Title: Ashes, Ashes
Author: Jo Treggiari
Pages: 341
Rating: 3

THE WORLD HAS ENDED . . . WHAT COMES NEXT?

A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts- for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

Another dystopian book to add to the ever-expanding collection, Ashes, Ashes, is a book about a girl trying to survive at the end of the world. It's no Hunger Games or Divergent but it's an easy, quick summer read.

The narration is very straight-forward and follows Lucy, a fairly strong heroine who has made it through so far. She has spent a long time alone but when she meets Aiden she realises that perhaps it was time she joined some form of society again and interact with other survivors. Along the way she encounters other dangers - for instance the Sweepers - who are interested in kidnapping survivors for experiments, and they are particularly interested in using Lucy as a human guinea pig.

What's good about this book is that it's set during the horrors of the end of the world as we know it - it's not set 200/300 years in the future amongst a strangely, new society. Lucy is living in a new world but she remembers the old one before plague and extreme bad weather changed everything. This twist in this dysoptian book sets it apart from others of the genre that I have read and makes you wonder what it would be like if this really did happen...

What I didn't really like in the book was the relationship between Aiden and Lucy. It was something of nothing really. I didn't feel as though there was enough realistic interaction between them to represent a strong romantic subplot. Although I imagined Aiden to be pretty hot in my mind, there wasn't anything particularly interesting about him to make him stand out. I didn't really feel much affection for the other characters either - Del was just stroppy and horrible while Grammalie Rose was apparentely this wise, old, tough woman that you were supposed to consider a Grandmother, but I was a bit bored with her parts to be honest... Not meaning to be harsh but I just didn't think the other characters were strong enough to take seriously.

Overall I would have to say that Ashes, Ashes is an average read. I've read it once, enjoyed parts of it and the overall idea of the story but I am not sure if I'll read it again. It's unlikely to be found on a list of YAs to be made into a movie - it better not be anyway!

Teaser Tuesday: 26th July 2011

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I am such a busy old fool that I completely forgot to post a Teaser last week! Please forgive me loyal followers! I haven't forgotten this week though and this week's teaser comes from Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari. This YA book is another dystopian - end of the world type book. I am going to post a review of it later this week so feel free to come back and visit if the teaser interests you enough to find out more info! :)




He was only a few inches from her now. The long muscles in his arm flexed. A vein pulsed in the column of his neck. She could smell him. Sweat and lemons. He looked like he was going to hit her.
- page 175

Matched

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Clondie
Pages: 366
Rating: 3

On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia meets her Match. Society dictates he is her perfect partner for life.

Except he's not.

In Cassia's society, Officials decide who people love. How many children they have. Where they work. When they die.

But, as Cassia finds herself falling in love with another boy, she is determined to make some choices of her own.

And that's when her whole world begins to unravel . . .

There has been a lot of hype surrounding this novel and so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and give it a shot. My honest opinion is that it's alright but it's not the best dystopia I've ever read. It's kind of a weird world that the author has created - Society dictates who you marry and what job you do for the rest of your life. There is total control. Your life isn't yours to own. The concept itself is very well-thought out and clever but on the whole I wasn't overly excited by the plot.

As a major fan of a hot guy and a romantic plotline, I wasn't overly hooked on this one. I actually felt sorry for the guy that society told her to be with to be honest. I didn't feel any real connection between the protagonist, Cassia, and her love interest Ky - this relationship was supposed to be real and based on their own instincts and judgements rather than that of the society but at times I felt that it was rather forced. I did however like the way Ky would teach her how to write - I was literally flabberghasted at the thought of not being able to write! They only ever type or something and this kind of futuristic image could become true with the way our society is fast-becoming reliant upon technology. It's details in the book like this that give your brain a good workout.

The pacing of the novel itself is quite slow and so if you are a fan of a fast-moving and eventful plot then this one will disappoint. I don't think it gets really juicy until towards the end - which I won't spoil!

I do have some real praise for one moment in the book though which involved the organisation of dying. It was shocking and horrifying to read that you can't control how you live your life AND you can't choose when to die either. This part of the book was the most emotional and chilling I think. Your death is organised for you whether your frail and old or not. It sounds utterly ridiculous but the description within the novel is superb and surreal. I definitely would say that this concept is the highlight of the book and the part that most moved me.

Overall, if you like romantic based dystopian novels than this one is for you. If you're like me and love a bit more of an action-packed, speedy plotline that only includes a romantic subplot than this is a book that you should probably skip. I'm on the fence about this one really and so I have given it a 3. Not amazing but not terrible either!

Harry Potter Special - TOP 10 CHAPTERS

Today's tribute to Harry Potter is a list of my favourite chapters. There are 7 books in total and a hell of a lot happens so it's been really really difficult to narrow this down to just 10 but I've done it... Just about! So here it goes, going backwards from 10...


10. The Servant of Lord Voldemort - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

It's not a terribly long chapter but I love this stage of the Harry Potter series as I think that it is a pivotal point in the entire story. The revelation that Peter Pettigrew is alive and is partly responsible for the deaths of Lily and James Potter is the start of a darker storyline that involves the return of Voldemort and the deaths of many more characters to come. If Pettigrew had never been discovered and remained as Ron's boring, old rat Scabbers then things might not have escalated the way that they did. I love this chapter for being the start of a terrific and enthralling storyline that continues for another 4 books.



