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ausfangirlreads's Reviews (523)
My actual rating is a 2.5.
although this isn't the type of book I normally read, there were moments where the characters were enjoyable. The writing was catching and the way Chris described certain moments was very imaginative causing me to think differently to how I normally would.
This said it took me a bit to get into and even then I never felt the tenseness I should of felt when reading certain scenes. The characters were very enjoyable and I could even relate them to people I know.
All in all I would recommend this book to certain people, but more older readers.
although this isn't the type of book I normally read, there were moments where the characters were enjoyable. The writing was catching and the way Chris described certain moments was very imaginative causing me to think differently to how I normally would.
This said it took me a bit to get into and even then I never felt the tenseness I should of felt when reading certain scenes. The characters were very enjoyable and I could even relate them to people I know.
All in all I would recommend this book to certain people, but more older readers.
I first read this book back in 2014 when It was released and to be able to come back to it in 2017 to reread it and still have it wreck me emotionally is a true testament to how great this book really is.
I lost count of how many times I cried while reading (even though I knew what was going to happen) and one point I closed the book and said very loudly "No, No that's okay Derek I didn't need my heart! just destroy it!"
Now with Resurrection coming out and this not being the final book I have so many questions that need answering, Derek has left a lot of things unresolved and up in the air.
I can't wait to get some answers!
I lost count of how many times I cried while reading (even though I knew what was going to happen) and one point I closed the book and said very loudly "No, No that's okay Derek I didn't need my heart! just destroy it!"
Now with Resurrection coming out and this not being the final book I have so many questions that need answering, Derek has left a lot of things unresolved and up in the air.
I can't wait to get some answers!
I revived a Proof edition of this book from my local book store, and I will tell you I have just gone and placed a pre-order for a full copy!
I was not sure what to expect with this book but Woah! Great story idea, the characters were great and I really liked the writing style!
I'm about to write my pre realise review but I would recommend anyone who like Horror & Fantasy to check out this book, it might not be for everyone but just give it a try! :)
I was not sure what to expect with this book but Woah! Great story idea, the characters were great and I really liked the writing style!
I'm about to write my pre realise review but I would recommend anyone who like Horror & Fantasy to check out this book, it might not be for everyone but just give it a try! :)
Growing up I used to love choose your own adventure books, so when I found Romeo and/or Juliet and realised it was a choose your own adventure I had to get it.
Now I had a bit of a love hate relationship with the original Romeo and Juliet after studying it in High school, but I put those feelings aside after reading the synopsis.
The synopsis was witty, amusing and just like the stories inside the book, so different from other retellings I have read.
So you might be asking what are the differences to the story?
Well there are a total of 100 (or so, I had to count them all!) different endings, each one going completely off the spectrum of normal and changing the story to make you view the characters differently than two silly teenagers.
These ending can include robots, ninjas and Juliet becoming a wrestler, each story with a good twist of humour to keep you entertained. But for those who would like to read the original before adventuring into the madness that is these choose your own stories, well don’t worry because Ryan North has you covered. At the beginning of the book you are given the instruction that if you would like to read the original to follow the hearts and they will keep you on the true path, but where is the fun of that?
Included at each ending is an illustration showing the creative ways the stories end, these are done by a collection of 90 talented artists including Noelle Stevenson who I love! One of the other reasons I picked up this book was because the cover art style looked familiar to me, and behold it was because it was done by Noelle.
A wide variety of art styles are used, with all of them sticking to the back, white and red colour schemes that is used throughout the book. All of the artiest did a great job and I’m always happy to just flip though the pages and look at the artwork in the pages.
Rating- 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it
A super fun read that will have you coming back again and again and always end up somewhere different, I have already recommended this book to a few of my friends and If you are looking for a good twist on the Romeo & Juliet story, I would suggest picking this book up and giving it a try.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
Now I had a bit of a love hate relationship with the original Romeo and Juliet after studying it in High school, but I put those feelings aside after reading the synopsis.
The synopsis was witty, amusing and just like the stories inside the book, so different from other retellings I have read.
