Isla and the Happily Ever After Review

Spoiler free

The last book from the Anna and the French Kiss series is Isla and the Happily Ever After! In this book Stephanie Perkins takes you back to SOAP (school of America in Paris). Although I did love being away from that it is nice that in the last book you are able to revisit the school that Anna went to, after all, Paris is the city of love. You meet a timorous red head also portrayed as quite a sexy character, Isla Martin who is in love with artistic troublemaker, Josh Wasserstein. 

“Stephanie Perkins characters fall in love the way we all want to" 

Rainbow Rowell, bestselling author of ELEANOR AND PARK and FANGIRL.

This book included the comedy side of romance, for starters Isla is high on numbing drugs in the first scene (prior to having her wisdom tooth out), this just makes me love her character because despite being shy, she shouts at Josh when she sees him sitting in her favourite cafe in New York, its extremely cringe worthy but very cute. Josh is quite a timid character as well and he's in the first book as he was Etiennes best friend but unfortunately they were in the year above him so for a year he was left to fend for himself, you only meet Isla a little bit in the first book, and even from that you know shes in love with him.                                                                                                  

Isla's best friend Kurt has autism which makes me love this book even more because I think that not enough people know about it, I certainly didn't and so when I read this book it gave me a much more clearer understanding of it. Josh at first believes that Kurt is actually Isla's boyfriend but soon comes to realise that is not the case. The two characters fall in love quite slowly, its not rushed and on there trips/dates the city of Paris is exploited, all the wonderful places to visit and see are in this book and Anna and the French Kiss. I found that this book was a lot more disastrous than the other two as they are faced with so many problems young lovers come up against. 

This book really captures all the emotions of being in love as a teen, the anger, the passion and the longing to be together every second of the day. Isla really is a great and complex character and Josh is a dreamboat *swoon*. You also meet characters from past books as it tied them all together. It took me a while to decide which book I liked best but I have to say I think it was this one, although a lot people think this was the worst which I don't understand. I liked the fact the book was based in so many places; America, Paris and Barcelona - you constantly got a change of scenery so I was never bored of the book. It makes me sad that this series had to end but for me it was on a high and so for that I will give this a 9/10. It really was a happily ever after. 

Charlotte 

♥

                                                                   

2015's Books to Look Forward To...

Something different for you! A little over a month into 2015 and the wait for some amazing books is decreasing. Here are 12 books out this year to look out for. Due to there being 'so many books, so little time', I constantly find myself reading books that are a few years old. This, of course, is no issue however it just adds books to my list. Though some books and some authors just cannot wait. Most of the following books have been added to my TBR list, and the lucky ones I will buy as soon as they're out (the really lucky ones are pre-ordered <3 ).

January 6th 

All the Bright Places - Jennifer Niven

This book is one that Charlotte has got her hands on and a review will be out shortly. It's another heart-throbbing love story (and will soon be a movie) that has caught my attention. As I am usually drawn towards Fantasy or Science Fiction books, a romance novel that catches my attention with a blurb, rather than thousands of bloggers talking about it (TFIOS), is impressive. I think this book seems unique to me because I love heroes and villains, people saving each other from a certain evil. Therefore, when a romance book can interpret these situations in such a unique way is special. For Theodore, the villain is himself, he intends to die. And his hero, Violet intends to have a fulfilling life. They save each other, but in a different way than the sacrificial alien books I am used to...


February 10th 
Red Queen (Red Queen #1) - Victoria Aveyard
This book is right up my street. A dystopian world in a fantasy novel? Hell yeah.  Does this book sound like it has a feisty, unique individual as our protagonist? Oh yes. Am I going to buy this book ASAP? Yeah gurrl! This book reminds me of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Probably nothing like it, but with a young heroine, Mare, who has prohibited magical powers in a deprived world ticks all boxes for me and I will own this book. I WILL.

