Hey guys! Sorry for being absent again but I've
just started college and I want to make a good first impression there so I've
been focusing on my work for that. BUT Faith (http://bookishrandomz.blogspot.co.uk/) and I have
created this amazing tag which I'm uber excited for. So...This is my attempt at
our Moulin Rouge book tag!
Moulin Rouge, if you do not know, is one of the
best films I have ever watched. With incredibly innovative direction by Baz
Luhrmann, captivating costumes and set, beautiful singing by the must-be Angel
Ewan McGregor it's simply a fun and emotional film to watch and I totally
recommend it to anyone and everyone; even if you don't like musicals, you'll
never watch another film like it.
So, without further ado...Our Moulin Rouge book
tag!
***
In the City of Lights, two
star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and
again for eternity.
When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car
accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her
grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping
into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.
Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly
handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with
just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that
he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself
over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are
bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only
to murder and betray. Kate soon realises that if she follows her
heart, she may never be safe again.
Goodreads Synopses -
For this question I have chosen
Die for Me by Amy Plum. I read this book over two years ago when reading was
just becoming my passion and I dreamed of having a bookshelf compact with
stunning books. For me, this is a perfect example of 'don't judge a book by
it's cover' as I was not a fan of this series. I thought it was incredibly
cliche and the characters weren't developed enough to feel real and therefore
for the readers to empathise with them. I've actually done a full review on
this book, which you can read here.
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world,
society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a
particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless
(the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an
appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to
which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is
between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have
both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that
follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow
initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo
extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some
with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must
determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a
sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's
chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because
she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing
conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also
learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might
destroy her.
Goodreads Synopses -
I have so many mixed emotions for this book. I
guess what I can first say about it is that it's okay. But looking
back at the series and my opinion on it, I just feel so underwhelmed and
negative about it. Unfortunately I think the film adaptation has a big impact
on this but I also think I'm over the whole 'empowering but
flawed heroine saving the world in
a dystopian universe with a controlling government'.
The Hunger Games took the medal from me for that and there's no room for second
or thirds. I do think this book is a great example of overblown franchises and
phases us readers go through, but also on how I've developed as a reader and
person. For me it's a definite step out of the ordinary tween apocalyptic
dystopian books and into the more sophisticated and complex books to ponder on
and influence me.
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a
lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar.
So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja
and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their
all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that
Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there
are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he
gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...
Goodreads Synopses -
You may know I have serious love
for this book for so many reasons but also no reasons at all. I know that
doesn't make any sense but I can't explain how much I like this book with
justification but I just do. Occasionally you're going to discover
a book that you can just relate to in every single way; with every character
and every scenario presented and I can with this book. It made me laugh
and it made me cry and that’s how you know a book has you. The reason why I
thought I ‘couldn’t love’ this book was because I read The Fault In Our Stars
because everyone on the planet was telling me to read it. I liked it, thought
it was good but it wasn’t exactly a revelation of a book that I hold close to
my heart. I then read Looking for Alaska, again because I was told to. I
thought it was so boring and just wasn’t for me. So when I picked up Paper
Towns to read it in preparation for the movie, I wasn’t expecting to actual
like it at all. I have a full book review of this book which I’m really proud
of so if you would like to read my opinion on this book in complete detail
click here.
Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning
Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms
Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and
lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.
The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris -
but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And
with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?
When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim
have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee -
even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no
Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever
returned...
Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the
terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of
the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!
Goodreads Synopses -
NEED I SAY MORE!? The finale in
one of my favourite series of all time unsurprisingly made me an emotional
wreck. It was ended so perfectly I was SO happy. However at the mention of
every character’s name I got all weepy and protective because…well you know how
these authors are with our hearts. Brutal. There’s so much cuteness in this
book and love and sacrifice and friendship and more love and it’s just soooo
gooooood. Though I could have picked any Cassandra Clare book for this because
she can so effortlessly create stunning characters that you inevitably become
attached to and there’s no escaping it.
If you haven’t read a Cassandra
Clare book before get to it fast. Personally I would read them in the order of
publication as there’s a lot of books in different series and they overlap it’s
amazing so go do some research there!
Full series review click here.
Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering
heartbreak―but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to
confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change
her life―and her future―forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are
gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the
strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is
about to be unleashed?
Goodreads Synopses -
As it says, I didn’t completely agree with some of
the things that happens in this book, and I found some of the character’s
perspectives to be a bit boring at times. Personally I found it to be a drop in
the series for me. For the first time I found Celaena to be unreasonably
frustrating and it took me SO long to finish this book. Partly because of the
heftiness of it, but also because I often struggled to find the will to pick it
up. But I have no complaints about Sarah J. Maas’ writing ability so I
continued on, marvelling at the descriptions and came to thrill at the last 100
pages or so. They completely made up for the rest of the book for me and
consequently has me continuing the series. Sometimes you just have to persevere
with the book and not get put off my things you aren’t totally satisfied with…
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political
boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship
turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from
National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.
