The Iron King by Julie Kagawa - Review

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Recently I've finished reading The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, which is the first book in The Iron Fey series. This book is a fantasy as it contains faeries or fey as they are referenced to in the book. The Iron King was one of the most fantastic magical stories that I've read so far. It contained great adventures and action scenes but also contained a bloom of a romance, which I love!

The Iron King is about a girl named Meghan Chase, who believes she has a normal life but always thought something was off in her life every since her father mysteriously disappeared before her eyes when she was six years old, and she also happens to see strange creatures every now and then from the corner of her eye. This "normal life" begins to fall apart on her sixteen birthday, when she discovers that her brother, Ethan, was replaced by a changeling and taken to Nevernever. With the help from her best friend, Puck, who she finds out to be a powerful summer fey and was sent to Earth by Meghan's true father, Oberon the King of the Summer Fey, to protect her,  she dives into the fey world. Meghan finds out that something terrible is happening in the Nevernever, something that no fairy creature dares to face, and if she wants her brother back, she must stop it.  Along this journey she finds help from her best friend, Puck, a grey cat named Grimalkin and a Winter Fey prince who also wants to kill her, Ash.

At first I was a bit sceptical of this book because I thought the start of the story was cliche and predictable in the sense that Meghan's brother been kidnapped and how she must go on this journey to save him. However once she enters the Nevernever that opinion faded, as the fey world was a world I've never pictured before and the description of the faeries not having wings was a new experience for me. This story had all the creatures that children grew up with stories told about them or watched in the movie "Labyrinth" with David Bowie and had the stereotypical courts and ruling. However, I enjoyed this aspect because you already had this basic background knowledge on the fairy world, but you also got introduced to some new concepts; like the new species of fey which is slowing rising due to the rise in technology, this new species of fey is called The Iron Fey. I also enjoyed the linking to William Shakespeare's story A Midsummer Night's Dream, with the characters Oberon, Titania and Puck. In middle school I had to study A Midsummer Night's Dream, so I already knew the background story with Puck being a trickster, Titania begin a total bitch and Oberon being very arrogant. I thought this linking was very clever and I definitely didn't expect it!

My favourite part of the book was in chapter seventeen, just after Meghan has a nightmare about Ethan. She wakes up screaming that she must go now and save her brother. Ash comes in and grabs her hand and holds it to his chest and shakes some sense into her by saying that she has no plan, she'll only just kill the four of them plus her brother. However after that moment ends Ash still holds her hand, Meghan tries to pull it back gently, but Ash doesn't let go, so she looks up and finds Ash's face inches from her own. Ash then brushes a tear from Meghan's check. This part is my favourite because it was the first moment where I pictured Meghan and Ash falling in love and developing a relationship and since then I've shipped them together so much, swooning at every cute moment they have throughout The Iron King.

If you like fantasy stories filled with action and romance, then you'll enjoy this book. It is beautiful written and an easy to imagine story. I thoroughly look forward to reading the next books in the series. Overall, I give The Iron King by Julie Kagawa 4 out of 5 stars.

★ ★ ★ ★

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - Review

MAY CONTAINS SPOILERS

"Delirium" is a book about love and what if it was a disease? Lena Haloway is at peace with her safe, government-managed society and is counting down to the day she turns 18, which is when she will be cured of deliria. However 95 days before her cure, Lena meets Alex. A confident and mysterious young man, who makes her heart flutter and her skin turn red-hot. As their romance blossoms, Lena begins to question the intentions of the Government and fears her life will become dull if she goes through with the procedure.

In "Delirium", when the citizens of Portland reach 18 they must have the procedure which cures them of their amor deliria nervosa, or love as we call it. Their ability to feel emotions towards anyone will be removed and they are then matched with someone, which they then must go on and live a loveless life. The Government believe that love is a disease and the worst to contract, which is why everyone must have the procedure, to eradicate deliria. They strongly believe that it is better to just exist and not remember what it feels like to feel passion, pain or heartbreak then to live a life where you feel those emotions.

I was recommended "Delirium" by a friend and when I read the blurb and a few reviews I felt hopeful that I would enjoy this book. When I started reading, I found the whole concept of love being a disease hard to wrap my head around, as I believe love is such a beautiful emotion which sparks passion and heartbreak, and to feel love you must also feel pain. However, as I read on I grew to appreciate the different concept on love and it being a disease, because sometimes love does feel like an illness, for example, when your grieving over an ended relationship or death.

