Review for Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Warning 
This is a review for the final book in the Delirium Trilogy and so contains spoilers from the previous books.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver 
Publisher: Hodder
Release: 21st March 2013
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, YA
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review






Goodreads Summary:
"Battling against a society in which love has been declared a disease, Lena now finds herself at the centre of a fierce revolution. But the Wilds are no longer the haven they once were as the government seeks to stamp out the rebels. And Lena's emotions are in turmoil following the dramatic return of someone she thought was lost forever...

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Lena and her best friend Hana, Requiem brings the Delirium trilogy to an exhilarating end and showcases Lauren Oliver at the height of her writing powers - emotionally powerful and utterly enthralling."

Review 
Lauren Oliver manages to break my heart every time with the endings to her books and after the HUGE cliff-hanger at the end of Pandemonium with Alex’s return I was so anxious to read this final instalment to the trilogy and find out who Lena decides to be with and how it all ends.

Requiem is told in a dual narrative between Lena and Hana. The book picks up only a few days having passed since the events in Pandemonium and so things are still unresolved between Lena and Alex who have avoided one another since. I really enjoyed reading from two perspectives and thought that it worked really well for this book. Lena and the invalids are in the Wilds plotting a rebellion and Hana is in Portland soon to be married to the Mayor – a powerful and sadistic man. Surprisingly I actually preferred reading Hana’s chapters the most, I’ve always loved her as a character and it was great to be back in Portland to find out what has happened to the people Lena left behind. Hana’s storyline was also really interesting and intense to read as she discovers the skeletons in her future husbands closet and finds herself in even more danger when it seems as though her procedure might not have left her cured after all.

Like all of the books in the Delirium trilogy Requiem broke my heart. Early on in the book Alex and Lena have the talk they so desperately need and it hurt my heart to find out what had happened to Alex and to see how hardened he had become. Lena spends most of this book caught between both boys and although I’m firmly Team Alex I do love Julian and my heart went out to both of them in this impossible situation.

A lot of Requiem is slow moving and it’s not until the last 70 or so pages that things really kick off with the rebellion and at times I felt like Hana’s chapters were all that kept the pace moving. It’s within the last few chapters that Lena and Hana’s stories finally collide and the girl’s reunion was beautiful and brought a tear to my eye. The ending to this book is left very open and I know a few people who’ve been annoyed by that but enough was resolved to leave me satisfied and I found the way it ended reflected the message of the story about taking a leap of faith, not being able to predict where life will take us, all we have is now.

The final paragraph has Lena talking directly to us the reader and what she said really resounded with me and once again left me in tears. Overall I think that Requiem is a final book that readers are either going to love or hate but I found it in theme with the message at the heart of this series making it a moving and beautiful conclusion.

February Round-Up and Book of the Month!

I can't believe that it's March already! I have a theory that as you get older time flies by quicker! I am looking forward to saying goodbye to the snow and colder weather though, as we move into Spring. My goal for February was to read 8 books, I managed 10 in January and with February being a short month I thought that 8 seemed fair, but I once again read 10 books! I have no idea how but I'm not complaining. I'd love to keep this up so I could reach 100 books read this year - a goal I've always aspired to but never reached but I'm not going to put any pressure on myself because that's when I tend to go into reading slumps. ANYWAY lets take a look at what I've been reading this past month...

February's Book of the Month is Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion 

For those of you who saw my gushing on Goodreads and Twitter this is a no brainer really (hardy har! I'm ALL for the cheesy puns!) I picked this one up because I liked the look of the movie trailer and my friend Ellie was reading and loving it. I didn't expect it to become one of my all time favourite books! I went into it expecting your average zombie novel full of gore, I wasn't expecting this book to move me to tears or to be so freakin' funny, so beautifully written and so thought provoking on what makes us human. If zombie's aren't your usual thing I'd still urge you to give this a try because it's so much more than a zombie novel. LOVED IT!

