Review for Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: HarperCollins (UK)
Release Date: 4th August 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Sci-Fi
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Bought

Amazon Summary:
"What if you knew exactly when you would die?


Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb – males only live to age twenty-five and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.


When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape – to find her twin brother and go home.


But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left."

Review
Dystopian books are possibly my favourite type of books to read. There’s something so compelling about these dark and dangerous futures that could so easily become this world’s reality and the terror of that makes these kinds of books highly readable to me. In Wither Lauren DeStefano has created a harrowing world where thanks to scientists tinkering with the idea of a “perfect human” through genetic engineering the next generation’s life span is cut short with men dying at age twenty five and women aged twenty. Because of this the world is desperate to repopulate and so girls as young as thirteen are bought by wealthy men and forced to become their brides. The girls that are not chosen are either killed or sold into prostitution. The world is in panic and marriages have become baby farms with everyone desperately trying to reproduce. This world is shocking, scary and controversial making for an unputdownable read that really made me think.

Our main character is sixteen year old Rhine, with only four years left to live Rhine along with two other girls nineteen year old Jenna and thirteen year old Cecily are bought by Linden and kept prisoner in his father’s mansion. Each wife has very different opinions on being a bride. Despite their life of luxury and privilege Rhine craves to be back home with her twin brother, with one year of life left Jenna despite hating Linden resigns herself to dying in this place, and youngest bride Cecily couldn’t be happier with the arrangement! She worships their handsome husband and immediately takes to a life of luxury hoping to reproduce. The strongest aspect of this book as well as the world itself was the characters they were each so well developed and I absolutely loved Rhine and Jenna who were two very strong female leads.

Wither is a slower paced dystopian, instead of a lot of action and gore it was beautifully told the world and goings on in the mansion scary enough. I loved the way Lauren DeStefano told this story and was so caught up in this claustrophobic, fragile world. I was completely enthralled by Wither and was desperate to see if Rhine got the freedom she so desperately wants. Wither isn’t the kind of book that you hurry through in an action packed frenzy but is the kind of book that you take your time over absorbing and thinking about this terrifying way of life and the fate of the characters. If you’re looking for a controversial, beautifully written book then Wither is the way to go.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Death Cure

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that bloggers are eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Death Cure by James Dashner (Maze Runner #3)
Publication Date: October 11th 2011
From Goodreads
Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.


What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.


The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.
Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

I’m a BIG fan of dystopian books and The Maze Runner series is up there with the best of the best. I’d even go as far as to say it’s as good as The Hunger Games if not better. This series is just so incredible and I can not wait for this final book to the trilogy! The synopsis makes it sound like it could be the best one yet and October 11th although not far away can’t come fast enough! If you haven’t checked out this series yet you cray cray, DO!

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Book Thoughts: The Lying Game and Never Have I Ever

Book Thoughts
Definition: Where Jess groups together a couple of mini reviews on books she’s bought and recently read.

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Amazon Summary:
"Sutton Mercer had a life anyone would kill for – and someone did. But thanks to a view from the afterlife and Emma Paxton, her long-lost twin sister, Sutton has a chance to solve her own murder. Emma slips into Sutton’s old life to piece together her disappearance. But can Emma keep up the charade long enough to discover what really happened to Sutton…or will she become the next victim?


Let the lying games begin."

The first book in this series I had a real love/hate relationship with. The plot kind of reminded me of one of those cheesy teen slasher movies and at the beginning I really questioned how believable it all was and if I was going to continue reading. The thing that I’ve found with this series is that it’s so bad it’s good and there’s something very very addictive about it.

It really took me a while to get into this story and the way that it’s written as it jumps from Emma to Sutton’s perspective at times without any warning or indication that the protagonist has changed and with Emma pretending to be Sutton it can get a little confusing.

I also didn’t really like any of the characters with the exception of Emma. The group of girls the story centres around are the bitchy, mean girl kind making them not very likeable but despite this books faults I absolutely flew through it and ordered and read the second one immediately.

There’s something so addictive about this Mean Girls meets The Lovely Bones meets Sorority Row book and it’s admittedly a fun, fast paced, thrill of a read. All in all there are better young adult thrillers out there at the minute but there’s something very addictive and compelling about this series and that alone may be strong enough to carry me through to the end. 3.5 Stars

Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard

Amazon Summary:
"MY PERFECT LIFE WAS A LIE.


