Book Review: Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes (Falling Kingdoms, #2)

Title: Rebel Spring
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms (#2)
Published: 3rd December 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Source: Library
Goodreads

Love, power, and magic collide with war in the second book of the Falling Kingdoms series

Auranos has fallen and the three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now united as one country called Mytica. But still, magic beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world...

When the evil King Gaius announces that a road is to be built into the Forbidden Mountains, formally linking all of Mytica together, he sets off a chain of events that will forever change the face of this land, forcing Cleo the dethroned princess, Magnus the reluctant heir, Lucia the haunted sorceress, and Jonas the desperate rebel to take steps they never could have imagined.

WARNING, REVIEW MAY CONTAIN FALLING KINGDOMS SPOILERS

It has been 14 hours since I turned Rebel Spring's final page and I still can't express my thoughts in a way that doesn't make me sound like a 9 year old with a high sugar level. I loved it. All of it. If you think Falling Kingdoms was okay, please push on and read this because I must say, it was fantastic. This book was 10 times better than Falling Kingdoms, for sure.

The characters really came to their own in this book. Magnus, still being my favourite character of the series, got even more complex. Cleo didn't annoy me as much as she did in the previous book, and I came to see a bit of myself in her. We got to know the side characters better, like Nic and was introduced to several new ones; like Lysandra and that Prince from outside Mystica of whom can't remember the name of. Lysandra really reminded me of Katniss Everdeen, but I try to not compare characters from other series. King Gaius turned into even more of a cold. terrifying being - if that were even possible.
In the previous book, I didn't really feel anything for Lucia but in Rebel Spring she really became a character and she was quite enjoyable too. I am terrified for her, I must say.

The plot was just a major roller-coster ride with so many twists and turns which left me hungry for more and more. It was so thrilling and devious which I loved. I said in my Falling Kingdoms review that Ms Rhodes wasn't scared I do anything, that she had the power and grabbed it with both hands not wanting to let go. Well, Rebel Spring was no exception. Ms Rhodes proved yet again that she was not afraid to do anything she wanted to do and I highly admire that quality in an author. 

I'd recommend this series to anybody, avid reader or not. I really enjoyed this read and can't wait for Gathering Darkness (the sequel)! 

Hagar Manssour 

Book Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green

Title: Looking For Alaska
Author: John Green
Series: N/A
Published:  1st January 2005
Publisher: Speak
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Bought
Goodreads 

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.
  After. Nothing is ever the same.

Looking For Alaska is the second book I have read by the marvelous John Green, after The Fault in Our Stars. I'd heard mixed things about this book but, thankfully, I really loved it. A definite favourite for sure. 

“Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” 

I love how real this book was and how realistic and believeable the characters were. I sympathised for the characters who we are introduced to through Miles' eyes. I found Miles' obsession over last words very interesting even though he looks at himself as uninteresting. 

“I found myself thinking about President William McKinley, the third American president to be assassinated. He lived for several days after he was shot, and towards the end, his wife started crying and screaming, "I want to go too! I want to go too!" And with his last measure of strength, McKinley turned to her and spoke his last words: "We are all going.” 

Alaska Young. We all have one of them in our lives don't we? The girl we think we know but don't. She was quite a character. She touches everyone around her, even if she didn't intend to. I loved how we had a strong yet not emotionless female lead who loves books because those are not combinations you see often. Alaska was a really thought-provoking character, with Chip second behind. 

“What is an "instant" death anyway? How long is an instant? Is it one second? Ten? The pain of those seconds must have been awful as her heart burst and her lungs collapsed and there was no air and no blood to her brain and only raw panic. What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant. Instant rice takes five minutes, instant pudding an hour. I doubt that an instant of blinding pain feels particularly instantaneous.”

“I found myself thinking about President William McKinley, the third American president to be assassinated. He lived for several days after he was shot, and towards the end, his wife started crying and screaming, "I want to go too! I want to go too!" And with his last measure of strength, McKinley turned to her and spoke his last words: "We are all going.” 

People have said before that this book is depressing. I'm not going to lie, it is sad but the humour in this story balances it out perfectly. I cannot even count the times I had a huge grin plastered in my face or how many times I laughed out loud and my family looking at me like I was crazy.  John Green has a gift in having a sad book funny at the same time *round of applause*

"If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.” 

This book made me laugh, made me cry and made me want to quote all the lines I found inspiring in real life. It being John Green's debut, it is fantastic. Truly a masterpiece, 5/5 stars!