9. Christmas on the Closed Ward - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I chose this chapter because I found it to be a rollercoaster of so many different emotions - it made me laugh when we got to read about Gilderoy Lockhart, the old DatDA teacher during Harry's second year:

"Their ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher pushed open the door and moved toward them, wearing a long lilac dressing gown. “Well, hello there!” he said. “I expect you’d like my autograph, would you?”

Eventhough he's lost his memory his personality is still there! This part definitely had me grinning! But then there's the more heart-felt part of the chapter - we meet Neville's parents. It's very beautifully written by Rowling and I absolutely adore the Longbottom family. It's a real shame they didn't include this in the movie. I was quite annoyed about that!

“What’s this?” said Mrs. Longbottom sharply. “Haven’t you told your friends about your parents, Neville?”


8. The Secret Riddle - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I found this chapter to be very fascinating - I have always wondered what Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort was like as a child and this gave me a lot of insight. He seemed to be very commanding and powerful even as a boy and the way that Rowling has written the child version really exceeded my expectations. He really creeped me out!

“I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to.”

7. The Unforgivable Curses - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Many might be shocked that I have chosen to add this to my top 10 but I thought it was such a cool, dark chapter. This is where we learn about the 3 Unforgivable Curses from the imposter Mad-Eye Moody: The Imperius Curse; The Cruciatus Curse; The Killing Curse. During this chapter we see Neville volunteering information in class which never happens! It really struck a chord with me and I've never forgotten the moment .

Moody raised his wand, and Harry felt a sudden thrill of foreboding. “Avada Kedavra!” Moody roared.

6. The Mirror of Erised - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

I chose this chapter because I thought it was really cool - I mean ERISED is DESIRE spelled backwards. When I read this when I was like... 10 years old I just thought that it was really clever haha! I loved the fact that Harry was able to see his whole family in the mirror but it was sad to know that he would never get t o grow up with them because they were dead and as Dumbledore said: "this mirror will give us neither kno wledg e or truth."

“The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that."

5. Malfoy Manner - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Oh man I cried when I read it and when I watched it on the big screen... The death of Dobby the house elf... it was so horrible. I was actually gutted. I love d the whole chapter though - they were so close to being caught by Voldemort - Bellatrix was only a second away from summoning him. The part where Hermione was totured was very powerful - I felt as though I could hear her screams and feel Ron's anguish. It was so gripping and exciting that I couldn't stop reading. Apart of me wishes I did... I just couldn't believe that Dobby died. For such a small creature he had one of the saddest moments in the entire series of Harry Potter. RIP Dobby!

The elf’s eyes found him, and his lips trembled with the effort to form words.
“Harry… Potter…”
And then with a little shudder the elf became quite still, and his eyes were nothing more than great glassy orbs, sprinkled with light from the stars they could not see.

4. The Other Minister - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

JK Rowling has said that she had originally intended for a chapter like this one to be included in the Philosopher's Stone but it didn't fit. Eventually it was included in book number 6 and she said "finally, it works, so it’s staying. And that’s all I’m going to say, but when you read it, just know that it’s been about thirteen years in the brewing.” I think that it is a brilliant chapter and worked really well to open the sixth book, showing the meeting of muggle and wizard (almost) working together. This was another chapter that was unfortunately left out of the film - instead they wasted time setting fire to The Burrow (which doesn't happen in the book!)

The Prime Minister gazed hopelessly at the pair of them for a moment, then the words he had fought to suppress all evening burst from him at last. “But for heaven’s sake – you’re wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort out – well – anything!”

3. Snape's Worst Memory - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This chapter is AWESOME. Going back in time to relive Snape's memory of James Potter and his friends was such a clever idea from Rowling. It added a different light on the memory of the Potters. All we've really known about Harry's parents were that they were brave, great wizards and Harry had Lily's eyes. But this chapter gives us a real insight into what they might have been like - and it's not a completely rosy picture of Harry's father which confuses Harry, but it shows that James Potter was human - he had imperfections too. Rather than reading re ferences to them it was fantastic to read their actions and dialogue instead and made them seem more real. I'd love it if Rowling released a spinoff series about this generation at Hogwarts!

“Leave him alone,” Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. “What’s he done to you?”
“Well,” said James, appearing to deliberate the point, “it’s more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…”

2. The Lost Prophecy - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Everything about this chapter was amazing. It was dramatic and heartwrenching and revealed a vital piece of information that helps to shape the final two books. Harry's grief over Sirius' death was very well crafted - his anger and his desperation felt so real. And of course the most important part of the chapter - Trelawney's Prophecy. We find out why Harry has had to take lessons on Occlumency with Snape and why he's had to stay with the Dursley's, but we find out about the Prophecy that lead to Voldemort's decision to try to kill Harry when he was a baby. It's very exciting and gripping - I'll be totally honest and admit to skipping a lesson at school to read this bit when I was younger... :)

“I DON’T CARE!” Harry yelled…, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. “I’VE HAD ENOUGH, I’VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON’T CARE ANYMORE -”

1. The Prince's Tale - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Hell yes. This is my favourite chapter by JK Rowling. Snape's story is finally reveale towards the end of Deathly Hallows and it actually made me cry. If the film's version of this chapter doesn't make me cry then it is a failure. I hope the movie does it justice, I really do! Snape is the best character ever - throughout the whole book you never really know who he is and what he really thinks - not until this final chapter. It was so clever how JK managed to keep us guessing right up until the final novel. Brilliant writing. Amazing chapter. Absolutely genius.

