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Book Review: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley – Blog Tour

Sep 11, 2016

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Pages: 352
Publish date: August 30th, 2016
Publisher: Pan Australia
ISBN: 1742612385
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

This is a love story.
It’s the story of Howling Books, where readers write letters to strangers, to lovers, to poets.
It’s the story of Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie. They were best friends once, before Rachel moved to the sea.
Now, she’s back, working at the bookstore, grieving for her brother Cal and looking for the future in the books people love, and the words they leave behind

Words in Deep Blue:

I received an ARC of Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley from Pan Macmillan Australia as part of the blog tour, in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Words in Deep Blue is the first Cath Crowley book that I have read and I have no idea why I waited so long. I loved the writing, the plot and how Crowley can capture everything in a small amount of time.

Words in Deep Blue follows protagonist Rachel Sweetie as she returns home, is faced with her best friend, a secret crush and to a place where everything seemed to be better.

It’s about Henry, who doesn’t know what he wants, thinks that he loves his on and off girlfriend and wants things can go back to what they use to be.

It’s about Howling Books, where letters between lovers, friends and strangers are marked forever in the pages of the books that live on its shelves.

Words in Deep Blue is a heartbreaking novel; it’s full of grief, friendship, love, family and finding yourself when you don’t know what to think anymore. It captured me from the first moment, dropped into a world of beautiful words.

I truly enjoyed Rachel as a protagonist, she is one of those characters that I just got along with straight away. Rachel was full of grief and heartache, that she held in from everyone that made her character that more interesting. The grief that Rachel held punched me, and then kept on punching me. It was such a strong element of who she was but, done beautifully.

Henry, now he wasn’t my biggest fan – he could never make up his mind and kept on going back to the girl that didn’t really love him. However, he had this strong sense of family and the love for Howling Books. I always love it when I find a male character that loves books, and that was Henry. At times his attitude was hard to get around, he had this adoration for Amy – that made his life a whole lot worse.

But, one of the main reasons why I loved Words in Deep Blue was that it just wasn’t Rachel and Henry’s story, but a whole bookshop. A library of letters between lovers, friends, strangers, everyone’s stories intertwined into books that just had pen inscribed throughout.

Most of Words in Deep Blue is told through a normal novel structure. However, scattered throughout, there were these letters that have been left on the pages. It was such an interesting concept. I talked with Crowley about this in an interview I had with her in my #LoveOZYA series.

George’s story was one of my favourites – she is this strong girl, but deep down she’s broken and waiting for someone. My heart broke for her, and all I wanted to do was wrap her up in my arms.

Family played a somewhat big part of Words in Deep Blue, yet I wanted more. Henry and George’s family had some substance, but I felt quite disconnected from Rachel and her mother. I wanted to be hit with grief over and over again. I wanted it from the family interactions, but it fell a little flat for more.

The writing, though, is poignant and beautiful. I was gripped from the first page and swept up in this contemporary world where nothing much is different, but I felt that I was somewhere else. Cath Crowley is able to capture the reader with beautiful words, I loved being immersed in a story.

Overall, Words in Deep Blue is a poignant, beautiful story with fleshed out characters, gorgeous writing and a concept that is for every book lover. It’s about love, friendship, family and grief. You are taken on a journey through up’s and down’s and pulled into pieces.

Have you read Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley? What did you think of it? Are you going to read it? Have you read other Crowley books? Let’s Chat! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the blog tour.

Book Review: Disruption by Jessica Shirvington

Sep 4, 2016

Disruption by Jessica Shirvington

Pages: 400
Publish date: April 1st 2014
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
ISBN: 0732296285
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

What if a microchip could identify your perfect match?
What if it could be used against you and the ones you love?Eight years ago, Mercer Corporation’s M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life. Instead, they have come to control it.Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched helplessly as one of the people she loves most was taken from her, shattering her world as she knew it.

Now, Maggie is ready. And Quentin Mercer – heir to the M-Corp empire – has become key to Maggie’s plan. But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin’s involvement destroy everything she’s fought for?

In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking.

Disruption:

I received a copy of Disruption by Jessica Shirvington from Harper Collins YA Australia in exchange for an honest review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I do not know why I put off reading Disruption for such a long time – I read Between the Lives and loved it and I haven’t heard anything horrible about it, so when I had the chance to review it – I said yes.

Disruption follows protagonist Maggie Stevens in a world where a microchip could identify your perfect match. Where bracelets, that were created to make life easier control not only your life, but the decisions that you make. When Maggie loses something that she holds dear, she wants revenge and the perfect place to start is with the heir to the M-Corp Empire; Quentin Mercer.

I cannot explain how much I loved Disruption, it’s one of those books that always keeps you on your feet. You have no idea what is going to happen next, what the author is going to throw at you. It’s captivating, enthralling and you are wrapped up in the world from the get go.