March 10th

Confess - Colleen Hoover
Contempory novels are always welcome as having so many new series coming out and still reading many ongoing series can be quite a handful. Therefore, each year we rely on Colleen Hoover to supply a lovely romance novel that we can finish in one sitting. This book by her stands out to me a little more than her others as it is about two people who have a passion and interest in art falling in love. Being interested in art myself, it just makes me like the book more and becomes more promising for me. Nevertheless, without that, I have no doubt that it would still be an awesome read.





April 21st
Things We Know by Heart - Jessi Kirby
This is another emotional book like TFIOS. When Quinn's boyfriend, Trent, passes away in their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs. However, the person who received her boyfriend's heart never responded. Quinn believed that finding Trent's heart will mend hers. Eventually, Quinn discovered 19 year old Colten Thomas, now owner of Trent's heart. And Quinn feels alive again, consequently falling for him. I feel that this is a book that will be an emotional journey, and book like that always make me feel wary. Nevertheless, the storyline is unique and those who like the heart-throbbing romance should seriously consider this book as I'd imagine it being right up their street.

April 28th 

The Girl at Midnight (The Girls at Midnight #1) - Melissa Grey
"For readers of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is a story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war."- Goodreads
This book is another YA Fantasy that appeals to me greatly. A new species has been created for us all to discover: Avicen. An ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. This enchanting book seems like a wonderful new instalment to yet another series I need to read!




May 5th
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) - Sarah J. Maas
I am excited to experience more of the great Sarah J. Maas' imagination as the Throne of Glass series is phenomenal and I have high hopes for this series too. Maas writes worlds that are my favourite, full of fantasy, action and romance and I have no doubt that this book will offer these as well. Although, I hope it's not too similar to the ToG series!

June 9th 

The Stars Never Rise (Untitled Series #1) - Rachel Vincent
This is another new series I will have to be starting because it sounds so awesome. Yet another YA fantasy book including demons and is apart of a series that will be taking money from me. And I can't wait. This book also hints horror, which I love and, from reading the description, the possible love interest of our protagonist, Nina, has green eyes <3. Can June be now please?






June 16th 
Scorched (Frigid #2) - Jennifer L. Armentrout
I hate myself everyday for still not owning Frigid, a book by my favourite author. But I will have it before June. And I will have read it. And then I will pre-order Scorched, the sequel to the series I already know will be flipping fantastic; it's written by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I know that I am mature for my age, so the age group for JLA's books is older than me but I don't mind, I enjoy her books nonetheless and understand them just the same. Everything she writes: adult romance or YA sic-fi I love it and it makes me laugh and cry. Read a book by her, you won't regret it <3

August 18th

The Creeping - Alexandra Sirowy
I love thriller and horror when it comes to movies: they're my favourite genres. Therefore, I want to read more books of this genre. As you can tell from the title, this book is of those genres. Twelve year olds Stella and Jeanie vanish one day. Fortunately Stella returned moments later, however with no memory. And as for Jeanie, well she was never seen again. The story is told when protagonist Stella, now 17, and over the traumatic experience is starting to look back on it positively. She was a surviver in the mysterious crime. I believe that mysterious books like this are best diving in to with as little information as possible, but I'll leave you with this: "..before the summer ends, Stella will learn the hard way that if you hunt for monsters, you will find them." Seems like a lovely summer read! :)


September 1st
Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) - Sarah J. Maas
January we found that the fourth instalment of the Throne of Glass series is called Queen of Shadows. I had mixed feelings when reading Heir of Fire. I didn't find it as incredible as everyone else did unfortunately. Until the end. OMG it was amazing and I can't stop thinking about how everything is going to turn out. What will Celaena do? Who will she choose (*cough* Chaol <3)? If she even chooses anyone? I cannot wait for this series! If you have not read this series and you love complete fantasy, action, bad-assery and super sassy beautiful heroines, gore and sexy sexy guys READ THE THRONE OF GLASS book. Even if fantasy may not be your preferred genre, reading these books I assure you that it will be. And then you can join me rocking in the corner, counting down the days until its September 1st!

