Top Three Books of 2013!

   These are my top three books I have read this year. These are purely my opinions and I'd also love to hear your own in the comments below :) Enjoy!

 

1. Private Peaceful

   This is my all time favourite book and I know it's quite a few others' favourites too. Michael Morpurgo has been one of my favourite authors since I was a kid and the first story I read by him was The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. Since then, I've always wanted to read Private Peaceful from the reviews and opinions I've heard from others who have already read it. However, because I had heard it's a tear jerker too, I'm not too big a fan of a story that makes you cry just because I don't like crying! This story did make me cry but it was a good cry because it was such a good book as to make me feel so much for the characters. It's amazingly written, accurate and though-provoking so that is why this was my top book read in 2013.

2. More Than This

   Patrick Ness became one of my favourite authors last year when I read A Monster Calls by him when it was up for, and consequently won, the Carnegie Medal for my English group. Ever since then I can't get enough of him. I was given More Than This to review by Movellas and loved every moment of it. The website also ran a competition based around this book's new release, which my short story was shortlisted for and I won a signed copy of it. The Knife of Never Letting Go, the first in his Chaos Walking Trilogy is next on my list to be read. More Than This was fast paced but, like Private Peaceful despite being on the complete opposite end of the genre spectrum, very thought-provoking. I loved the characters and the plotline and almost everything about this book was perfect and made me want to read on. It's a close second next to Private Peaceful.

3. Divergent

   This book got me hooked. I brought it with my book vouchers from last Christmas at the beginning of the year and began reading it around Easter time I think. It was fast-paced, original, full of action and suspense and twists and turns and, gosh, it was just amazing! Although I wasn't as impressed with the sequel, Divergent is a must-read to me for every teenage fan of dystopian and science fiction. The film comes out next year and the final instalment of the trilogy, Allegiant, is available to buy now. With its intriguing plotline, world and characters, Veronica Roth is an author to look out for and Divergent just had to nab the last place on my top three.

   And that's my top three books of 2013 in a nutshell :) What were your favourites read this year? Do you share any of my own opinions? Please let me know in the comments below and I look forward to more awesome reads in 2014 too!


   All reviews can be read on blog and you can be directed to them by clicking the links below:

Private Peaceful Review

More Than This Review

Divergent Review


~White Ravens~
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10321725/white-ravens-writing

'The Perks of Being A Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky Review

  

   Another review ready and waiting to read :)

Rating: 

   3/5 – I watched the film and thought it was a really good storyline so I was going in with high expectations but I was a little disappointed with the book. It addressed very sensitive but very real issues and I do appreciate that but it didn’t develop enough for me.

Who I think it's for:

   If you’re a fan of realism and young adult fiction, then this book fits those genres. It contains offensive language and mature/adult issues so I’d say it’s for 14 years + It’s also about the life of high school students, so obviously high school students easily relate to this.

"There's nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons.”

Plot Summary: 

   Charlie is a wallflower. Shy, clever, awkward, he starts his first high school year and has to deal with new friends, family problems and finding himself. In a world of new things, he is standing at the edge, observing rather than ‘participating’. However, at some time, he must try a different perspective from the centre of the stage.

The Character that stood out most:

   Charlie, the narrator, is unique and he tells the story through his eyes well. Though the use of letters he writes is also unique, I’d prefer it not to be in this form because it feels as though Charlie doesn’t interact with the other characters as much as it would if the story was told from a normal first person view. So, I think that the story doesn’t develop as much as I would like.

   Patrick, Charlie’s first friend when he starts high school, stood out the most to me because Charlie talks about him a lot in his letters and their experiences together. We find out that he is openly gay a little way in to the novel but not straight away. He appears carefree and friendly and supportive but we learn that he is also vulnerable and troubled, so he develops very well throughout the story and stands out as an interestingly complicated character.

Why I read it:

   I watched the film and thought it was very moving and relatable in how high school is about trying to find yourself in the world and prepare for your future. Some of my friends recommended the book as well, so I asked for it for Christmas and recently got round to reading it this summer (school gets in the way a lot!).

   I went in with high expectations, perhaps too high, but I think that I should have been neutral. Maybe this just wasn’t my type of genre, but I felt that some of the issues the book deals with could have been developed further along with some of the characters. (Alice was part of the ‘gang’ Charlie hung around with but she was hardly ever mentioned which annoyed me.)

 

Why you should read it:

 Overall, I think that it’s a good book and I would recommend it to anyone I knew who likes that genre. It is considered a must-read for high school students in YA fiction so I think that, if you like that genre and types of books, this book will suit you.

   Have you seen the film or read the book? Which one do you think is better? If you’ve done both, did you read the book before the film or the other way round? Did you think it affected your opinion at all? Share your thoughts in the comments! :)



~White Ravens~
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10321725/white-ravens-writing

Stung by Bethany Wiggins Review

   My review of Bethany Wiggins' Stung. These are all just my opinions so don't hesitate to share your own below. :)

Rating: 

   2/5 – This book has an exciting world premise and started off well, but I can’t give it more than two because I feel the plot was too fast, leaving me confused and the parts of the story not fully developed.

Who I think it's for:

   This contains a lot of violence with some reference to mature issues as well as being a young adult novel, so overall I think it’s aimed at 13 – 21 year olds. I wouldn’t let anyone younger read it because of the blood and references. This is a sci-fi novel and if you like the Hunger Games, which Stung is compared to, it is along those sorts of dystopian lines.