Hagar Manssour x

Favourite Book Characters (Female)

Because of my (kinda) reading slump, I'm trying to think of my favourite things and elements about books. I then realised that I love a lot of characters so I thought I'd share my favourite females!
(Note - I have already published a post on my favourite males)
These are in no particular order.

1. Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling



2. Mara Dyer from the Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin




   

3. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling

 

4. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

   

5. Crescent "Cress" Moon Darnel from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer



6. Beatrice "Tris" Prior from the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth

  

7. Violet Baudelaire from the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

 

8. Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus by Rick  Riordan.



9. Theresa "Tessa" Gray from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare



10. Cassiopeia "Cassie" Sullivan from The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey



Hagar Manssour

Book Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #2)

Title: Scarlet                                     
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles
Published: 5th February 2013
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

  Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling instalment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.                 

Wow ... just, wow. This book was a-maze-ing! It surpassed all my expectations based from it's proceeder; Cinder and kicked butt.

Scarlet is a strong and fierce red-head with a caring heart. She is not to be messed with, at all (see first 20 pages for proof). The way she would follow a debatable lead to find her missing grandmother is just heartwarming. She cares a lot for her grandmother and nothing would stop her from achieving her goal - thank the heavens she's on the right side!

Wolf ... well, he really is something, isn't he? He really is just confused about everything isn't he? I can't go into detail as there are spoilers but I enjoyed his character development very much so.

We still got to see Cinder's side of the story throughout this book which was great. You feel really sorry for her because she hadn't asked for any of this to happen. She really just needs to have a lie-down.

My favourite part of this book was probably the character of Carswell Thorne. He is a hilarious guy but he's also loyal. His lines just crack you up throughout this novel - trust me.

The romance between Wolf and Scarlet was so adorable and cute but with everything else going on, it just confuses them. There is one scene where Scarlet is on Wolf's back while he tries to jump onto a train but he stumbles but his excuse wasn't that she was heavy - it was that he was distracted. I don't know why but that line makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!

The plot was action packed and full of twist and turns. The things you discover are just so shocking and jaw-dropping. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading this book.

Overall, I loved this book a lot more that Cinder, which is tough mind you, so I give an infinity/5 stars!

Hagar Manssour        

Favourite Book Characters (Male)

Today, I will be sharing with you just a few of my favourite male book characters. The characters on this list will (probably) be funny or heroic or complex. These are in no particular order.

1. Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.



2. Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Heros of Olympus by Rick Riordan



3. Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare.

 

4. Carswell Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer



5. Noah Shaw from the Mara Dyer trilogy.

  





















Hagar Manssour

P.S -  Douglas Booth is a fangirl's favourite for English characters :)

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #1)

Title: Cinder             
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles
Published: 3rd January 2012
Source: Library
Goodreads

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the centre of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

Cinder is one of those books that is all hyped up by the book-lover community so you pick it up and you love it more than you thought you would. We all know the story of Cinderella (you know slave, lovely prince, ball, perfect fit of a shoe even though it falls off etc), well, Marissa Meyer puts an effortless twist to the story and you're left thinking this is a fairytale retelling?

The character of Cinder is such an interesting one. She is treated as if she were a disease, and is blamed as if she caused her sister's. She is a compassionate person but finds very few to show that love and compassion for. There are only a handful of people she loves and cares for deeply, like her sister, and is shocked when someone else feels that way for her, after all, she is a cyborg. 
 
Everyone seems to adore Kai and I'm just here like really? this guy?. I care for him and all but I didn't really fall head-over-heels in love like everyone else. I cannot fathom how he can keep his head held high because of the things that happen to him. I'm quite surprised that he didn't break down.

Even though I did see the plot twist coming, I still really enjoyed reading the plot. It was action-packed yet heartbreaking, adoreable yet grim. Ms Meyer really does a great job to set up this book for the rest of the series.

Overall, I really loved this book - 5/5 stars!

Hagar Manssour

Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Series: N/A
Published: 10th September 2013
Source: Bought from Waterstones
Goodreads

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life. Without Wren Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She's got a surly room-mate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words ...And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone. Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible ...

You know the feeling when you fall in love with a story? Yeah well, I fell in love with this story. I have actually read Rainbow Rowell's other book Eleanor & Park and I also loved that book too, maybe even a little more; don't tell anyone. 

Cath Avery is such a realistic character; the way she thinks and the way she reacts to situations are probably the way I would. She is so socially awkward that it just breaks your heart every time she is invited to go somewhere she rejects because she never wants to leave her own bubble but one special someone widened that bubble - Levi.