October 6th 

Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
I love Rainbow Rowell. Everyone does. She always supplies us with books filled with adorable characters and relationships and stories. However, October she will bring us a book a little different than her usual YA romance. Kind of. Those who have read Fangirl, know that there were 'features' of a spin off of Harry Potter called Simon Snow. Rowell has now written an entire book practically of fan fiction between the all so lovable Simon + Baz... let that settle in. A bloody marvellous 384 pages of ghosts, vampires, magicians and cuteness.



November 10th 
Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) - Marissa Meyer
This series is one that I own but have not read yet. I might marathon the first three just before Winter comes out? I might not be able to wait that long as the premise of each book being based on a different traditional fairytale (Winter about Snow White) with a twist sounds so tempting I just wanna read now. This book is a hefty 800 pages (info from Goodreads) and in my opinion, the bigger the better. Look out for this series (first book called Cinder) and give it a read, because no one seems to be disappointed. I will be writing a review on Cinder when I get round to reading it.





That concludes of some of the books to look out for this year, of course there are so many more! Some that haven't even been officially announced yet. You can contact us via email readdithc@gmail.com or by Instagram @bibliotopia for more discussion or information! Or just to tell us about some books you're looking forward to reading! :)

Hannah

 ♥

All dates were found from Goodreads and were the dates from 17/02/15. Some may change throughout the year.

Lola and the Boy Next Door Review

Spoiler free

So here is the second installment of the Stephanie Perkins series! I have to say I was most excited to read this book as I had read a few reviews which claimed this was the best one, with the best boy. I was a huge fan of the Anna and the French Kiss book, but I also have to make a slight confession as I actually read Isla and the Happily Ever After first! So I already knew a bit about the characters.

"Magical...really captures the feeling of being in love." 
Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments series. 

For me this book was a bit more outrageous than the first as Lola was very fashion-forward and an outgoing character, she didn't really seem to care about what people thought because to her the outfits were a way of expressing herself.  I liked this book because it was a lot more relatable as she was living in San Francisco and for many of us going to an American opulent school in Paris just isn't attainable. I liked that Perkins had made sure her family wasn't just ordinary, Lola had two dads - very unique to other books. 
The other characters apart from the protagonist were a little more... normal. However I did find it strange that she names a boy "Cricket" bit weird but that's what I love about this book. Her boyfriend Max was very much a bad boy heart throb but obviously this would mean her parents don't approve. Throughout the book Lola is given situations in which she has to chose and her choice could effect the future. It makes my tummy flutter when I read a Stephanie Perkins book, I don't know why but I think she just seems to write everything i want. Max for my tattooed rocker boy with an "I don't care attitude" and Cricket for the adorable dork. At times I would read this book and just marvel at the way these characters loved, it was quite emotional. I also liked that she didn't just go for a classic love story, it had things that made it a bit different so it stood out against most. 

Recently I have been in quite a big reading slump so it took me a while to finish this book, but with Anna and the French Kisses it only took my two days to read. I don't why but recently I really cant concentrate on a book and I keep switching from book to book trying to focus but it just isn't happening. I loved the book a lot but it was quite predictable,although I think that it was an easy read with wonderful characters. Based on this I have decided to give the book a rating of 7.5/10. 



                                                                       

Charlotte 

♥

                                                                   

Die For Me Review

Spoiler Free

Die For Me is the first book I had read by Amy Plum and it did not leave much of an impression on me if I am quite honest. I wanted to write a review for this book as I don't want every review on this blog to be a positive one; what would be the point in that? So for variety I chose this book to review. I didn't hate it, the book is apart of a trilogy (Revenants series) and I read them all in a period of about a week or two. Therefore expressing that obviously, at the time, I did partially enjoy the books enough to finish each one and pick up the next. However looking back at the series, I do not remember the protagonist's name. I remember little of the plot point and I do not feel the want to reread any of the books. I will only be reviewing the first book: Die For Me. This is to avoid spoilers, however I can always review the others (Until I Die & If I Should Die) another time. Or open discussion is available - you can contact us by email at readdithc@gmail.com or our Instagram @biblio_topia .