Snape… looked like a man who had lived a hundred years of misery since leaving the wild hilltop.
“I thought… you were going… to keep her… safe….”

So there you have it! My top 10. I hope they satisfy you. If you have any suggestions of Chapters that you think should have made the list then please feel free to comment! Thanks!

Teaser Tuesday: 12th July 2011 - HARRY POTTER SPECIAL

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

To celebrate the release of the final Harry Potter film (*cries*) I have decided to give you a teaser from the second half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I am SOOO excited about the film and I'm going to see the first showing at midnight with all my friends. We've grown up with Harry Potter for the past 10 years and eventhough sometimes the films have peed me off a little bit (yes I'm looking at you Goblet of Fire!!!) I am really sad that it's all come to an end. This week I'm going to use my blog to pay tribute to JK Rowling and Harry Potter and I start with TEASER TUESDAY - POTTER SPECIAL!

So here it is:

"The Order for the Phoenix is finished. You-Know-Who's won, it's over, and anyone who's pretending different's kidding themselves..."

For those of you who have read the book - have a guess at which point in the book this quote comes from and who says it...

Forget You

Title: Forget You
Author: Jennifer Echols
Pages: 292
Rating: 1

WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . . AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER?

There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

In a nutshell, Forget You by Jennifer Echols is a high school-teen romantic drama. Zoey is captain of the swim team, pretty and rich and she has the perfect life on paper. But in reality she has issues with her divorced parents and she doesn't know what's going on between herself and Brandon - one of the hottest, most popular guys at school. Then there's this other guy Doug, who seems to have it in for her. He hates her and she doesn't really understand why. And then after a beach party, Zoey is in a car crash. Everyone thinks she's ok but what she doesn't tell them is that she's lost her memory. And even more importantly, why is it that Brandon is suddenly avoiding her and the guy that is supposed to hate her is the only one looking after her?. Boy! Life is tough!

I'll be totally honest, I actually hated Zoey the main character so much... I've never hated the protagonist in a book more than I hated Zoey. She annoyed me so much that I physically wanted to jump inside the book and kick some sense into her. Even before she lost her memory she was a complete and total idiot. I know I sound harsh but honestly, she reminded me of Marissa Cooper in Season 3 of The OC. She's completely naive - more naive than any character ever. She refers to Brandon as her boyfriend... what the hell? They had a one night stand! I couldn't place myself in Zoey's shoes and I did not root for her at all. I'm sorry I just couldn't...

And don't even get me started on her "best friends" Lila and Keke - god they were the epitome of high school stereotypes, not to mention the most annoyingly, bad friends in the world.

The only character I liked in this book was Doug. He was hot, heroic and quite "badass". He was quite a stereotypical character too and I have seen him written before - think of him as the Ryan Atwood of the book - poor background, gets in fights, went to prison. But he was a nice guy, and I actually felt sorry for him being Zoey's love interest. I preferred it when they were mean to each other!

I thought the premise for the story itself was a good one - memory loss after a car accident - but the main character had about as much depth as my old paddling pool. The plot involving Zoey's Mum is supposed to be emotional and extremely difficult, and although the plot idea itself is another good one, it didn't affect me at all. I was actually bored and found the whole way in which Zoey dealt with it to be quite pathetic. She hardly even thought about her Mum. Finding out what happened at her party and figuring out what was going on with her "boyfriends" was way more important.

The real downside to the plot though was how predictable it was. I guessed what had happened at the party as soon as she crashed her car. Then I had to read about how Zoey pieced it together for about 200 pages.

I really, really wanted this to be a good and enjoyable read but I knew after the first few chapters that Zoey was going to annoy the hell out of me and I was going to be extremely disappointed. I loved Going Too Far, another of the author's books and so I had fairly high hopes for this one, but they have been brought down with a big bump.

Overall, this book is definitely like a bad book version of The OC. It's nothing we haven't seen before and I will not think to pick it up and read ever again.

Teaser Tuesday: 5th July 2011

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I have almost finished reading Forget You by Jennifer Echols and that is where this week's teaser comes from! If you haven't read any of Jennifer Echols' stuff before, she writes YA romantic dramas - which I don't normally read but she has a real knack for writing a really hot male love interest, and you know I just love a good looking guy in my books!




"Doug, I'm so sorry," I murmured. "It's not your fault," he whispered. "Hush now." His knee pressed my thigh. His knee nudged my thighs open as his tongue opened my mouth. He kissed me hard in the soft rain. I shivered.
- page 115