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Book Review: The Last Beginning by Lauren James

Nov 3, 2016

The Last Beginning by Lauren James

Pages: 352
Publish date: October 6th, 2016
Publisher: Walker Books
ISBN: 1406358061
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Sixteen years ago, after a scandal that rocked the world, teenagers Katherine and Matthew vanished without a trace. Now Clove Sutcliffe is determined to find her long lost relatives. But where do you start looking for a couple who seem to have been reincarnated at every key moment in history? Who were Kate and Matt? Why were they born again and again? And who is the mysterious Ella, who keeps appearing at every turn in Clove’s investigation?

For Clove, there is a mystery to solve in the past and a love to find in the future.

The Last Beginning:

I received a review copy of The Last Beginning by Lauren James from Walker Books in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

There will be spoilers from The Next Together

I was intrigued when I read The Next Together and the start of the year. The world was fascinating, and I was allured by the characters, how everything came to be. I loved all the characters from The Next Together so I was excited to meet some new ones in The Last Beginning. With the ending of the first book, I was begging for me and I had no idea what to expect from this one.

The Last Beginning follows Clove Sutcliffe as she learns the life isn’t as simple as she thinks, and when it turns on its head Clove needs to learn to stand on her own two feet. She needs to learn that things you do sometimes have consequences and one little thing can change your own entire life.

Clove was a hard character to ‘get along’ with. She is demanding and a brat at times. I really wanted to like her as much as Katherine and Matthew, but that wasn’t going to happen. I did love how much Clove cared about her family. There were times when she herself though she ‘hated’ them, but the reader is able to tell how much she cares. The relationship between her and her father especially was sweet. Family dynamics are something that I always look for in YA novels and I think I found it here.

One of the main reasons that I loved about The Last Beginning was that Clove was gay. It’s quite rare that you see a gay female protagonist in a young adult book, but it was so enjoyable. I loved seeing Clove’s ups and downs relationship wise and the fact that she rarely second-guessed who she was. What worked well and didn’t take over was the small ‘coming-out’ story. It was nice to see a novel that did include coming out, but that not be what the novel is about.

Ella was mysterious and overall enjoyable. There may be some ethical issues into how things went down, but otherwise, I liked her inclusion into the story. I enjoyed Ella more than I did Clove simply because of how childlike Clove came across at times. If Ella was a protagonist, I am not sure if I would have liked her the same.

I do wish there was more relationship wise from Ella and Clove. I wanted to see more connection. It lacked a bit, one minute they were friends and then the next, they were a couple. There was something missing.

Katherine and Matthew disappeared sixteen years ago and the world is not the same. They have been made heroes, and there are movies about them, books. And Clove is trying to figure out where she fits into all of this.

I enjoyed the plot of The Last Beginning, however, at times I felt that there was a little too much going on and it made me feel scatterbrain. Clove is an integral part of the plot, but so is everyone else. I loved how all the questions we had at the end of The Next Together, were answered. Everything seemed to fit.

The Last Beginning is set out much like the first book. It’s not just one continuous story. There are different forwards interview and extracts from books. There were times where I felt that I needed a ‘normal’ storyline, nevertheless, I loved that it’s different from other books out there.

Overall, I loved reading The Last Beginning. It’s different, intriguing and enjoyable. The protagonist isn’t enjoyable at times, but I saw things as a learning curve for her. The Last Beginning tells a story of family, love and overcoming. It takes you on a journey through time.

Have you read The Last Beginning? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read The Next Together? What did you think of it? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Witch’s Pyre by Josephine Angelini

Oct 17, 2016

Witch’s Pyre by Josephine Angelini

Pages: 384
Publish date: August 25th 2016
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s
ISBN: 1447260880
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Lily Proctor has come a long way from the weak, sickly girl she used to be. She has gained power as a witch and a leader, found her way home, chosen to face battle again, and (after losing her first love and being betrayed by her new love) she has learned more about loss and grief than she ever wanted to know.

Thrust once again into a society different from anything they have ever seen, Lily and her coven are determined to find answers―to find a new path to victory, a way to defeat the monstrous Woven without resorting to nuclear weapons or becoming a tyrannical mass murderer like her alternate self, Lillian. But sometimes winning requires sacrifices . . . and when the only clear path to victory lies at Lillian’s side, what price will Lily be willing to pay?

Witch’s Pyre:

This will have spoilers from the two previous books.

I received a copy of Witch’s Pyre by Josephine Angelini for review from Pan Macmillan in exchange for honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

So far I have really enjoyed this series, Trial by Fire was immersing, Firewalker was intriguing and then Witch’s Pyre took me on a whole new journey. It was intense, jam-packed and kept me on the edge of my toes.

Witch’s Pyre throws us straight back into the world of the book. We are right back into the action and I enjoyed this idea. The reader doesn’t miss anything and that we don’t need to be brought up with what happen.

For most of the book, we are in what feels like a whole new world. And for the most of Witch’s Pyre, our little group is somewhat captured and cannot leave.

The protagonist Lily has come a long way from the begging of the first book, and she grows even more in Witch’s Pyre. I felt that at times she did regress, but by the end, I really enjoy who she became.

The connection between Lily and Lillian is again strained in Witch’s Pyre. However, Lily has gained a greater understand of who Lillian is. They share more than just a name, they share a passion – to do what they think, is right. And although I am not a massive fan of Lillian, she has been written beautifully and like Lily I really enjoyed her character arc. Lillian is strong, ambitious and does not let her illness pull her down.