Levi was such a wonderful character to read about. His interactions with Cath were hilarious yet adorable! He smiles at everyone and easy to strike up a conversation; the exact opposite of Cath. As the book progresses, Cath opens up more to Levi and vice versa. The way he cares for Cath is so cute it made my little heart fangirl. I was actually imagining a blonde Heath Ledger as Levi, or Andrew Garfield. Maybe the two combined ...


Throughout this book, Cath was always the one trying to keep it together so her world doesn't fall apart. She even wished she could just dissapear to the World of Mages (this book's Harry Potter universe), but she didn't know that she herself needed someone to catch her when she falls. Levi had grounded her to earth and reminded her how to find herself and live a little.

One scene that I found extra cute was when she met a fan of the fanfiction she writes. It was so heartwarming to see how Cath's fanfiction really affected her readers.

The romance was also so delightful! The way Cath had thought she was supposed to feel because of the fanfiction and how Levi had blown all her expectations out the water was endaring! 

In conclusion, I loved this book so much; I'll give it 4.5/5 stars!

Hagar Manssour
 

Cover Reveal: The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave #2)

Title: The Infinite Sea                            
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave #2
Published: 16th September 2014   

The riveting follow-up to the New York Times bestselling The 5th Wave, hailed by Justin Cronin as “wildly entertaining.”

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

We've all been waiting for the cover of the sequel to Rick Yancey's fantastic book; The 5th Wave*.
This cover gives all of us fangirls out there the feels, just look at that cover damn. Will this be the scenery to where an important scene takes place? Does this have a double meaning? I guess we'll just have to wait until September *cries internally.*

*Review coming soon!*

Hagar Manssour

Book Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin

Series: Mara Dyer (#2)

Published: 28th February 2013
Source: Library

Goodreads

Mara Dyer knows she isn't crazy. She knows that she can kill with her mind, and that Noah can heal with his. Mara also knows that somehow, Jude is not a hallucination. He is alive. Unfortunately, convincing her family and doctors that she's not unstable and doesn't need to be hospitalised isn't easy. The only person who actually believes her is Noah. But being with Noah is dangerous and Mara is in constant fear that she might hurt him. She needs to learn how to control her power, and fast! Together, Mara and Noah must try and figure out exactly how Jude survived when the asylum collapsed, and how he knows so much about her strange ability...before anyone else ends up dead!

Woah ... This book was such a roller coaster ride! I was gasping for air every other page which is not recommended when in class, just saying. This book is a piece of art that Ms Hodkin should indeed be proud of. If you thought the first book was good, you'll find that this book is outstanding.

One of the many conventions that makes this novel what it is is the mysterious element. As soon as you think you know what's going on, Ms Hodkin switches it up and you're left where you started; in I don't know-ville.

Another element that makes this novel what it is is the dialogue. Even though the plot is really creepy and even terrifying at points, the dialogue will immanently crack you up. Both Mara and Noah's characters are fantastically funny.

The character development throughout this series is astonishing. Noah goes from a care-free rebel in book one to a caring and affectionate person in book two which, if it were another author, would be difficult to do but Ms Hodkin can do it flawlessly. Some authors can learn a thing or two from her.

The ending was so spectacular and crazy and unexpected. I didn't see anything coming which is great because normally within the first hundred pages of a book I can tell what the ending would be but I love it when authors do the unexpected! I was left with my jaw hanging wide open when I finished this book!

In conclusion, this is a fantastic sequel and a breathtaking novel. I need the final book to see how Ms Hodkin will conclude this fantastic series.

Infinity/5 stars!

Hagar Manssour

Favourite Literary Couples!

I've watched a lot of movies/tv shows with couples that made my little heart sing so I thought, while I'm in the mood, I should share with you my favourite literary couples (or OTPs)!

1. Will Herondale and Tessa Gray from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare.



2. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson and Heros of Olympus by Rick Riordan.





3. Evan Walker and Cassie Sullivan from The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.



4.  Noah Shaw and Mara Dyer from The Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin.



5. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger from (you're crazy if you don't know where from).





6. Rudy Steiner and Liesel Memminger from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.



7. Jace Wayland and Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.

 

8. Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.



9. Wolf Kesley and Scarlet Benoit from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

                                                                                
10. Simon Lewis and Isabelle Lightwood from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare (again).



Hagar Manssour

Favourite Book Covers!

I don't know about you but I love to look and admire books with gorgeous covers. I thought I'd list some of my favourites ( in no particular order ).

 

1. Sisters Red and Sweetly by Jackson Pearce (Fairytale Retellings #1 & 2)

 

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgentstern

  

3. Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

4. Champion by Marie Lu (Legend #3)

 

 

5. Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Between #1) 

 

6. Splintered by A.G. Howard (Splintered #1)

Hagar Manssour