Oh Anthony Horowitz, how I've missed you...
.
I haven't read anything by Horowitz for a few years at least. Diving into this short novel gave me some strong nostalgic feelings for sure.
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Short, simple and sarcastic. Nick Diamond narrates the story with his never-failing dry humour. Just a good fun adventure read.

"I think magic is about more than stagecraft," Carter said. "It's about happiness. It's about laughter. It's about that feeling you get inside."
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This book was a lovely surprise that left me feeling all warm and gooey inside.
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I began reading this novel completely by chance. If you've looked at my shelves recently you'll know that I am currently in the middle of 2 books and have a rather large number of books to read as well. I really, really wasn't planning on spontaneously picking up another random book because the cover looked interesting. And yet, here we are.
☆
I was dragged into this novel from the very first page. Although magic isn't generally my topic of choice, this book made it an interesting subject for me. I liked the little "How To" sections which would teach a small magic trick which was basic but not too easy. I liked the interactive parts of the book, such as the hilarious contents page, the little notes which you have to decipher, and the enthusiastic narration with which this story is told.
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But best of all I loved the feeling this story gave me.
"Carter wondered if he was beginning to believe in magic. Not the kind where you can actually make things disappear or cast a spell, but the kind where you can't sleep because you're so full of joy that you stay awake and watch the sun come up."
The characters in this story were lovely, and they interacted so well throughout the book. I wanted to be part of their club!
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Now here's why this book didn't deserve 5 stars:
The plot was a little too simple. A lot of things happened which were totally unrealistic and would never work in real life.
The action scenes were way too rushed. Quite often I had to go back over parts I'd already read because I felt like I'd missed something important. But in reality it just hadn't been explained well in the first place.
The storyline wasn't quite deep enough. It was just so shallow that you couldn't quite lose yourself in the story. A little improvement on the descriptions and characterisation and I would have been completely hooked.
☆
Overall, a wonderful speedy read which helped me to remember what it's like to have an adventure with friends. A very feel-good book. I'm sure I would have absolutely loved this as a tween.

Oops. I actually finished this book a week ago but completely forgot to review it. Guess that shows a bit about how much I enjoyed it.
Jenny Han, I think it is time that you and I part ways. I've enjoyed your fiction, but now it's time for me to move on to other authors, before I read so much of your work to the point where I no longer enjoy it.
To be completely honest, I picked up this book purely for #1: the cover and #2, the fact that I'd already read book 1 and 2 of this trilogy. (I will admit, this trilogy has some very lovely covers.)
I kind of wish that I had just stopped after To All The Boys I've Loved Before.
I feel like Jenny Han had a fun quirky storyline which lasted all throughout book 1, and then due to popular demand, went on to write book 2 and 3. Unfortunately, the fun quirky storyline dissipated after the end of book 1.
I found myself getting more and more frustrated with Lara Jean, to the point where I was just downright annoyed. However, I did like the ending. A nice easy read.

I love Chaos Walking so much.
Back in 2015, when I read the rest of the trilogy and the other 2 short stories, I didn't get a chance to read this one for whatever reason. Today, I found it in the library and devoured it in one sitting (before I'd actually left the library).
It's amazing how, even with so few words, Patrick Ness stirs up your emotions. His writing style is distinctive yet flexible, and so so enchanting.
Just reading this short story filled me with the desire to reread Chaos Walking, to revisit my favourite characters. I can't wait for the movie to come out.

Marie Lu, you earned my trust with the Legend trilogy. I don't know exactly where you're going with this story, but I'll follow you to find out.
Maybe my standards have been set too high with Legend and Prodigy and Champion. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed with this book.
The world building feels rushed. I feel like Marie Lu had a sketchy idea of a new technology, she's built upon it a bit, but truthfully, she doesn't entirely understand it either. That's the underlying feeling I got while reading this novel.
Strangely enough, there's one part of this story that directly references something mentioned in the Legend trilogy - that has me very curious; is this new storyline actually set inside the same world I've already read about? Will I get to see some of my favourite characters again?
Anyway. Back to Warcross.
The characters are developed very well throughout the story, and I enjoyed seeing the world through Emika's eyes. She's a wonderfully flawed character, which makes this story more relatable.
I've got to say, I got pretty tired of the unrelenting descriptions. Description is an important part of any story, but I feel that Lu overdid it in this story.
Mostly, I wasn't very surprised at any of the plot twists in this story. There's one twist at the end which I didn't see coming, and I enjoyed that. But mostly, I felt that the storyline itself wasn't... complex enough, I guess.
There's a whole lot of names to keep track of in this story, which I found pretty difficult in the gaming scenes (trying to work out who is who while reading an action scene is NOT fun).
I have a feeling that maybe this book will make it to cinemas. It felt like it was written more as a film than a novel. I'd definitely go see it as a movie.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed Legend, but I'm not too surprised - Legend is very hard to beat. I'm interested to see where this story goes, and I'm peeved that I have to wait over a month until the next book come out! I'm lowkey dying to know what happens next.