So you might be asking what are the differences to the story?
Well there are a total of 100 (or so, I had to count them all!) different endings, each one going completely off the spectrum of normal and changing the story to make you view the characters differently than two silly teenagers.
These ending can include robots, ninjas and Juliet becoming a wrestler, each story with a good twist of humour to keep you entertained. But for those who would like to read the original before adventuring into the madness that is these choose your own stories, well don’t worry because Ryan North has you covered. At the beginning of the book you are given the instruction that if you would like to read the original to follow the hearts and they will keep you on the true path, but where is the fun of that?
Included at each ending is an illustration showing the creative ways the stories end, these are done by a collection of 90 talented artists including Noelle Stevenson who I love! One of the other reasons I picked up this book was because the cover art style looked familiar to me, and behold it was because it was done by Noelle.
A wide variety of art styles are used, with all of them sticking to the back, white and red colour schemes that is used throughout the book. All of the artiest did a great job and I’m always happy to just flip though the pages and look at the artwork in the pages.
Rating- 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it
A super fun read that will have you coming back again and again and always end up somewhere different, I have already recommended this book to a few of my friends and If you are looking for a good twist on the Romeo & Juliet story, I would suggest picking this book up and giving it a try.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
“Because,” said Thor, “when something goes wrong, the first thing I always think is, it is Loki’s fault. It saves a lot of time.”
I have always loved learning about different Mythologies, but growing up I used to read more about the Egyptian, Greek and Roman Gods and mythology.
It was only when I was in my twenties that I have found myself interested learning about other mythology one of them being Norse, but unfortunately I didn’t know where to start. So when I saw Neil Gaiman was releasing a book with retellings of the Norse God’s stories, I knew this was the perfect place to start.
This was the first book by Neil that I have read, and I can now understand why people love his work, his writing is creative and expressive with great detail added to help paint a picture in your mind. The stories, although a retelling of the original Norse ones, use creative descriptions to bring you into the world of the gods.
The stories included start from the very begging with the creation of the realms and finish at the very end with Ragnarok, but the stories in between these main events are full of joy, violence, origins and a collective amount of humour.
While reading I was excited to see how Loki acted, I will admit that I love DC’s version of the trickster god but I wasn’t sure how much DC had changed him. I was very pleased when I read stories including him and realised that even though he is a bit of an arse I still love him and all the mischief he gets up to.
As an introduction to Neil Gaiman’s works, this was a great start for me and I soon found myself getting more of his books to add to my shelf.
Rating- 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it
This is a book I believe I will be coming back to when I want to escape into the realm of gods and warriors, even just for a short time. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Mythology or after a good fantasy feeling read.
I think I might actually pick up the book again now, just to read one of my favourite stories Freya’s Unusual Wedding. It always makes me smile and have a giggle.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
I have always loved learning about different Mythologies, but growing up I used to read more about the Egyptian, Greek and Roman Gods and mythology.
It was only when I was in my twenties that I have found myself interested learning about other mythology one of them being Norse, but unfortunately I didn’t know where to start. So when I saw Neil Gaiman was releasing a book with retellings of the Norse God’s stories, I knew this was the perfect place to start.
This was the first book by Neil that I have read, and I can now understand why people love his work, his writing is creative and expressive with great detail added to help paint a picture in your mind. The stories, although a retelling of the original Norse ones, use creative descriptions to bring you into the world of the gods.
The stories included start from the very begging with the creation of the realms and finish at the very end with Ragnarok, but the stories in between these main events are full of joy, violence, origins and a collective amount of humour.
While reading I was excited to see how Loki acted, I will admit that I love DC’s version of the trickster god but I wasn’t sure how much DC had changed him. I was very pleased when I read stories including him and realised that even though he is a bit of an arse I still love him and all the mischief he gets up to.
As an introduction to Neil Gaiman’s works, this was a great start for me and I soon found myself getting more of his books to add to my shelf.
Rating- 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it
This is a book I believe I will be coming back to when I want to escape into the realm of gods and warriors, even just for a short time. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Mythology or after a good fantasy feeling read.