 
Read in February 
11.) Double Crossed by Ally Carter (4*)
12.) Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter (4.5*)
13.) Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (4*)
14.) Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (5*)
15.) The Valentine's Card by Juliet Ashton (3.5*)
16.) The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead (5*)
17.) Requiem by Lauren Oliver (4*)
18.) Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick (3.5*)
19.) Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (4*)
20.) Dead Romantic by C.J. Skuse (3.5*)

February's Book Awards
Best Plot: Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
Best Writing: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Best Cover: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Best Characters: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Best Ending: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Best Romance: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Most un-put-down-able: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Most Memorable: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Best Moral: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: Warm Bodies, The Indigo Spell, Perfect Scoundrels

Books I’m Looking Forward to Reading/Being Released in March 
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare!!!!!
The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan
Butter by Erin Jade Lange

 How was your month in reading? Did you read any of the books I’ve read? What are you looking forward to reading in March?

Review for The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Warning 
This is a review for the third book in the Bloodlines series and so may contain spoilers from the previous books.

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead 
Publisher: Penguin
Release: 12th February 2013
Genre: YA, Vampires, Witchcraft, Paranormal Romance
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review





Goodreads Summary:
"In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next."

Review 
Reading any book set in the Vampire Academy/Bloodlines world is like coming home. After years of reading and loving these books the characters are so familiar to me that it’s like catching up with old friends and so each new novel brings a lot of excitement because I can’t wait to slip back into this story.

Straight off the bat I want to say that The Indigo Spell is my favourite of the Bloodlines series so far, and it had a very different feel to it than the previous books in the series. This book takes a step back from the vampire world and that whole plot line and instead focuses on witchcraft and magic as Sydney caves in to her magical calling and starts practising alongside Ms Terwilliger. Sydney’s power brings unwanted attention from Ms Terwilliger’s magic hungry sister Veronica who sucks the magic and life out of her victims leaving them in an aged comatose state from which they never awaken. This book is all about Sydney’s character growth, her coming into her magical abilities, and finding Veronica before she finds her.

With Sydney breaking so many alchemist rules in this book she’s also looking to find a way to get from under the alchemists grasp and so is hunting down a guy named Marcus Finch an ex-alchemist who can help Sydney break away from them and shed light on some of the secrets they’ve kept hidden from her. When I first heard about Marcus I was really worried that a love triangle would develop in this book so I was happy to find that there wasn’t one because I really don’t like love triangles and also couldn’t stand the thought of Adrian being in another one. I’m glad that Richelle decided to give the poor guy a break and I just hope that one doesn’t develop in future books.

What made The Indigo Spell stand apart from the other books in the series was Sydrian. Adrian and Sydney have grown so much since their Vampire Academy days and both characters are at their best in this book. There are so many magical moments between them which would just make my heart melt. This is by far the most romantic book of the series and Sydrian fans will not be disappointed!

Overall although the plot is still not up to the standard of Vampire Academy’s the romance certainly is and that’s what made this book my favourite in the Bloodlines series yet. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for one of my favourite book couples in the next instalment!

Letterbox Love (21) Book Bloggers Went a Book Buying!

Letterbox Love is a meme hosted by Lynsey @ Narratively Speaking for UK based book bloggers to showcase the books that they’ve received each week.

So this week I got kidnapped up to Bakewell for bookish shenanigans with Rach and Ellie *waves*, and when book lovers get together we buy books! I had a lovely day visiting Ellie's bookshop, eating some delicious chocolate crackle in the office, talking books and everything else under the sun and painting Bakewell red nerd style! Raiding the charity shops and discount book shops, we know how to roll people! So of course I got a few bookish goodies that I'll share in this post but first let's get on to review books!

 For Review

 
Geek Girl by Holly Smale - This sounds like such a Jess book!
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake - Excited to read this sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood.
The Hit by Melvin Burgess (Proof Copy)- This has such an incredible premise, sounds a little like the movie Limitless.
Between the Lines by Tammara Webber - Loved Easy so I'm excited to read this one.
Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan - I still need to read the first book but I'm glad to have the sequel on hand!

