Ah, Spark was every bit as good as Ink was, quite possibly even better! I loved that this time we got to see the story from the other side. Ink was all about us discovering the world of the Marked, Spark is all about the Blanks and I loved the contrast. I adore the characters that Alice Broadway has created in these books. Leora is an absolute gem. I loved that this book had her laced with such doubt: was everything she had always known about the Blanks a lie? Not only was the story one that had me second guessing myself, but I also found that I just didn’t know WHO I could trust either (although I had some satisfaction in getting that one guess right…!).

I am in love with the way Alice interlaces the mythology of this world throughout the book with chapters of fairy tales included. It really enriches the world and adds a unique element to it. The ending of this book had me left OPEN MOUTHED so I can’t wait to pick up the final book in this trilogy, right now I have NO idea what will happen next!!

You have quite literally NO idea how excited I was when a proof of Alice Oseman’s new novel landed in my hands. I adored both Solitaire and Radio Silence and just knew I would be in for another treat. I Was Born For This had my heart singing with joy and nostalgia for my good old fandom days whilst capturing the teenage spirit perfectly. With a diverse and layered cast of characters, a fun and quick paced plot as well as dealing with some hard hitting topics along the way, I Was Born For This is a wonderful new novel from Oseman.

I went into this book not really knowing too much about it, I mean, if I’m being honest I’ll pick up anything that Alice Oseman ever writes so it really doesn’t matter what it’s about! I was surprised and delighted to see just how closely I could relate to this story when thinking back on my own fandom times. I fondly looked back on the late night conversations, the tumblr blogs and edits I would make, the friendships I created and maintain even to this day, the ups and downs of fandom, the ships, the romances we wanted and the romances we didn’t want. Gosh, those really were the days! I just adored how this book felt SO relatable to me despite the fact I was never part of a music fandom. I totally understood how Angel felt about her band and it made me love her really quickly.

Angel is so immersed in her love for The Ark both in “real life” and online that she forgets there is a whole other reality around her. Her parents have high expectations and just don’t understand how she feels about the boys. The passion that Angel has for her band quickly swept me along with her and I really loved her dedication. I have to give Oseman a HUGE round of applause, and thank you, for including the idea of “internet-friends-meet-in-real-life-and-nothing-terrible-happens” because I’ve met some of my absolute favourite friends in the world thanks to the internet and I think sometimes we can be lead to forget just how wonderful the internet and social media can be.

On the flip side to Angel, we have adorable, lovely Jimmy. I just adored him from the get go and literally wanted only the best for him. He is such a vulnerable character and I liked how this was juxtaposed against his band persona. Whilst ‘band Jimmy’ may be able to turn on that charm and go out on stage in front of thousands oozing confidence, it was the ‘real Jimmy’ who was nervous, shy and terrified who really captured my heart. His relationships with Lister and Rowan were really well written and felt so honest.

I liked how Alice Oseman took both fandom life and a life of fame and really shone a spotlight on both of those things. She absolutely nails how it feels to be a fan of something, to give your life and yourself to something/someone and the excitement of it all without ever realising the impact it can have on those involved. Fame certainly isn’t all it’s cracked up to be in this book and it was really interesting to take on the idea of how the fans really make the boys in The Ark feel. On the outside it’s easy to assume famous people want their fans to go crazy over them but, actually, Oseman paints a very insightful picture of life inside the band. There were moments where my heart ached for Jimmy, Rowan and Lister but bubbled with excitement for Angel only for it to be reversed a few moments later where I felt happiness and relief for the boys but my heart ached for Angel. Alice Oseman really knows how to write stories with characters who just sneak under my skin without me even realising they’re doing it.