I think I might actually pick up the book again now, just to read one of my favourite stories Freya’s Unusual Wedding. It always makes me smile and have a giggle.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
“The monsters that rose from the dead, they are nothing compared to the ones we carry in our hearts”
I have had this book on my shelf for years, it was given to me by a friend when the movie came out in 2013 and for all those years I have looked at it promising that I would get to it.
Finally in 2017, 4 years later, I fulfilled that promise and read it!
Now since this book had been sitting on my shelf for so long I knew what it was about and that it was set up in an interview format, I also knew that the book was totally different from the movie, but we won’t be getting into the difference between the book and movie, that’s for another time.
The interviews are intense sometimes, with so much human emotions that even though I knew this book was made up and that these people weren’t real I still found myself emotional attached to some and even crying when one passed away. If you follow me on good reads you would have seen my post when this happened.
Due to the high emotions and sometimes graphic content I would give a wary warning for sensitive readers, because I myself had trouble reading certain interviews, but even then these were expected and rare.
As I read I was enjoying the story and the format, but it was taking me so long and I was struggling to get through it, so I decided to swap over to the audiobook and see if that made a difference. Now I would recommend anyone thinking of reading this book to give the audiobook a try.
There was a full cast of narrators and although some accents did sound alike, it was much easier for me to get through all the military talk that I believe was slowing my reading down. With that said every interview was different and told a different story from different people’s perspective during the zombie outbreak which really showed how people can work together or just watch the world burn around them.
Rating: 3 Stars- I liked it
I think anyone who is a fan of zombie movies or books should give this book a try. It shows another perspective of how a zombie apocalypse would go down if it happened today, as well gives you a break from the normal reading style.
Although I liked this book I don’t believe it is one I would reread anytime soon, so back on the shelf it shall go until I decide to part with it or borrow it out to a friend.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
I have had this book on my shelf for years, it was given to me by a friend when the movie came out in 2013 and for all those years I have looked at it promising that I would get to it.
Finally in 2017, 4 years later, I fulfilled that promise and read it!
Now since this book had been sitting on my shelf for so long I knew what it was about and that it was set up in an interview format, I also knew that the book was totally different from the movie, but we won’t be getting into the difference between the book and movie, that’s for another time.
The interviews are intense sometimes, with so much human emotions that even though I knew this book was made up and that these people weren’t real I still found myself emotional attached to some and even crying when one passed away. If you follow me on good reads you would have seen my post when this happened.
Due to the high emotions and sometimes graphic content I would give a wary warning for sensitive readers, because I myself had trouble reading certain interviews, but even then these were expected and rare.
As I read I was enjoying the story and the format, but it was taking me so long and I was struggling to get through it, so I decided to swap over to the audiobook and see if that made a difference. Now I would recommend anyone thinking of reading this book to give the audiobook a try.
There was a full cast of narrators and although some accents did sound alike, it was much easier for me to get through all the military talk that I believe was slowing my reading down. With that said every interview was different and told a different story from different people’s perspective during the zombie outbreak which really showed how people can work together or just watch the world burn around them.
Rating: 3 Stars- I liked it
I think anyone who is a fan of zombie movies or books should give this book a try. It shows another perspective of how a zombie apocalypse would go down if it happened today, as well gives you a break from the normal reading style.
Although I liked this book I don’t believe it is one I would reread anytime soon, so back on the shelf it shall go until I decide to part with it or borrow it out to a friend.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, Volume 1: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women
Francesca Cavallo, Elena Favilli, Rebel Girls
What an inspiring collection of stories to help the younger and older generation learn that women can do anything, even when we are told we can't.
I started reading this and after the first few stories I knew I needed to get this book for my younger cousins (2 boys 1 girl), because even though the cover says that these are good night stories for rebel girls, I dont see why boys can't hear these stories and learn about all these amazing women.
(From what I hear they are all loving it)
Each page was full of colour and the illustrations fit each inspirational person so well and bring another element to the stories.