"Each spine was an encapsulated memory, each book represented hours, days of pleasure, of immersion in words."
Welcome to yet another episode of "Sarah has no self control and is unable to read only one book at a time."
I'm really not quite sure what to make of this story, but I'll have a go at reviewing it.
Every librarian has heard of Audrey Niffenegger. I've been wanting to read one of her works for a while, so when I saw this beautiful book on the shelves today, i simply could not help myself. Whoops.
Not only is this my first Niffenegger novel but it's also my first graphic novel, and I found it to be a very immersive experience.
The story is about books. About how a love of reading can detach you from the real world, and how that can be a good thing and a bad thing.
Alexandra is wandering around in the middle of the night when she comes across the Night Bookmobile - an incredible vehicle which contains every single book she has ever read. From that moment on, her love of the written word takes over her life, to the point of obsession and beyond, until she makes some questionable decisions.
As i said at the outset - I don't quite know what to make of this story. I definitely enjoyed it, I'm not sure that I completely understood it, but it's given me a lot of food for thought.
I understand it's a graphic novel but I still think it ended way too soon. I want more!

Well that was disappointing.
I've finally finished it. It's been about 2 years since I started this trilogy, I believe. Now it's over and done with, and I am not impressed by that ending.
((Okay so right about here this review deteriorates into one long rant with a sprinkling of spoilers, so you may just want to stop reading))
I liked the alternating chapters, that some chapters were told by Lena and others by Hana, and eventually the storylines cross over - but oh my what an anticlimax! And all the way through the book, the author is planting seeds toward what will happen in the end... Lena has a tough decision to make... what will she do? Oh well, Lauren Oliver wasn't entirely sure either so just decided to leave us all hanging.
What???
Not only did it feel like terrible planning on the part of the author, but it also made Lena's character seem even weaker than she already was.
Main thing I was disappointed with, though, was the character interactions. Lena's chapters were almost entirely monologue. Her dull interpretation of the world around her, with very little happening between her and others in the story. And whenever there was interaction between Lena and, let's say, Julian or Alex, and they're finally about to start talking properly, Oliver causes another character to jump in and cut them short. Personally I feel that this just shows lack of writing ability on Oliver's part. Some parts of a story are going to get messy and uncomfortable - but that's what makes it real. For goodness sake, don't just take the easy option every time! It leaves the reader with frustration and underdeveloped characters.
And then we come back to the ending. It was so rushed, so out-of-character, so... terrible. This story, this fictional world, had so much potential. Unfortunately it was ruined by the overly dramatic love triangle (during which, Lena becomes the most unlikable character of them all) and a really oversimplified ending.
Ugh.

Maybe it's my fault... I did have high hopes for this book so maybe that's why I found it to be so disappointing. (But really, I think it was the book's fault).
It was so very slow paced. I really didn't need to know Crow's exact laundry routine and all the detail during mealtimes was very unneeded, especially considering how bland their food was. Trust me, normally I am all for authors making a special mention of food in books - but the way it was included in this story was just terribly boring.
I read this book because it was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal this year, and also because I read Lauren Wolk's last book, Wolf Hollow, and loved it to pieces. It was harrowing, thought provoking, yet still very suitable for the age group it was aimed at.
But this story... it was just uninteresting.
The only parts of this story I found mildly interesting were the setting - I knew nothing about the Elizabeth islands before and now I feel at least slightly educated - and the history about the "lepers" that lived there. Other than that, I would have to say that nothing about this story particularly grabbed me, or held my attention. At least I've finished it now.

Oh, go on, have 5 stars from me. I'm not entirely sure you completely deserve them, but I simply enjoyed you far too much to give you a boring 4 star review.
This story was a complete cover-read. I spotted it a few times, lingering around in the library. Eventually curiosity got the best of me and I put every other book on hold temporarily so I could read this book (and completely based on the fact that the cover is a map! There goes all my self control, once again...)
But I'm so glad that I did.
This book is a hidden treasure. A wonderful discovery. A heart-warming, cute yet emotional read.
It tells the stories of 5 young people from various places in America. Each story has its own fiercely independent protagonist. At first, I found it difficult to adjust to the changes between viewpoints - I was so attached to each character, it was hard for me to leave them behind to move on to read someone else's story. However, the writing style was so good that I found myself thoroughly committed to each and every character.
The main theme is travel, which is another reason why I love it so much. It's addictive, it's funny and a very reader-friendly novel. A lot of the story is cheesy and quite unrealistic, but that didn't bother me at all because I was enjoying it.
I would recommend this to people who want an easy read which will inspire them to notice the world around them, and to appreciate the opportunities that they have in life.

Not If I See You First was actually a total cover-buy for me.
I don't usually buy a book based on its cover but this one is just so striking, so noticeable and looked so interesting, that I decided to pick it up.
I knew nothing about this story except it's about a blind girl.
Now I've actually read it, I can see that Wow, it is so so much more than a story about a blind girl.
It went so deep into so many subjects. It covered grief and what it means to lose a loved one. And how a disability does not make a person stupid and they should never be treated that way. And what it means to be a friend.
Its true that parts of the story seemed a little silly, and the language wasn't fantastic, but other than those things I really enjoyed this book.
I've read books with blind main characters before which haven't been written great. However (although I obviously don't know what it is like to be blind personally) I felt that the portrayal in this novel was really realistic and nice. It wasn't depressing or constantly mentioning the disadvantages of being blind, in fact blindness seemed to be only a meager part of this story. Parker Grant was a delightfully realistic main character. Her train of thought was easy to follow and made for a great read.
I've also read books before where the main character is a runner. And I've found those other books to be incredibly boring, since I myself certainly don't run and am not too interested in all the technique and science that goes into it. So when I started this book and realised that our MC was into running, I was immediately wary. Yet somehow, Lindstrom tells us just the right amount about Parker's running routine. He keeps it fresh and light and easy going but also tells us enough so that we can actually learn a little about Parker through her hobby.
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This book really has opened up my mind to the world in a whole new way. I thoroughly enjoyed it, from beginning to end.