Book Review: Half Bad by Sally Green (Half Life #1)

Title: Half Bad
Author: Sally Green                                         
Series: Half Life (#1)
Published: 1st March 2014
Source: Bought from Waterstones
Goodreads             

 Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches.

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.

Easy.                          

I finished this book about an hour ago and I still cannot fully process my thoughts on this book. This book has a lot of hype so, unsurprisingly, I picked it up in Waterstones. I'm not as amazed as everyone else was but it was overall a good book.

Half Bad is set in modern day where witches live among fains (muggles basically). There are White witches; the "good witches" and the Blacks; the "bad". The witch society is ruled by a council of White witches and White hunters who hunt down and kill the Blacks. Our main character, Nathan, is a Half Code - half White and half Black, which isn't supposed to happen. His mother, now deceased, was a highly respected White witch but his father is the most evil Black. If the Council decide that Nathan is more Black than White, he will be killed instantly. There is more to this witch world but it is a lot more fun to figure it out while reading.

 The book starts off with a second person narration - talking to you; the reader and you find out that Nathan (you) are in a cage being tortured. It then goes back to when he was a child which then leads up to the point where the book started and carries on from there. I found this quite an interesting technique to be using but it fit the story.

This book is heavily based on Nathan's character development from when he was 5 to his current age; 17. It can be quite slow at points and I found myself just reading the words while day-dreaming so then I'd have to read the same paragraph over again. Half Bad might not be for you if you are looking for a fast-paced, plot-driven story. This book is more of a lead-up to the rest of the trilogy and will probably depend on the sequels for an overall good series mark from me.

The world did intrigue me though. The way that the Whites look at themselves as the "good" and "superior" ones while they may be just as "bad" as Blacks or even worse just made me wonder how this society came to be. Whites hunt Blacks but the Blacks are only trying to defend themselves. It's almost racist.

I found the relationships that Nathan had with others weren't strong or well-developed, especially with Annalise - the supposed "love interest". Ms Green focused to much on Nathan's development and no-one else's.
 

If you are squeamish, I suggest you take note that some scenes may be gruesome before picking this up.

Overall, I enjoyed how unique this book was and I hope to enjoy the sequels even more. 3.75/5

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        

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
 

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Title: The Perks of Being A Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Series: N/A
Published: 1st February 1999 
Source: Library
Goodreads

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his year yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sidelines forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of those books that everyone loves and raves about. I picked this book up because (a) the hype and (b) I wanted to see the movie. I was quite honestly disappointed by this book. It lacked that special something that makes a book memorable for the right reasons but I remember it now for the wrong. 

Charlie really annoyed me. He cried for no reason. He "fell in love" but didn't explain how or why. He seems oblivious to the obvious points in conversation and really dumbs down the word freshman. 

Another thing that made me want to hurl this book at a wall was the writing. The writing annoyed me immensely. It didn't flow which really grounded my gears. The grammar was terrible but some people would say "Yes, but it's written in the form of letters by Charlie so it isn't going to be perfect". I say that's complete and utter crap. 

All in all, I was disappointed by this book despite the hype. I'll give it 1/5 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: Undone by Cat Clarke

                       

Title:Undone

Author: Cat Clarke

Series: N/A

Published: 31st January 2013
Source: Borrowed from friend (hey Cody)

Goodreads 

Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend. Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it.

Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online ... and he kills himself.

Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down.

A searing story of love, revenge and betrayal from a bestselling author.

My friend (hey Cody) had let me borrow her copy of this book because she wouldn't stop talking about it. The synopsis really intrigued me and apparently, Cat Clarke is awesome so, naturally, I had to read it! I'd say I finished this book quite quickly even though I had mixed feelings.

I loved Kai's character! He treated Jem so sweetly and his letters are one of the highlights of this book. When Jem only hung out with Kai (when he was alive), Kai was more social and I think Jem could've maybe took Kai as an example but not with the suicide thing because that's just wrong.

I also really loved the dialogue of this book! Jem's voice was so witty and sarcastic which are two things I love to see characters have! This book made me laugh out loud a lot even though it deals with darker issues.

Despite all the good things I mentioned above, I did find one thing annoying: Jem. She dies her hair blonde because Kai had asked her, then she says she hates it and calls it stupid. She then goes out with Lucas and continuously has sex with him eventhough she says she doesn't like him; her only reason was "I was just so f****** horny". She doesn't question herself if the populars actually outed Kai online or if that was actually a diversion. I just think Jem wasn't a character you could sympathise with or even connect with on some degree.

I did not agree with the ending. It was just an annoying way to put an end to this novel. It really did dissapoint.

All in all, I give this 3/5 stars and I probably wouldn't re-read it. I will, hopefully, read some of Cat Clarke's other books because, as I said, she is quite a popular UK author.

Hagar Manssour

Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer     
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer (#1)
Published: 7th September 2011      
Source: Library
Goodreads
 

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.                   

WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IN PUBLIC UNLESS YOU DON'T MIND HAVING MULTIPLE FAMGIRLING MOMENTS 

After reading this book in about a day, I was left with three words coming out my mouth; what the fudge? I absolutely loved the creepiness in this book. Mara Dyer thinks that she is going crazy and Michelle Hodkin makes you feel as if you are going crazy with her. Not only is this book utterly creepy, it is also hilarious. The dialogue had me laughing out loud so hard. This book will make you theorise like a crazy person because the mysterious element in this book is to die for (I should be punnished).

The love interest of this book is the one and only Mr Noah Shaw. He is a very enjoyable character to read about and his lines have me in stitches. The way he cares for Mara is so adorable he made me blush ... I'm not ashamed. He has this 'bad boy' vibe going on but as you progress through the book you think is that all for show?

The cliffhanger on this book had me thinking "If I don't get this book right now, I will go on a killing spree." . I couldn't believe how that could happen but oh, of course, it did.

I conclusion, I loved this book very much so and I give it a billion/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

March 2014 Book Haul!

I always tell myself on trips into town I will not buy another book. It's getting ridiculous now. but as always, I choose to ignore my conscious and as a result I now have way more books than needed; LET'S DISCUSS. 

                                                              
Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Shop: The Works
Price: £1.99 or 3 for £5
Goodreads

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Shop: The Works
Price: £1.99 or 3 for £5
Goodreads













Title: Deception (Defiance #2)
Author: C. J. Redwine
Shop: The Works
Price: £1.99 or 3 for £5
Goodreads













Title: Splintered
Author: A. G. Howard
Shop: WHSmith
Price: £7.99 or 3 for 2
Goodreads















Title: Half Bad
Author: Sally Green
Shop: Waterstones
Price: £7.99
Goodreads













Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Shop: Waterstones
Price: £7.99
Goodreads

















Compared to other people, my book buying habit isn't that bad, but I don't have a job to get all my money I'm literally broke.

Hagar Manssour