I would recommend this book to everyone as it is just such an inspirational read and the book it self it just such a beautiful thing to look at.
I started reading this and after the first few stories I knew I needed to get this book for my younger cousins (2 boys 1 girl), because even though the cover says that these are good night stories for rebel girls, I dont see why boys can't hear these stories and learn about all these amazing women.
(From what I hear they are all loving it)
Each page was full of colour and the illustrations fit each inspirational person so well and bring another element to the stories.
I would recommend this book to everyone as it is just such an inspirational read and the book it self it just such a beautiful thing to look at.
If you are a Doctor Who fan then the chances are you will have a favourite doctor, I know it’s like playing favourites with children but let’s be honest, we all do have our favourites.
Mine you ask? Well I am a fan of the Fourth and Tenth Doctor, They always have been and always will be my Doctors.
As the title would suggest 12 Doctors, 12 Stories is a collection of 12 short stories, with each story having a different doctor as the inspiration, originally these stories were releases as separate e-book, but to celebrate the 50th anniversary they were bound together in 551 pages of science fiction goodness.
These stories are...
The First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedwick
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Toung by Patrick Ness
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
The Eight Doctor: Spore by Alex Sparrow
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman
The Twelfth Doctor: Lights Out by Holly Black
While reading I would regularly update my Goodreads after each story with a mini review of what I liked or didn’t like about the story, now I won’t be doing that here but if you would like to read my random thoughts you can find them here.
As with any anthology I had stories I liked and some that I didn’t, it was never the writing style that got me it always seemed to be the stories just weren’t that creative or just didn’t interest me.
My top five stories (in no particular order) were, The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedwick, Tip of the Toung by Patrick Ness, Spore by Alex Sparrow, The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy & Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman.
These five stories were my favourites for many reasons, one was how they captured their Doctors and how I just loved their writing style, but the main reason was that these are adventures I would love to see the doctors go on. Each one was well fitted and made me double check the authors just so I could read more of their works.
Rating: 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it.
I would recommend this anthology to any Doctor Who fans. The writers were well chosen and each one captured their doctor perfectly. So much so that I was tempted to go back and rewatch old Doctor Who episodes just to make sure they were like I remembered.
It also acted as a sample test and gave me a list of other authors I would love to look up, just so I can read more of their writing.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
Mine you ask? Well I am a fan of the Fourth and Tenth Doctor, They always have been and always will be my Doctors.
As the title would suggest 12 Doctors, 12 Stories is a collection of 12 short stories, with each story having a different doctor as the inspiration, originally these stories were releases as separate e-book, but to celebrate the 50th anniversary they were bound together in 551 pages of science fiction goodness.
These stories are...
The First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedwick
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Toung by Patrick Ness
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
The Eight Doctor: Spore by Alex Sparrow
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman
The Twelfth Doctor: Lights Out by Holly Black
While reading I would regularly update my Goodreads after each story with a mini review of what I liked or didn’t like about the story, now I won’t be doing that here but if you would like to read my random thoughts you can find them here.
As with any anthology I had stories I liked and some that I didn’t, it was never the writing style that got me it always seemed to be the stories just weren’t that creative or just didn’t interest me.
My top five stories (in no particular order) were, The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedwick, Tip of the Toung by Patrick Ness, Spore by Alex Sparrow, The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy & Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman.
These five stories were my favourites for many reasons, one was how they captured their Doctors and how I just loved their writing style, but the main reason was that these are adventures I would love to see the doctors go on. Each one was well fitted and made me double check the authors just so I could read more of their works.
Rating: 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it.
I would recommend this anthology to any Doctor Who fans. The writers were well chosen and each one captured their doctor perfectly. So much so that I was tempted to go back and rewatch old Doctor Who episodes just to make sure they were like I remembered.
It also acted as a sample test and gave me a list of other authors I would love to look up, just so I can read more of their writing.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
“I guess love's kind of like a marshmallow in a microwave on high. After it explodes it's still a marshmallow. but, you know, now it's a complicated marshmallow.”