After the heartbreak between Lily and Rowan in the second book, you probably guess that their relationship is very tense when he comes back. Lily is closed off about what happens and does not want to let him in. Even when she finds out the truth. At times I felt that Lily could be too stubborn and that would take away from the book and the romance. I also was not satisfied at how the relationship was at the ending, it was a little unclear.

The friendship was quite strained through Witch’s Pyre. There is a lot of tension between the group and how things panned out in the previous book. This is one of the things that I enjoyed about this series. Josephine Angelini is able to show that no relationship is smooth sailing and there are ups and downs.

Witch’s Pyre also deals a lot with grief, with Tristan in the previous book and others in this one. It was heartbreaking at times seeing Lily, the group struggle with what has happened. Nevertheless, it felt real.

All Images are from Pinterest

One of my favourite things about this series is the world that Angelini created. It’s one of those books where we see the world slowly exposed to us, piece by piece. Lily’s world which is most likes ours, and then Lillian’s where magic is the norm. Both are well developed, yet there was room for more.

At times there was a lot going on. There was one thing after another, it was like we were running a marathon. I would have liked at times to have a break and slow down, especially with the introduction of the ‘new world’ and characters. It was a lot to take in times.

The Worldwalker trilogy by Josephine Angelini was an enthralling and intriguing journey for both the reader and the characters. With wonderful character development and a riveting world of fantasy and science. This series to easy to fly through and you will be satisfied when you finish.

Have you read the Worldwalker Trilogy? Did you like it? Have you read some of the books in the series? Are you planning reading on starting these books? Let’s Chat.

Book Review: The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

Oct 10, 2016

The Thousandth Floor

Pages: 437
Publish date: August 30th 2016
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0008179972
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Welcome to Manhattan, 2118.

A thousand-storey tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible – if you want it enough.

A hundred years in the future, New York’s elite of the super-tower lie, backstab and betray each other to find their place at the top of the world. Everyone wants something… and everyone has something to lose.

As the privileged inhabitants of the upper floors recklessly navigate the successes and pitfalls of the luxury life, forbidden desires are indulged and carefree lives teeter on the brink of catastrophe. Whilst lower-floor workers are tempted by a world – and unexpected romance – dangling just out of reach. And on the thousandth floor is Avery Fuller, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all – yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.

So when a young woman falls from the top of the supertower, her death is the culmination of a scandal that has ensnared the top-floor elite and bottom-floor. But who plummeted from the roof? And what dark secrets led to her fall?

Friends will be betrayed and enemies forged as promises are broken. When you’re this high up, there’s nowhere to go but down…

The Thousandth Floor:

I received a review copy of The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee from Harper Collins Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I feel like I am in the minority regarding this book. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. The concept of the world was fascinating and intriguing, and the plot pulled me in. However, the characters and points of view weren’t as strong.

The Thousandth Floor follows five protagonists, all from the same world of New York 2118 yet they all want something, and have something to lose. It’s a world where reputation, image and who your friends are means everything. The Thousandth Floor is the elite from Gossip Girl of the future.

When someone falls from the highest floor, we are thrown back to what lead up to it. Through the whole novel we ask how someone was able to floor, who was the person that fell. I liked the use of this concept – the reader already knows that someone is going to die, but we don’t know who. As we get to know the character we become more nervous as the novel goes on.

Although I was a fan of the way The Thousandth Floor was set out, I wasn’t a big fan of the five points of view. I felt that I was getting too many thoughts going on my head, too many stories to keep up with. In saying this, each voice was distinct and even without knowing who the reader is with, we are able to know who it is.

Avery Fuller genetically designed to be perfect, living on the thousandth floor seems to have everything, but she’s not. I really enjoyed Avery as a character, her arc was fantastic and as the novel goes on we see her grow, change and realise that she need to be perfect.

Eris Dood-Radson story is heartbreaking. She doesn’t know what to do, her whole life is flipped on its head and everything is falling to pieces. Eris was an easy character to get along with. At times I wanted to shake her, but most of the time I felt like she needed a hug.

Rylin Meyer is not from the elite, but is swept up into the world of luxury and romance. However, she is brought back to reality and is torn between doing what is right and what people are telling her to do. I truly enjoyed Rylin’s story, it was sweet and again heartbreaking at the same time. She is the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, taken on a magical adventure.

Watt Bakradi is a tech genius and is the holder of many secrets; most not his own. He is the eyes and ears. He knows everything about everyone. Watt was an interesting character, swept up into the world of the elite that is sometimes hard to get out of.

All Images are from Pinterest

Then we have Leda Cole, who has just came back from a rehabilitation centre and is hiding more than one thing. I disliked Leda a lot. I understand that she had some pretty horrible things going on it her life – but at times the way that she acted, just hit me the wrong way.

At times I felt like the story dragged along too much, and we wanted to know who it was that fell. But then everything else happened around it and it kept on getting further away.

Overall, The Thousandth Floor isn’t just about the glitz, glamour and the life about the elite. The reader is taken on a journey of family, friendship, heartbreak and death. We delve into the minds of young adults in 2118 – where not everything has changed.

There is so much more I could talk about, but I am going to leave it there. Have you read The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee? Did you like it? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!