 Pre-Orders

Pivot Point by Kasie West - This sounds incredible! I wish I could see the outcome of my choices. Plus I've heard amazing things about it. One of my most anticipated books of the year!
Sever by Lauren DeStefano - The last book! *Le sob*

 Bargain Books From Bakewell

Graveminder by Melissa Marr - £2 bargain couldn't resist!
The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall - I've wanted to read this one for such a long time so when I saw it in Ellie's shop I snatched this baby right up!
Pear Shaped by Stella Newman - Another £2 clearance bargain, I've heard good things about this and it's a foodie chick-lit - my favourite kind!
I Heart Vegas by Lindsey Kelk - So I haven't actually started this series yet BUT I have the first 3 books so when I noticed this was £2 I figured why not you know? I'll really have to get on to this series soon.

 Bookish Goodies!

Yeah, yeah, I got yet MORE bookmarks, I just can't help myself, I have a problem. I also got this lovely book journal I've had my old one for 5 years now and it's kinda falling apart and I fell in love with this one and it was the last one Ellie had in stock so I bought it with a generous discount from Miss Ellie ;). I also got some Geek Girl swag along with my copy and I've proudly attached the pin to my book bag along with my Nerdfighter pin, Mockingjay pin, and Time Turner Keyring. Coolest. Book Bag. EVER! 

E-Books For Review

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham - Gilmore Girl love! 

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa - EXCITEMENT OVERLOAD! 

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza 

 The Disgrace of Kitty Grey by Mary Hooper 

Towering by Alex Flinn 

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith - This sounds like another Jess book 

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider 

 Parallel by Lauren Miller

 That’s it from me for another week! If any of these books have caught your eye and you’d like to find out more about them simply click on the title and the link will take you to Goodreads for a full synopsis, reviews, and to add them to your wishlists. As always thank you to the lovely publishing folk for the review copies. If you’re looking forward to a certain book in particular and want to request a review feel free to in the comments and I’ll do my best to get around to the book sooner rather than later. And if you decided to do a Letterbox Love, Book Haul, IMM, Showcase Sunday, Mailbox Monday or whatever else featuring the books you got this week leave me a link as I’d love to check out your books too! ^_^ 

 Happy reading till next time!

Stunning Cover Reveals From Gayle Forman, Lauren Kate, L.A. Weatherly and More!

There has been an abundance of stunning cover reveals lately so I wanted to group together a few of my favourites from authors I love to share with you guys in case you haven't seen them yet so we can fangirl together!

  Just One Year by Gayle Forman

My Thoughts: So at first I was kinda disappointed in this cover. I really wanted a mirror image of the last book with Willem wearing the watch in the cafe and although I still personally think that would make for the BEST cover I'm still a fan of this one. It's beautifully simple and understated like Just One Day and I love the reflections in the window like the last book. Just One Day is my favourite book of 2013 so far so needless to say I can't wait for this one!

  

Teardrop by Lauren Kate 

My Thoughts: Lauren Kate really lucks out in her book covers. Her Fallen series are some of my favourite book covers ever so her new novel Teardrop had a lot to live up to and whilst it's really different to the Fallen series it's just as beautiful and is probably my favourite cover reveal of this bundle. I adore the colours used, and the magical looking city in the background, but most of all the water dress. HER DRESS IS MADE OUT OF WATER! So stunning.

 

Angel Fever by L.A. Weatherly 

My Thoughts: Lee's Angel trilogy is my favourite out of the angel series that are out there and I can't wait for this final instalment! Seb joins Alex and Willow on this final cover and he looks very similar to how I imagine him. Like with Teardrop I love the colours used for the background on this one.

 

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 

My Thoughts: Another final book to one of my favourite series! I'm a huge fan of the Mara Dyer covers. I still remember when I saw the cover for the first book and I was all of a flail over it. The way Noah is clutching Mara and with them hitting the bottom of the water now just seems so fitting for the final book and I absolutely love it!

 

Follow Me Down by Tanya Byrne 

My Thoughts: I loved Tanya Byrne's Heart-Shaped Bruise and have been eagerly anticipating her next release. I think the cover works really well with this title as it looks like we're following the character into this dark forest. I love the colour of the Autumn leaves framing the image and think the bright orange gives a pop of colour to a gloomy cover whilst still keeping the dark and spooky theme.

These are the covers that have really stood out to me lately and they are all books that I'm really looking forward to being released. Are you loving any of these beauties? Which one is your favourite? I can't wait for them all to be released so that they can look gorgeous on our bookshelves!