to have a drink with anytime you need. I’d compare him to Chandler Bing in a moment with some of the jokes he makes. Although he makes a far better drinking buddy. It was fun to see him in a different light.

♥Shauna: It’s not easy to tell a close friend you’re interested in them in a different kind of friendship, but watching her struggle with Zeke was heartbreaking. Especially if you know the end results.

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Final Line: “One thing I know: For helping me forget how awful the world is, I prefer her to alcohol.”

Thank you for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo