kellysrambles's Reviews (619)

Another thrilling adventure with familiar faces and new friends! Jam packed with twists and turns from shaft to finish. The dragon and human realms colliding was super exciting - can’t wait to see how this new world will pan out! 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Dragon City with Billy and friends - even if it was a little tense at times! Lots of lovely moments mixed in with some sadness and fear! Familiar faces and new characters to love, not to forget some loathsome villains! Another brilliant adventure in this series! 

Adiba Jaigirdar can do no wrong in my eyes! I’m a bit late to the game on this one but absolutely devoured this from my backlist. 

The Henna Wars is a proper emotional rollercoaster seeing all of the heartache and rejection that Nishat faces from her family and her peers - simply for wanting to be herself. The book does not shy away from difficult issues. There is frank inclusion of racism, cultural appropriation and homophobia - all of which makes you stop and pause whilst you digest Nishat’s reality with elements I could relate to and many I could learn from. 

I adored the sister relationship between Nishat and Priti. It felt so genuinely written with them rooting for each other so wholeheartedly but with some more difficult moments too. 

I don’t want to say anything that spoils this for future readers but I adored this book. It has definitely cemented for me that I will need to read everything by Adiba Jaigirdar! 

Thank you to Hachette, Adiba Jaigirdar and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest (late!!) review. 

The Rules is one of those books you find hard to put down. This is a very quick read as we follow Amber who is on the run from her abusive, controlling father. The Rules her father has in place are simple, if you follow them. It quickly becomes clear that Amber’s father (as well as being abusive) is quite unwell. Amber is well versed in how to be on the run, how to keep a low profile and everything needed to survive. I enjoyed the pace of this novel and I liked Amber and Josh. The conclusion was kind of expected but still well done. 

Amelia Bright is an intelligent and ambitious young girl who seems to have it all going for her … except that for some reason everyone in school dislikes her and she has somehow attained the nickname ‘Maggot’. After the publication of The List on social media which places Amelia at the bottom of all the girls in her year, she is determined to make people like her, no matter the cost. 

This story follows Amelia in her attempt to gain popularity - sadly falling into the trap of thinking that she is the one who isn’t good enough. She tries to improve her popularity online by posting TikTok’s and she is excited to see her ‘like’ count slowly rising but it doesn’t seem to change anything. Until Evan comes along. A boy who seems to like her for who she is, the boy she shares her first kiss with and the boy she hopes will elevate her from the bottom of the list. Until she shares a private image of herself and things escalate beyond her control. 

I both loved and loathed this story. I love it for the simple fact it is bringing such a poignant issue to the forefront. As a high school teacher I know how frequently young people are finding themselves in Amelia’s position. I loathed it because it made me feel desperately sad for Amelia. That she had such a low opinion of herself and seeing how it all panned out. 

Both Amelia and Evan’s characters reflect how truly complex it is to be a teenager in our current social climate. The pressure from peers both in person and even more so online is astronomical and leads so many young people to make disastrous choices without understanding both the immediate and long term consequences. 

I loved Amelia as a character and the dynamic with her older sister Hannah. Whilst Hannah is everything Amelia wishes to be, I thought they had a really lovely relationship. It is also refreshing to see a book with divorced parents who are able to coparent effectively with their children at the forefront of their decision making.

I would highly recommend reading the Letter from the Author at the end of the novel which is a reminder to all readers that whilst this story is fiction, it is sadly the reality for many teenagers today. 

Thank you to Usborne, Tamsin Winter and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

I love a Robert Bryndza novel and was excited to read his first standalone thriller. For me, it wasn’t quite as good as his two series which I adore but it definitely had me gripped and I finished this in less than 24 hours. Maggie is a great leading character and you can really empathise with her throughout this novel. The terror and fear definitely amped up throughout the book and there were times where I felt myself holding my breath. There are plenty of twists and turns and you end up feeling suspicious of everyone at times. It wasn’t a big surprise to me who was behind it all in the end which is why I didn’t rate this any higher but it’s still a great read with a murderous plot and I enjoyed the political elements too.  