Goodreads Synopses -
Firstly, aw Ewan in
the picture above. Secondly, hell yeah with that book synopses. This book is so
unique and though it’s not my favourite book or anything, it’s a book that I
will never forget. I still think about it regularly and it’s been over two
years since I read it last. Therefore I am always trying to get people to read
it because no matter your gender or genre preferences, you will have awe in
this book and its awesomeness and the way it will make you feel all hollow,
you’ll never experience anything like it. Really you won’t, and if you have
please tell me. I have been looking for a book like it since and have yet to
find one. That’s how you know a read was special.
Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire,
has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped.
Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13
really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.
It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the
arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has
long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out
of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems,
has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.
The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's
willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to
change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her
feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no
matter what the personal cost.
Goodreads Synopses -
I hope I don’t get
loads of hate for this, but I’ve chosen this book as one I was disappointed in.
I just wasn’t satisfied with the ending of this book and the series all
together. Especially following the footsteps of Catching Fire which everyone
adored, this book definitely had a less interesting story line and produced less impact on the reader; which is necessary for a finale book in order for it to
stay remembered and not ruin the series. I wouldn’t say Mockingjay ruined The
Hunger Games series, but it wasn’t up to the same standard as the other two
books and was in general less entertaining.
Princess Winter is admired by
the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her
face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her
stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana
won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace
guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's
been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg
mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a
revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.
Goodreads Synopses -
I nearly went for
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare for this but then remembered my adoration for
this series so I went with Winter by Marissa Meyer. I absolutely LOVE fairy tales and I’m an enormous Disney fanatic, so this series is right up my
street. Winter was the only book in the series I had to wait for, so I
marathoned the other books in the series in preparation for it. And oh my I was
glad I hadn’t read all the books when they were first published as the few
months I had to wait for Winter was agonising but completely worth it because it
was 832 pages of magical perfection. I had so much love but also so much hatred as Levana is one of the most evil villains I have come across. Princess Winter and Jacin were my
favourite characters and story line, but I adored all the others as well and it’s
another series finale that ended brilliantly and I miss deeply. I really want
to reread this series, though I don’t know when I’ll find the time!
This series is so unique, even though it's a retelling. I'm so invested in fairy tale retellings as I think it's so fascinating for authors to reinterpret a classic story. This series is far from tradition; set in a futuristic world with a cyborg as the protagonis. However, it's still close to the original stories but better in so many ways with more developed and lovable characters and obviously more appropriate for older audiences!
Harry Potter's life is
miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives,
who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune
changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's
a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to
his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
After a lifetime of bottling up his magical
powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding
community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever
survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a
brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill
Harry.
Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best
of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object
hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to
prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into
contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.
Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative
situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series
assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many
high-stakes adventures to come.
Goodreads Synopses -
Another answer I may
get hate for, but I’m currently reading Harry Potter for the first time. I wasn’t
into reading when I was the right age to read Harry Potter (I’d say 10 would
have been a better age), so I’m giving it a go now. I love the films so much so
I’m already so invested and attached to the characters but I want to read the
books to become even more involved and so I could officially join the fandom.
However I am struggling a bit with finding the motivation with reading them as
obviously I’m a little too old for them now so they’re not written as
sophisticated or challenging enough for me…But I’ll finish them eventually.
I
have a curse
I have a gift
I am a monster
I'm more than human
My touch is lethal
My touch is power
I am their weapon
I will fight back
Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The
Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is
fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world
is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl.
Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly
anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only
way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are
dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has
changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a
poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be
a warrior.
Goodreads Synopses -
Maybe
one of the easiest questions, but for this I have chosen Kenji from the Shatter
Me series! I thought Kenji was such a great character that cleverly contrasted
the darkness and chaos of the book’s content. His friendship with protagonist
Juliette was desirable and some of the things he said really made me laugh out
loud. He’s a perfect example of a loveable character to everyone as his
character really grew through the series, causing the reader’s to see him more
vulnerable and fall in love with him even more.
This
trilogy is one that I truly recommend, it has a unique writing style by Tahereh
Mafi, with excellent character development and an exciting story with unforgettable
romance.
***
So that is it of my edition of Faith and I's Moulin Rouge Book tag! Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading all the way through. Make sure to check out Faith's rendition, her blog is Bookish Randomz, it's linked at the beginning and is also linked on my side bar! I will be tagging people on Instagram to do this as I don't think many people religiously read my blog.
I encourage anyone to do this tag so please do and tell me if you do as I'd love to read it! I'll try (again) to post more regularly and get into a routine of balancing my school work and reading/blogging work!
You can find my details below.
View and add my Goodreads HERE
Instagram is @abibliotopia
Hannah