This book is diverse in a way which feels effortless. Nothing is explained, the diversity in this novel is merely presented as a fact that has to be accepted and I really liked that. Angel is Muslim and wears a hijab, Jimmy is transgender and suffers with extreme anxiety, Lister has struggles of his own with alcohol and a slutty reputation, Juliet has family struggles, this book touches upon mental health, obsession, diversity, friendship, romance, family. What Alice Oseman does here is take on real life. She takes on a world where people of all faiths, genders, sexualities, beliefs can be united by one thing: fandom and she peels back the layers of the characters and their stories and before you know it you’re also being stripped bare. I’m not sure how Oseman does it but she just writes the most incredible, realistic and relatable characters.

You’ve probably guessed by now but I really freaking loved I Was Born For This. It wouldn’t be right for me to finish this review without giving a shout out to the grandparents of the world. I am a sucker for a YA book with wonderful grandparents and there are two in this one! Dorothy is Juliet’s grandmother and takes her in during her time of need and then we have Jimmy’s Granddad who plays a pretty large part in the book towards the end. I loved his relationship with Jimmy and thought it created some really poignant moments.

I Was Born For This is a book which challenges the idealism of fame and contrasts it against the obsession of fandom. It’s a book which is effortlessly diverse in its characters, both fun and heavy in its message but most of all relatable. Oseman proves herself, once again, to be a master of the teenage voice. Now, how do I wait for more?!

Huge thanks to the lovely Alice Oseman, Harper Collins Children’s Books for my copy in exchange of an honest and fair review.

This book is so eye opening and relevant right now. As someone who teaches, this is the kind of book I want to be available to my pupils. Muzna’s story is a harrowing one, but one that needs to be put out there. Her voice is powerful and her story is not one that you are likely to forget. I just have to urge you to pick this up for yourselves.

WELL. This book was one heck of a ride from beginning to end. The adrenaline was really pumping as we flicked back and forth between the spaceship and Kerenza. I loved getting to know some new characters as well as being reunited with lots of old faces. This trilogy has really helped cement a love of YA Sci-Fi in me! Such a unique concept and the story flows so well. I just loved it!

It is quite possible that I am the last person in the blogosphere to read this book and I just LOVED it. From beginning to end I was completely caught up in Simon and Blue’s love story and thought it was really well written and fuelled with emotion. I did manage to guess who Blue was and I’m not sure I’ve ever felt SO accomplished! I love Leah and Nora too, they are wonderful. It’s fluffy, funny and romantic. Perfect!

I knew I would love this book before I even opened it. I am openly a feminist and I will ALWAYS read anything marketed in the way that Moxie was. This book left me feeling so empowered and I can only imagine what it will do for younger readers. There is a huge sense of girl power but this is also an informative read for those not so sure what feminism is or maybe not sure how to recognise signs of it in every day life. I definitely want to be a Moxie Girl!

If you read my review of The Extinction Trials back in January you’ll know that I fell head over heels in love with this series. So you could say that my expectations were stacked pretty high before picking up book 2, Exile. You’ll be pleased to know that Exile packs just the same level of punch as the first book does, possibly even more!

Picking up not long after the ending of The Extinction Trials, we find ourselves back on Earthasia with Stormchaser, Lincoln and a few others. Storm and Lincoln are both struggling in their own way to come to terms with what they went through on Piloria and we get to see a bit of a different side to them both. I really enjoyed getting to see a bit more of the politics behind the Stipulators. I was keen to see how things were going to pan out for Storm and Reban Don, how little Arta was faring and then we got to meet the curious character that is Octavius Arange too. It was great to be reunited with old friends but I did take a shining to some of the new characters fairly quickly too.

The whole time we were on Earthasia I was itching to get back to Piloria and be surrounded by gorgeous greenery and terrifying dinosaurs (sorry to ruin any illusion of paradise you may have just built…). And, of course, my dream came true and it wasn’t too long before Storm and team were heading back out to Piloria on a slightly different mission this time. Let me tell you now, friends, the action does not wait around for you. Within minutes of them being in Piloria the action is there and, in my opinion, ramped up a step from the previous book. I loved how quickly we were reminded that although Piloria is gorgeous, it is a deadly land where the humans are definitely on the back foot.