Thank you to Raven Street Publishing, Robert Bryndza and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

This book is insanely good!! I love a YA thriller and this one has it all: a plot full of twists and turns, revenge, secrets, the highs and lows of stardom and an epic conclusion. 

It wasn’t long before I was hooked on this book. A reboot of the classic Sunset High, infamous for its curse. Previous stars of the show have had breakdowns, gone missing and an assistant fell to their death… or did they? Abel is desperate to discover the truth of what happened to his brother but little does he realise what he is about the uncover in this thrilling read. 

There were definitely parts of this book that made me so happy not to be famous in any way, shape or form. This story contains a searing look into the downsides of being famous - the coersion, the control, abuse of power - at times it was sickening to read. It really makes you think more carefully about what you see in the media and gets you wondering how do celebs really feel? 

As far as characters go I loved our leading 4: Abel, Lucky, Ella and Ryan. It didn’t take me long to really adore each of them as their individual POVs gave me the chance to empathise with their personal circumstances behind the famous personas. 

I adored the mystery and the determination of our 4 leading characters to serve justice. Definitely an emotional rollercoaster with lots of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I thought the conclusion to this novel was incredible and the epilogue literally made me gasp! So so good! 

Thank you to Simon and Schuster, Benjamin Dean and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

Okay so I really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy and this second instalment did not disappoint!! 

In an effort to keep this spoiler free this will be a punchy review but all you need to know is that the action is ramped right up for this book! There’s plenty of nitty, gritty magic, demon worshipping, secret covens, magical artefacts, witch finders and some epic battles! All on top of what Juno did so perfectly in the first book by tackling a ton of contemporary issues within her fantasy world. 

I loved being back with the main characters from book one as well as getting a few new POVs in this book. The very last page of this book made my jaw drop!! Give me book 3 now!!! 

Thank you to Harper Voyager, Juno Dawson and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

HMRC is such a refreshing fantasy novel which tackles contemporary, political issues without holding back. Add in the magical aspect and this was a win for me! 

I did find the plot a little slow to get into but I think that is probably because I read so much YA which tends to be faster paced. As the story unfolded I was unable to put this book down as I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The final section of the book was absolutely action packed and the ending had me gobsmacked - I’m glad I already have the second book to pick up immediately as there is so much to look forward to! 

I really liked the characters and the layers within the witches themselves. The different powers and abilities were well thought out. The mix of witches and warlocks in a world of mundanes and how this was managed was interesting to read. 

I adored both Theo and Holly and thought that Theo’s story in particular was both challenging and heart warming at the same time. I’m keeping this spoiler free so won’t say anymore but I loved Theo! 

Juno Dawson tackles so many current issues such as transgender rights, LGBTQ, race, misogyny, abuse of power to name a few. They are explored in a contemporary and piercingly honest way that it almost seems strange that this is a fantasy book but it is so well done. 

I can’t wait to see what book 2 has in store! 

If you love Bake Off, desserts and hilarious puns then this book is a must read! 

The story centres around Shireen, a young Irish/Bangladeshi baker, who wins a place in the new reality TV Junior Irish Baking Show. Then ensues a summer of baking competitions, rivalries, friendships and a sapphic love triangle which includes her ex-girlfriend. I loved the story as it was so light and refreshing but also explored issues of racism in a raw way which gets the readers thinking (in my case about my own privilege). 

I adored Shireen as an MC. She is funny and sassy, confident in her own skin but also refreshingly makes some questionable decisions making her feel so real and relatable. She is passionate about baking but also wants the best for her friends and family. Fatima is a super best friend and I enjoyed that their friendship showed the ups and downs of a real friendship. 

My favourite thing about this novel? The humour! My gosh this book is so funny! It is rammed full of puns but written so well that they hit the mark and don’t become tiring. All of the chapter titles are puns. A couple of my favourites: “A Calculated Whisk” and “I Knew You Were Truffle When You Walked In”. Then there’s Shireen’s parents donut shop “You Drive Me Glazy” and the multitude of donut names they sell. Then take it to the TV show and its judges - all of whom have a name spun off from the GBBO. 

There is so much to love about this book but mostly it is a really fun and refreshing read! 

Thank you to Hachette, Adiba Jaigirdar and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.