Doing my research, the premise of the book is coming back to me - Kate Mercier wants a new life after she becomes an orphan due to her parents dying in a tragic car accident. So her and her sister, Georgia, move to Paris to live with their grandparents. Kate has a passion for reading and art so her pain is weakening when she loses herself in the Parisian culture, distracting her from her recent torment. Then she meets Vincent. Vincent is the light at the end of her tunnel. The happiness in her depressing world. Soon, Kate begins to fall in love with this charming, sexy, cultural, and of course handsome young man, only to discover that he isn't quite normal. Vincent is a Revenant, an immortal guardian who is destined to sacrifice himself repetitively to save other peoples lives. Kate learns all about Vincent's life and his past, as well as his enemy: the evil revenants. 

I think the reason why I found this book a little disappointing was because it had so much potential to be a great book. The story could have been interesting and intense however I found that when issues occurred in the book, it was always sugar-coated. Which I think ruined the intensity the majority of the time.  There were occasional fight scenes but the characters would whip out old fashioned swords which became almost comical instead of the bad ass action. But if you find fencing sexy... You'll love this. 

I also didn't particularly feel much towards the two main characters. Our heroine, Kate, is an intelligent individual who has similar interests as myself; art and reading. However I did not find myself relating to Kate. And she was a bit annoying at times as she had the all so predictable and stereotypical "what could Vincent possibly see in me?" attitude. I don't want my protagonist to be vain and overconfident but this went on for a while and I just wanted her to shut up and kiss him already! Vincent also left little impression on me. It was instantly clear that he was the mysterious knight in shining armour our heroine was to fall for, but he wasn't anyone special for me to swoon over. I'm sure I cracked a smile or two at his charming charismatic personality and their romance but there will be no fighting between Kate and I over him. The character that I particularly liked was Jules, Vincent's best friend and also a Revenant. Although his relation to other characters and his personality were a little predictable, whenever his name popped up on the page, I liked the book little more. 

The aspect of the book that I did really like was the setting. I adore everything about France, and I think having the book set there instead of America like so many of these paranormal teen fiction books are was a good change. Kate may have isolated herself and lost all contact from her old friends from America, but she goes out a lot and we get to walk around Paris with her thanks to Plum's descriptive writing. 

Overall I would rate this book 5/10. I read the series in a short period of time. This could possibly be because the writing was good, not that it has made be immediately buy all of Amy Plum's books but enough to enjoy a book with flowing writing and dialogue. But it was mainly because there was not a lot to read. Not a lot happened in these books, I believe I read them all and so quickly because I was waiting for something amazing to happen. But, alas, I was not rewarded when the books ended. The ending, well the entire plot was predictable and the books lacked the element of surprise. However, I think the issue was the story and characters and not Plum's writing. So I will be buying another book by Plum, one that I have had my eye on for awhile now in (After The End), and hope that it does not include limp, laughable fighting scenes, calm, soppy romance and an unexciting storyline. If you want an effortless read where you don't want to feel heavy emotion maybe choose this book, and you may not be disappointed. All these books do for me now is that they add beautiful colour and spiral filled spines for me to look at on my bookshelf.