NOW I’D DO ANYTHING TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH.


Not long ago, I had everything a girl could wish for: amazing friends, an adorable boyfriend, a loving family. But none of them know that I’m gone – that I’m dead. To solve my murder, my long-lost twin sister, Emma, has taken my place. She sleeps in my room, wears my clothes, and calls my parents Mom and Dad. And my killer is watching her every move.


I remember little from my life, just flashes and flickers, so all I can do is follow along as Emma tries to solve the mystery of my disappearance. But the deeper she digs, the more suspects she uncovers. It turns out my friends and I played a lot of games – games that ruined people’s lives. Anyone could want revenge . . . anyone could want me – and now Emma – dead."

This book follows its predecessor on in much the same style with Emma still pretending to be Sutton to unravel the mystery surrounding her twin’s death. Never Have I Ever unearths some new clues and therefore some new suspects and I enjoyed this sequel a little more if only because I was used to the characters and writing style and knew what to expect.

Never Have I Ever picks up literally where The Lying Game left off with no time having passed at all so that the reader is automatically swept back into the action. Sara Shepard takes us in a new direction in this second novel and more is discovered about Sutton and her mysterious death.

This book has all the same thrills and twists as The Lying Game but with a brand new set of clues and suspects. Basically if you loved The Lying Game you’re going to love this one too. All of the faults I found with the first book are still present but so are the things I loved about it too. The Lying Game series is fast turning into my favourite guilty pleasure that maybe I shouldn’t like but I do anyway and I’m already getting impatient for my next fix, flaws and all. 3.5 Stars

Random Ramblings 4: How To Read More

Being the big reader in my family and group of friends I always get asked how I find the time to read so many books. I used to think I read a lot until I found the book blogging community and discovered people who read literally hundreds of books a year. I myself have yet to reach that big 100 books in a year but constantly try to work towards it. Regardless I suppose compared to most people I do read a lot and so I’ve been doing some research on tips on how to read more also with some of my own tips that I give to family and friends. Most book lovers are always trying to read more and more books and find the time to read so I decided to share with you my top tips on how to squeeze more reading into your day to day life.

1.) I think the main problem is the majority of people see reading as a treat something to do for an hour before bedtime but try to look at reading as a lifestyle choice. Readings not just for bed and you’d be surprised with how much you can get read when you choose to read at any spare moment whether that’s on lunch breaks, on the bus or train going to work, waiting for appointments. There are so many small opportunities where you could catch a couple of pages during the day instead of staring into space or playing on your phone. Use them, after all every little counts.

2.) This goes hand in hand with the first tip but carry a book with you everywhere you’d be surprised when you find a quick 5 minutes to read.

3.) Use your TV’s catch up system. Most TV’s have some kind of catch up or recording system these days where you can watch your shows at a time to suit you. Not only is being able to watch them whenever great but you can also skip the commercials. Did you know that the average 1 hour show will have 15 to 20 minutes of advertising? If you watch a one hour TV show every day and skip the adverts then over a week you’ll have gained a spare 1 hour and 45 minutes that can be used for reading.

4.) Cut down the amount of TV you watch. It’s common knowledge that the average person spends too much time watching TV. Whittle it down to those shows you really don’t want to miss as opposed to those you just watch to pass the time and use that time for reading.

5.) Use Audio books and E-readers. Most people don’t read because they don’t have time to but with audio books you really don’t have an excuse you can listen to them whilst doing house work, driving, even whilst showering or taking a bath. On the Kindle there’s also the text to speech option so if you have to stop reading to get some chores done switch to speech and you can carry on with your book whilst being productive.

6.) Set yourself a goal of how much you want to read per day whether that’s in pages or chapters and stick to it (unless you get so absorbed in what you’re reading that you end up reading more!)

7.) Give up on books that you’re not enjoying. The fact that you’re not enjoying the book means that you’re less likely to pick it up slowing down your reading. Give yourself up to 50 pages and if you’re still not enjoying it don’t be afraid to say it’s not right for you and give up. Or sometimes a book is simply just not what you’re looking to read right now but maybe something you would enjoy at a later date if that’s the case mark where you’ve left off, pick up something new and come back to it.