I adored Maggie as a protagonist, she was fierce and strong, but she is also breakable. On the outside, she has this persona, however, as the book goes on you find out that she needs someone, that this closed off person needs people in her life that want to be there for her. She feels deeply, but hides it all. She has spent two years creating her plan and she doesn’t want anyone to demolish it. At the start there are times that Maggie is unlikable, yet she fits perfectly into the world.

Quentin – I cannot say anything bad about him. He was charming, sweet and hella adorable. There was this force about him that she hit the book in all the right places. It seems like he can be walked all over, but he’s not. Quentin is just as strong and Maggie.

Gus is brilliant and I am not just talking about his mind. He’s like the comic relief, yet so much more. He adds another dimension to Disruption and makes it even more interesting. He isn’t the love interest, but has this bond with Maggie that is bang on. I loved the friendship that these two build over the course of the book.

The romance – it was beautiful and my heart as breaking the whole way through. I was just waiting for the moment for Quentin was going go find out that Maggie was using him, at first. I was like ‘no, no please don’t happen.’ Yes, Maggie was lying and manipulated him most of the book, but they still gave me heaps of feels and all I wanted was for them to be together.

The world that Jessica Shirvington built for Disruption was fascinating and riveting. You would think that it’s like other dystopian worlds – however it’s far from it. The world that she shaped was complex and enthralling. It’s unique and you never know what is around the corner.

One of the main reasons why I loved Disruption as much as I did was that it didn’t have perfect people, even though that was one of the things the world was trying to achieve. From the protagonist, to the families, no one is perfect. It was such a fresh look on what YA dystopian is. There are things that Maggie does that are not right, and it highlights that not one of us will ever be perfect.

Overall, Disruption made me laugh, nearly cry and had me squealing for more. It’s a fantastic book that you will not stop reading from the first page. With enthralling characters, an engrossing world and a plot that keeps you right there in the action, Disruption is a must read for everyone that loves YA and beyond. And just a quick little hint – there is a MAJOR cliff-hanger so make sure you have Corruption by your side.

Have you read Disruption by Jessica Shirvington? Did you love it as much as I did? Have you read any of here other books. Do you know that I have an interview with her, from my #LoveOZYA series? Why not check it and let’s chat!

Book Review: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Aug 23, 2016

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Pages: 373
Publish date: 2015
Publisher: Macmillan’s Children Books
ISBN: 9781509809875
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily’s other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can’t hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

Trial by Fire:

I received a copy of Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini from Macmillan’s Children Books in exchange for an honest review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to pick this book up, just by the synopsis I was hooked. It has everything that I enjoy in novels; fantasy, romance, and witches and while it may not be my favourite novel out there, I can say that I loved it and cannot wait to read more.

Trial by Fire follows protagonist Lily Proctor, whose life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying life so when a high school party comes along she wants to enjoy it with her best friend and long-time crush; but everything doesn’t go to plan. Unexpectedly, Lily is now in a different Salem. A Salem that is full of magic, horrifying creatures and ruled by Lily’s other self in this alternative universe.

I found at first that Lily was a hard protagonist to get along with, I guess it’s her naivety that stood out; it was just the simplest of things that she couldn’t understand. However, as the novel went on Lily grew immensely and I loved her by the end.

I loved the dynamic between Lily and the other characters that she meets along the way. They just have this bond about them, that alone kept me wanting to read on. Rowan, Tristan and Caleb are just brilliant, and when all four are brought together, things are bound to happen. They all have different personalities, but they just all seem to work.

The characterisation of all the main characters was fantastic and each seemed to grow as the novel went on. We would find something about them, that even the character themselves didn’t know. They were so well thought and fleshed out.

I adored the world of Trial by Fire, it was seriously mysterious and awesome. I was intrigued by the get go and I wanted to know more and more as the story went on. The world was so different to other fantasy worlds and I loved it. I also liked the world building of Angelini – she didn’t throw everything at us at once, but she also didn’t leave us hanging. It was a perfect balance.

The dialogue and writing style of Trial by Fire was also epic. Easy to read, flowed perfectly, funny and meaningful at the same time. There were quite a few moments that I had to hold a laugh in so I wouldn’t wake up the whole house.

Now to the romance. Do you know how hard it is to find a fantasy series without a love triangle? – hard, very hard. And when I started the book I thought that was the way it was going to go, but it didn’t and that is a big tick in my books.

Rowan was so swoon worthy, he just demeaned the attention of the reader whenever he was in a scene. In saying that he was also pretty cranky and something that she cracked me up. I love the tension between Rowan and Lily, it was so intense, much like the book. However, I accidentally read the synopsis for the third book…

However, there is one major thing about Trial by Fire that killed me. The cliff-hanger, and no it wasn’t something small, it was big – like catastrophic. And I am trying to hold off reading the second book, until the release day for the third book is closer.

Overall, Trial by Fire is a captivating read that grabbed my attention from the get go. The world building is fantastic, well fleshed out characters that are fascinating, a world that is immersing and dialogue that is spot on. I am so looking forward to reading more.

Trial by Fire was my type of book, but how did you enjoy it? Have you read it? Have you read anything else by Josephine Angelini? Are you looking forward to the final book in this series.