Hannah

 ♥

Anna and the French Kiss Review

I recently read Anna and the French kiss by Stephanie Perkins. It’s part of a series which also included “Lola and the Boy Next Door” and “Isla and the Happily Ever After”. However these books don’t necessarily follow each other as for each you’re introduced to a new character although some of the characters from other books do feature in them, because of this I have decided I want to review on each one separately as they have their own story. The book is 400 pages long and it took me 2 days to read it, let’s just say I was engrossed in it…

“Very sly.  Very funny. Very Romantic. You should date this book.” Maureen Johnson

In the beginning of the book Anna was a new girl to the SOAP (transferred from America, Georgia to Paris by her rich arrogant father)but she soon settled in and became quite quickly a member of a friendship group which consisted of:  Meredith, Etienne, Josh and Rashmi. The main antagonist of the novel is Amanda who is constantly making fun of Anna because of her close relationship with Etienne. Anna is extremely likable but also venerable, for me this character was perfect for this type of love story as Anna is quite feisty and will speak her mind but she also gets hurt easily and tries to hide it. Etienne is a mysterious character as he can never make up his mind fully, whether he wants Anna or his current girlfriend, this causes lots of different problems and in a way he plays with Anna’s heart strings making him a bit of a heart breaker.  I must confess if I was Anna I would be completely smitten with Etienne, his personality is simply captivating. Anna has complications of her own at home as well with having to leave her best friend, Bridgette, and her almost boyfriend, Toph.  She has to start a whole new life there and learn a bit of French to get by.

I think the book is worth the investment as I thoroughly enjoyed it, I really like the way Perkins writes and the way she helps you to connect with the character. Her writing flows really nicely and its quite a simple easy read as I don’t need to go back and make sure I understand it like I sometimes have to do with other books. However she doesn't describe things a lot which can get quite boring but other than that I love her writing style.

Overall I would rate this book an 8/10 as I loved the characters and the way it was written but it is no match to Audrey Niffenegger’s Time Travellers Wife romance.

Charlotte 

♥

Illusions Of Fate Review

Spoiler Free 

“Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.”

I started the New Year with a new to me author last month. I had heard great things about the book Illusions Of Fate by Kiersten White and was also the first eBook I've read on the IPad I received for Christmas. 

The book is about a foreign student, Jessamin trying to pursuit a good education in a new country that has a bad reputation and very different views from her countrymen from the island of Melei. Jessamin is coping, she is staying in a servants room in the inn owned by others from Melei, and is studying hard and keeping up well in class. However it’s not until she meets Finn, a gorgeous, unfathomable young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a nation filled with money, luxuries, parties and magic, when everything begins to transform and change. Jessamin is introduced into a new enchanting world living within her own mundane life; filled with magic, friendship, happiness, love and pain.

I may be biased with this book, as it is set in my favourite time period: the Victorian era (19thcentury). Therefore I immediately fell in love with the setting, the architecture, the clothing. But I find it even more impressive to have such a powerful, brave heroine in this time period. Jessamin goes through a lot in this book and she never fails to be the stubborn and feisty female protagonist that never grows old, whilst also being the polite and elegant young lady. 

The books is set in a fictional city called Albion, however I believe it has many comparatives to England in that Victorian/ Edwardian era. The book is filled with charming characters and pleasant dialogue. If you are hoping for an action packed adventure and tense fighting and heated love scenes, this isn't the book for you to read. Where there is a love story, it is very steady and romantic but is quite...composed. Instead of the intense kissing you get to really appreciate the character’s relationship develop through the dialogue in this book, which is something quite rare. 

There is one particular scene in this book which is quite gruesome, it is in the earlier stages on the book, and it isn't detailed too much, but those with a good imagination, can picture the scene and violence. 

I did love this book. Even if the story was a little slow for some, the language and writing style from Kiersten White is spectacular and I will be buying myself more books from her in the future- that says enough doesn't it? I zoomed through this book and I got addicted instantly because of the writing. And then when the story started to progress I couldn't put it down. I would be happy if this book was to become a series or if a prequel novel based on a certain character was to come out, although I think the book on its own works well and creates a happy, pleasant read. 

I rate this book 7/10, and recommend it to those who want a steady, easy, enjoyable read.

        Hannah

         ♥