"There’s no cure for being Stung.”

Plot Summary: 

   Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. She has awakened to her house being abandoned, her neighbourhood being dead and her brother being changed into a beast. After running into the new, chaotic world, the strange tattoo on her hand makes her dangerous, so she is detained by soldiers dedicated to protecting the ‘uninfected’ inside the recently built wall from those branded as monsters. At any second, she could change into a mindless zombie, but how does the apocalypse all come down to something as small as bees?

The Characters:

  I found the main character, Fiona, very whiny and had to have men protect her and tell her what to do all the time. But, if you had just been flung into a world with no memory of how you got there or how it became so full of chaos, she seemed quite realistic and her reactions to her situation were too.

   Bowen was the character who struck me the most because he is strong and determined but has a softer side. He seems to be the traditional cliché hero but he starts off as on the side of the “bad guys” but changes after taking matters into his own hands, trying to make out that he’s doing it to save himself but really isn’t as inhumane as we first thought.

  Sadly, I did not like the romance between Fiona and Bowen. The story is quite fast-paced (which is a highlight) but sometimes leaves parts behind to catch up so the love appears very rushed and unnatural. I wasn’t really expecting them to become lovers, but it rather felt like they were friends trying to survive in the apocalypse.

Why I read it:

   This was on the top books shelf in the library and claimed to be the next Hunger Games, which I really enjoyed reading, so obviously Stung caught my attention. The blurb was interesting, the idea was original. However, the way the story was carried out was disappointing slightly, with a beginning that kept me going for a while but few holes were filled in my knowledge and I felt like the story could have slowed down a little at the end and let us give more. The main story line felt undeveloped and as if nothing had really happened. I forced myself not to abandon this book to see whether it got better by the end, but I was left confused with still many questions left unresolved. I don’t think I’ll be carrying on to read the sequel.

 

Why you should read it:

    It’s a very interesting concept, though I wouldn’t jump to recommending it to anyone. This is all just my opinion though, so if you like dystopian novels with a fast-pace leaving you behind, you might want to give this a try.


The sequel to Stung, Cured, is planned for release in 2014.

 

~White Ravens~ http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10321725/white-ravens-writing

Divergent by Veronica Roth Review

   My second review is of the book Divergent by Veronica Roth, a YA dystopian fiction :)
   I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post again. Thankfully exams are all over (FREEDOM!!!) and now I will probably have more time to myself to read, write and post :)

Rating: 

 

   4/5

  This book really keeps you on the edge and I love female leads kicking butt ;) I read it every day to try and finish it, but I've only given it four out of five because I didn't want to read it every second of everyday.Yes, I did finish it quite quickly but it didn't captivate me so much that I wanted to get to the end within an hour. I'm very picky with my 5/5s :)
   

Who I think it's for:

 

   Although it can get rather bloody and contains a few kissing scenes, there's no adult themes so I would say it's for 13+. It is a young adult book so, obviously, that is the main target market but I'm sure many adults would love it too, with it's strong and fresh characters, interesting plot and important themes. If you love sci-fi and dystopian fiction that this is for you. I'd say girl's would be drawn to it more but it has enough action to appeal to both genders.

"We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.” 

Plot Summary:  

 

   In a dystopian future where Chicago is split into five factions representing specific qualities important to their citizens: Amity for the peaceful; Abnegation for the selfless; Candor for the honest; Erudite for knowledge; Dauntless for bravery.

   It is sixteen year old Beatrice 'Tris' Prior's turn to choose. Torn between staying with her family or changing for her own future, she decides upon her faction, shocking all, and is hurtled into their grueling initiation trials. Juggling friends, love, having her life on the line as well as coming to terms with being 'Divergent', a secret underlying her city could change everything they ever knew.

The Character that stood out most:

 

   Caleb Prior, 'Tris Prior's brother, stood out a lot to me. He, too, makes a shock decision at the Choosing Ceremony, which he took at the same time as 'Tris, but appeared as a very determined character. However, what really made him stand out was how much he changed throughout the book.

   In the sequel, 'Insurgent', he is obviously easily manipulated by the 'Faction over Blood' message that every child has had drilled into them from birth. Under this manipulation, he does something completely unexpected, which really disappointed me about the book. I knew that the society had misled him, but I have my own sister so I don't understand why he would do what he did. (I don't want to give anything away so that is all I will say about the matter)

   We'll have to wait for the final book, 'Allegiant', to find out why Caleb took this abrupt turn.

Why I read it:

 

   Dystopian fiction for young adults are all the rage now so naturally I was drawn to the book. I remember one of my friends recommending Veronica Roth as a good author a while back, so when I saw the name in a book shop, I thought I'd give it a go :) It had gained good reviews and I also saw that it would become a film next year, so I wanted to read it before I saw it.
  

Why you should read it:

   

   It had me hooked from the beginning. It has something for everyone, with action, love, friendship and trying to find yourself in a difficult world, which everyone can relate to. It's great for teenagers and I would recommend it to anyone. If you want to see the film, I think you should read the book first because I like to know what's going on and how it differs :) It's a very popular book amongst YA readers too :)


   Well, that's my second review done :) I will get to writing the remainder of the character questions soon. Leave your thoughts in the comments :)


~White Ravens~


  The final installment of Veronica Roth's best-selling series, 'Allegiant', is out October 22nd, 2013 and the 'Divergent' film release is in 2014 - 21st March 2014 in the USA.