8.) Keep a pile of books that you really want to read on your bedside table or somewhere in sight seeing all those fantastic books that are waiting for you to read them will encourage you to hurry up and finish what your reading. Keeping a wish list is also a good idea.

9.) Set a reading goal of how many books you want to read this year. As you go along and write down each book you read there’s something very satisfying about looking back on all the books you’ve read so far.

10.) Enthusiasm is contagious. Join a local book club, goodreads, librarything or follow book bloggers and youtubers. Let the people who love books rub off on you and it’s also great for recommendations.

11.) Train yourself to read like a speed readers taking in a few words at a time rather than reading word for word like you’re taught as a child. It’s been proven that you actually take in just as much by taking in a whole sentence as you do when you read word for word. Start by taking in two words then three then four. Let your eyes zoom out like a camera and take in bigger portions of writing.

12.) On days off find the time to read in the morning. This is a no brainer but when you read in the morning you’re more awake and alert than you are in the evening and therefore can read faster.

13.) Find a place in your house that you can be comfortable and read distraction free.

14.) Join swap websites, libraries, invest in an e-reader or get a membership reward card from your local bookshop. A lot of people find books too expensive but these are all great ways to save some money so that you can buy and therefore read more books.

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. How do you make time to read? If you have any tips or suggestions I’ve left out feel free to share them in the comments!

I got quoted in a book!!!

So today I was all set out to do a Random Ramblings post but then received this beaut in the mail...

Only to open it and find this...

Wow. I freakin got quoted in a book guys! And not just any book Angel, the first book in this series, was one of my favourite reads last year it was even, ironically enough, my book of the month for September 2010. So to be quoted in a sequel that I’m so so excited for is just amazing to me. This is the first time that the blogs been quoted in a book. I’ve been quoted on websites and press releases before heck I was even quoted in Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins but that was before my blogging days and so was only noted as an “Amazon Reviewer” so to have my first official quote in a book is amazing to me and probably the most exciting thing to have happened to me in blogging so far.

I’m being completely honest in telling you guys that receiving praise for my reviews is by far my favourite thing about blogging. I get the biggest thrill from it. Sure I’d be lying if I said that receiving ARC copies and getting invited to exciting events wasn’t awesome but nothing for me is more rewarding than getting a comment, email or tweet from somebody whether that be a reader, the author or publishers saying I really enjoyed reading your review. And getting quoted in a book I feel is the biggest complement.

I set up this blog mainly to keep all of my reviews in one place, as mentioned I used to post reviews on Amazon for years before I started Jess Hearts Books and that was with no rewards, no free books, nothing. I just did it because I loved writing about the books I’d read. That hasn’t changed. I’m sitting here typing this buzzing away at what feels like hard work paid off. I’m sure to some people it’s not that big a deal but for me this is the biggest blogging reward by far. I put a lot of time into my reviews my family can vouch for the fact that I can often spend hours working on one review editing and changing words and phrases around I’m very hard on myself in that I try to make my reviews as thoughtful and honest as I possibly can and I take in peoples comments and study bloggers whose reviews I admire to constantly try and better the way I write so this really does feel like I’m reaping the rewards.

This is a bit mushy but I really want to thank you guys, whoever may be reading this but especially those who comment regularly and give me input on my reviews as that always means the most to me. I wouldn’t get the opportunities I get if nobody wanted to read what I wrote and it still actually blows my mind that people care enough about what I have to say to follow and comment on this blog.

As for a brief update I nearly have enough money saved for the laptop I want! Yay! At the moment I only have one day in the week to write posts, and reply to comments etc as I’m borrowing a laptop but I should have a new laptop by the end of October by the latest and that will see the return of In My Mailbox something I’ve really missed doing but just can’t do at the moment as it’s a Sunday meme and I only get to do my posts on either Wednesdays or Thursdays in the week. I’m so excited to share with you my new books again but in the meantime rest assured that it is making a return and I’m still regularly receiving fantastic and exciting new books like todays for example ;-)

This post has gotten really long when I really only wanted to say a quick thank you and share with you guys something that means so much to me so I’m going to finish up. I can’t wait for things to start getting back to normal around here and I can’t wait to get stuck into Angel Fire! Once again big thank yous and if you ever leave a comment on my reviews whether its constructive criticism or simply a great review comment known that it means everything to me and makes all of this *gestures around the blog* worthwhile.