The “do dinosaurs deserve to die?” question was well thought of in this book too. It is a question that was raised by Storm in The Extinction Trials as she struggled to decide whether the humans had any right to take Piloria for their own. This goes a step further in this second instalment as we see Storm and a few others face the idea of killing the dinosaurs. I just really love that there is a moral aspect behind the book too. It tugs on my little old heart strings.

Some readers have decided pretty quickly whether they are team Stormchaser or team Lincoln (our two narrators) but I honestly can’t pick. Both of them have qualities that I really admire and, more importantly, they both have their flaws. I love that Stormchaser is so ballsy. She takes the adventure face on, shows great courage and determination whilst also showing her caring and empathetic side. Lincoln melts my heart, especially when it comes to his little, poorly sister Arta. I love reading from both of their POVs and love how this adds a slightly different element as you get to see both of the growing.

I was THRILLED that we got to see much more of Blaine in book two. I adored this crazy guy back in book one but we didn’t see too much of him. There were some really touching moments involving Blaine and his storyline in this book and they made me really emotional. Speaking of which, there was a LOT of tugging on my heart strings during this book and I think that was partially because I just adore the characters and reading this book felt like sitting down for a coffee and natter with a best friend. I didn’t reread The Extinction Trials before picking up Exile but within pages I was right back there in that world.

The world building is, yet again, absolutely exquisite. The scenery is so vivid and lush; I was so easily able to imagine myself clambering through the gorgeous forests of Piloria with the ground crunching beneath my feet and the dense heat around me. The dinosaurs were just as terrifying yet awe-inspiring as previously. I am still 100% certain I could not survive on Piloria but if I was offered the chance to go I certainly wouldn’t turn it down.

This series is a true wonder. The ending had me gasping aloud to myself and I am SO flipping excited to see what is going to happen next. One thing is for certain, I’ll be on the edge of my seat the next time I visit Piloria too! Absolutely brilliant!

An ENORMOUS thanks to the lovely Stevie at Usborne for sending me a review copy and an even bigger thanks to Susan for writing such wonderful books and even giving little old me a shout out in the acknowledgements – what a huge privilege!

Mirror Magic is simply brilliant.

A truly magical and captivating adventure that will have young readers itching to jump through mirrors to visit the otherworld. I love books that take every day objects and make them magical because I think that’s what truly captures our imagination: the “what if?” of whether or not there are Fair folk on the other side waiting for our orders.

I loved that there was such a big mystery involved in this story and I had fun along the way trying to guess what was going to happen next and who the bad and good guys were. It was full of suspense and intrigue from beginning to end and I was a big fan of how it all panned out.

The worlds of Wyse and Unwyse are captivating and I loved how closely they resembled one another. Using a setting of the border between Wales and England for the town of Wyse was really clever because it yet again feeds into the feeling of “if this was going to happen, that’s the kind of place where it would” and I think that will have young readers minds buzzing with excitement. The possibility that this could all be real!

I adored the characters in this book. Ava was an immediate favourite and so was Howell. They both go on quite the journey throughout this book and it was nice to see how their friendship changed and developed over time. The baddies in this book were slightly terrifying especially Mr Bones! He may even have caused me nightmares as a young reader!

Overall, Mirror Magic is an entertaining, funny and intriguing read that will keep readers of all ages guessing along. But would you want to go through the mirror? I’m not sure I would!

A big thanks to Karen and Claire for sending me a copy of the book in exchange of a fair and honest review.

4.5 stars

In Your Light is dark, twisty and captivating. You won’t be able to take your eyes off the pages as you devour the words trying to find out what happens next. With layered and complex characters, an exciting climax and a good dose of mystery, there’s something in here for everyone. An intense but powerful read that will stay with me for some time.

Read my full thoughts and review on my blog: https://kellysramblings.wordpress.com/2018/06/16/in-your-light-by-annalie-grainger/