My favourite part of "Delirium" was when Alex and Lena were in Alex's roof-less trailer in the Wild and Alex starts reading poetry to Lena, which happens to be the first time she's ever heard poetry. This part made me really appreciate poetry as being a beautiful piece of writing that can bring two people  closer together.

I would recommend "Delirium" to anyone who likes a love story which is also a quick and enjoyable read. Overall, I give this books 3 out of 5 stars.
★ ★ ★

Beautiful Disaster / Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire - Review

 CONTAIN SPOILERS

When I think of Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster only word that comes to mind is "WOW". Oh my, I love these two books. The story is very addictive, intense, dangerous and at the same time relatable. And lets just say "beautiful disaster" is the PERFECT description for Abby and Travis relationship.

Abby and Travis are both crazy for each other, that kind of crazy in love which leads them to do things like scream at each other in a packed campus lunchroom and then at the same time remain each others anchor. By the end of both books, its was clear that they are totally in love with each other.

Beautiful Disaster is written in Abby's point of view. Where Abby Abernathy is a good girl who has a dark past, so when she starts college, the last she expected was to meet someone who reminded her so much of that past. Travis Maddox. 

Walking Disaster is written in Travis's point of view and is the companion novel to Beautiful Disaster. Travis Maddox lives a life full of women, underground gambling and violence. So just when he thinks his invincible, Abby Abernathy walks into his life and knocks him to his knees.

Now these books have had a lot of controversial  reviews, some suggesting that Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster support abusive relationships. However, I disagree. While Travis may participate in underground fighting, he is no way abusive towards women. Whilst he was disrespectful in the sense that he used women just for sex, he was actually quite respectful towards women he had respect for. 

I have so many favourite parts of these books, however my all time favourite which is in both books is the date party for Valentine's Day at a Frat house. Specifically the part where Travis climbs up on a chair and yells "A toast. To douche bags" at which he gestures to Brad who was dancing with Abby, he then goes on and says "And to girls that break your heart" gesturing to Abby, then this next part really made me want to cry, "And to the absolute fucking horror of losing your best friend because you were stupid enough to fall in love with her". Oh man, that part still makes me want to cry!!! 

I was addicted to these books, I loved every second of them and both books were highly entertaining. The characters drove me insane, then I loved them and then I wanted to scream at them. It was just a roller coaster of emotions for me and I enjoyed it greatly! All together I give both of these books 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - Review

 CONTAINS SPOILERS

When I first laid eyes on this book I was going through a contemporary theme book stage. I read the blurb and thought "You know what? This book seems like it will be right up my street". Also,  I have to admit the cover also drew me in, like its super cute, right?!?!

Eleanor & Park is a story about two misfits, who are both smart enough to know that your first love almost never last. The story takes place over one school year in 1986. Eleanor is the new girl in school, she is a "big girl" and has a head full of bright red curls. Park is the only Asian kid in school, who enjoys reading comic books and he doesn't like his friends much. Eleanor and Park both live in the Flats neighbourhood of Omaha, however Park lives with his parents and younger brother in a nicely filled home, where as Eleanor lives in constant fear of her abusive step-father and has to share a tiny bedroom with her younger siblings.

When I first started to read Eleanor & Park I was shocked that I wasn't getting in to it. So by chapter 8, I could not read Eleanor & Park anymore and decided to stop and move on. I think this was because the start of the story was slow moving and felt repetitive. Then for the next few days, all I could think about was how were Eleanor and Park going to evolve and start a relationship? So I gave in and started reading Eleanor & Park again and oh my, that was the best decision I've made!

Eleanor & Park had me hocked from that second onwards. I found how they first started to communicate super cute, then everything from there just got cuter. I loved the way Eleanor and Park's relationship did developed throughout the book. Their relationship felt realistic and I could just relate to the school situation they were in and how they slowly fell in love.

Something that I really enjoyed about Eleanor & Park was the dual perspective. I believe that you got to know Eleanor and Park better as individuals. Also I liked how Rowell showed the contrast of Eleanor's home life compared to Parks home life. This was a part of the story that showed realism, because lets be honest now not everyone lives the life a "perfect home with a white picket fence".

My favourite part was chapter 45, where Park's mum made Park and Eleanor go out and see a movie or get a bite to eat. So they went but decided to go downtown and just hang out together rather then going to the movies or a restaurant. They visited a record store then went to a park and acted like a couple out in the open, which they hadn't been able to do yet. Then they went back to Park's car and ended up going to "second base" ohhahh ;). The whole chapter was just heart-melting and super cute.

If you like Young adult or  teenage romance novels then this is the book for you. Overall, I give Eleanor & Park 4 out of 5 stars.

★ ★ ★ ★