When I first started reading Graffiti Moon I only got 41 pages in before I couldn’t take anymore and set it aside, I couldn’t get into the story and had issues connecting with the characters, I now realise that I was in a deep reading slump and any book I picked up I would of said the same for.
So when I tried again to read it I found that I actually loved the story, characters and it wasn’t hard to get into.
Graffiti Moon follows Lucy as she and two of her friends go out to celebrate the last day of year 12 by spending it out all night. Lucy spends most of this night trying to find a young Graffiti artist called Shadow who leaves magnificent art all around the city. After her and her friends meet up with a group of guys, one of them being her ex whose nose she broke after he grabbed her arse, Ed, they all end up at this dodgy party where it’s decided that Ed and Lucy will go off to keep looking for this artist Shadow.
The story is told from both Lucy and Ed’s perspective as well as Ed’s best friend Leo. My first duel perspective book was Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley so it was so nice to see it again in this book as I have grown to love this style.
Cath has a talent for writing relatable and amusing characters and it is the same for Graffiti Moon. I loved all these characters even the ones that I now I shouldn’t, it’s redicoulas that Cath can make me like a character that ate cockroaches and is a total ass, like really Cath why is this character so amusing to me when he is only in the book for a short time?
I adored Ed, he was just a creative guy and throughout the book it showed his character developing. I also loved when we were in Ed’s perspective, the way he talked about girls and just how his though process worked was really refreshing.
Lucy I had some mixed emotions with, at the beginning I found her a little unrealistic as she went hunting for Shadow, she would talk about how she could be with him, but to me it was just weird, as the book went on though I found myself loving her and really appreciating her character development.
As always Cath’s writing was moving and I found myself wanting more when I closed the book. I always know I have read a good book when I close it and wish there was more about these characters and their relationships.
Rating 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary with a lot of heart and will make you think about your past relationships and what might happen in the future.
I’m looking forward to reading more of Cath Crowley’s works and her next book is a collaboration with Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood, which I am very looking forward to reading.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
When I first started reading Graffiti Moon I only got 41 pages in before I couldn’t take anymore and set it aside, I couldn’t get into the story and had issues connecting with the characters, I now realise that I was in a deep reading slump and any book I picked up I would of said the same for.
So when I tried again to read it I found that I actually loved the story, characters and it wasn’t hard to get into.
Graffiti Moon follows Lucy as she and two of her friends go out to celebrate the last day of year 12 by spending it out all night. Lucy spends most of this night trying to find a young Graffiti artist called Shadow who leaves magnificent art all around the city. After her and her friends meet up with a group of guys, one of them being her ex whose nose she broke after he grabbed her arse, Ed, they all end up at this dodgy party where it’s decided that Ed and Lucy will go off to keep looking for this artist Shadow.
The story is told from both Lucy and Ed’s perspective as well as Ed’s best friend Leo. My first duel perspective book was Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley so it was so nice to see it again in this book as I have grown to love this style.
Cath has a talent for writing relatable and amusing characters and it is the same for Graffiti Moon. I loved all these characters even the ones that I now I shouldn’t, it’s redicoulas that Cath can make me like a character that ate cockroaches and is a total ass, like really Cath why is this character so amusing to me when he is only in the book for a short time?
I adored Ed, he was just a creative guy and throughout the book it showed his character developing. I also loved when we were in Ed’s perspective, the way he talked about girls and just how his though process worked was really refreshing.
Lucy I had some mixed emotions with, at the beginning I found her a little unrealistic as she went hunting for Shadow, she would talk about how she could be with him, but to me it was just weird, as the book went on though I found myself loving her and really appreciating her character development.
As always Cath’s writing was moving and I found myself wanting more when I closed the book. I always know I have read a good book when I close it and wish there was more about these characters and their relationships.
Rating 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary with a lot of heart and will make you think about your past relationships and what might happen in the future.
I’m looking forward to reading more of Cath Crowley’s works and her next book is a collaboration with Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood, which I am very looking forward to reading.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess