Book Review: Shipwrecked by Siobhan Curham

I read this as part of a read-a-long for 'Fandom Freak Out' with Jack and Zoe. It was a lot to just talk about the book and I now have friends to anticipate the sequel with. Also, a big thanks to Siobhan Curham for joining in with our conversations and following the read-a-long!

 

I jump at the sound of a whispered voice over my shoulder. But when I turn around all I see is sand, and the towering, green wall of the rainforest. I guess it must have been the breeze, but I can't help shivering. I have the weirdest feeling that we're being watched.

 

Grace Delaney and her fellow dance students are en route to perform on a South Pacific cruise-ship when a freak storm hits and they find themselves stranded on a seemingly deserted island.

 

With the tropical heat rising, passions and tensions swell to breaking point. And the island itself is quietly steaming with a terrible secret...

 

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Shipwrecked for me, was like eating my favourite ice-cream. I knew I should stop(as I was participating in a read-a-long of four chapters a day), but I just couldn't put it down. It's was bursting with different flavours of character and the surprises thrown at you resembling the Chocolate Flake they sometimes add!

The concept in Shipwrecked was such a refreshing idea, that was also highly entertaining! From a gripping plot, to laugh-out-loud moments and a heart-thumping romance this is definitely a Saga I will continue to read as the books are released over the next few years. There was betrayal, hidden secrets and mysteries all thrown into a novel packed full of different genres: contemporary, fantasy, romance and adventure.

There was a huge cast of characters in Shipwrecked: dance students you could love and hate alike. Our main protagonist seventeen year-old Grace really does grow throughout the novel and by the end was clearly able to stand up to her at times judgemental peers. Grace was relatable, determined and caring - despite being self-conscious and uncomfortable in her own skin, just like all teenage girls are from time-to-time. I admit, it did take me a few chapters to begin to enjoy her point of view and narrative, especially when she was comparing herself to other girls who her own boyfriend could be interested in. Dance was her escape from a broken-down family and you get the chance to dig-deeper into this.

 

With so many personalities, you'd think it would be hard to remember them all. But, I found I could remember them with ease: Grace's boyfriend Todd and her 'best-friend' Jenna; the spoilt, Daddy's girl Cariss; The Flea, a light-hearted, fun friend; Belle, who was struggling away from home and was definitely 'outside of the group' and the non-English speaking Cruz. It's hard to talk about his character without giving too much away, but he was so interesting. His whole demeanour, the way his character works with Grace and the slight hints of romance all lead to something bigger. It's true to say the island is home to all emotions as tensions rise. There's blame, anger and betrayal, secrets and romance. It is literally chilling!

 

At this point in the review, I'm shocked that I haven't commented on Curham's writing style. It was so vivid and imaginative - allowing you to easily picture the scenes with whatever atmosphere the author feels like throwing at you next. Which I loved - as there were always surprises to keep you turning the page. I applaud Curham for the way she handled this novel, being so different from her previous books, I was really impressed! 

 

The few reasons that this book received a four star rating from me because of the problems I had with the romance that is in this novel. Without giving too much away, I thought it all happened too fast and didn't really build-up. It just happened between what I felt were two strangers.

 

There are still a few weeks of Summer of left so, I suggest you go and get this book as soon as possible! Even on a rainy day, you'll definitely feel the heat!

 

4 Stars - For ages 13+

You can also enter a giveaway to WIN A SIGNED COPY of 'Shipwrecked' HERE.

Book Review: The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

When I started seeing all the fantastic comments about this book, I went straight to Goodreads to see what this 'Next Hunger Games' was all about. When I saw the gorgeous cover, and read the plotline, I knew I had to buy this. The premise sounds brilliant, I instantly fell in love with the idea of the different Waves, and the opportunity to be introduced to a brand new heroine. 

 

The 1st Wave - Took out half a million people

The 2nd Wave - Put that number to shame

The 3rd Wave - Lasted a little longer,

Twelve weeks...Four billion dead.

In the Fourth Wave, You can't trust people are still people.

And The Fifth Wave?

No one knows

But it's coming.

 

On a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs. Runs from the beings that only look human, who have scattered Earth's last survivors.To stay alone is to stay alive, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan may be her only hope.Now Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death.

 

The Fifth Wave is an exciting, action packed and engrossing novel that, although it had it's flaws, I couldn't put down. This is set in the present-day, except, we now live in a world where survivors have found theirselves scattered and almost non-existence after an alien race has invaded earth.  Their form of destroying the population comes in Waves. At the time of the book, we are on the dawn of The 5th Wave except, no one knows what is will be, but one thing for sure is that is coming. This novel is fast-paced, perfectly plotted and suspenseful. The world it is set in has detailed descriptions, a well-explored premise through the point of view constantly switching to a different character and is completely engrossing. If the idea of the waves isn't enough to keep you reading, there's the un-flinching heroine in Cassie and the unpredictable shocks that seem to be thrown at you in every chapter.

 

Cassie - or Cassiopeia - is who you find yourself introduced to do when you first open this novel. Not only is she determined, and a protagonist who's strength must be admired, her main aim is to rescue her brother. The thing that I loved most about Cassie was how thoughtful she was. In a world where seven billion people have already died, you can find it hard to feel compassion, but Cassie brings this back to the  experience for one person. Throughout the novel, I found Cassie's narrative to be my favourite. Rick Yancey's writing is completely refreshing. When you see a man be able to take on a teenage girl's narrative and making it completely realistic, was like taking a breath of fresh air. To get a reader to understand this world is a difficult thing, and I applaud Yancey's attempt. You found out what happened through flashbacks from Cassie, and I loved how she was able to reflect on these. She never continued as if something had never happened, she felt guilt, remorse and sometimes was scared, but every time she was able to get back up. To say this book has it's funny moments is an understatement, It definitely added some light-hearted parts to a serious novel.

 

The other character's had a wide-spread of personalities and characteristics, but I found I was rooting for them all. The book was switching every few chapters, and I really enjoyed being able to dig deep into this world. From Cassie's brother Sammy, to the boy that she dreamed off, Ben, you get to follow their journey's too. If this book was in first-person, I would have always wanted to find out what is happening in different places. One of the main settings is a training camp called 'Wright-Patterson'. The main action, tension and fast-paced parts happened here, including where the secrets of this apocalypse seemed to unravelled. I adored how much of this world Rick Yancey allows you to grasp, and there were many times in this book when my jaw was left hanging open.

 

What if you could trust no-one? I spent nights up, thinking about this book. I was always thinking about what had just been revealed to me and I didn't want to leave Cassie. I never wanted to put this book down. Evan Walker is mysterious yet charming and seemingly kind-hearted. I loved their relationship, although I was always hesitant of Evan. He seemed to just appear. He survived so much, but things never match-up with him. Yet, I was rooting for him and Cassie. I was rooting for all the characters and wanted them to succeed. I wanted Cassie to find her brother, and for Zombie to discover the truth, for the villains to lose this war that only ever had one winner.

 

This is a really enjoyable adventure novel, but at times it is confusing. I say this because, although I liked the switching point of views,  there were no headers to show the viewpoint had changed. There were also quite a few events happening at the same time, and I found myself having to turn back some pages as I seemed to forget what was going on. Although, the writing is brilliant, the proofing was where I found a lot of small, yet frustrating mistakes. This book definitely had a similar style when it comes to the likes of 'The Hunger Games' and 'Divergent', but I would say it is not these books. It's in fact, really different, but I don't doubt for a moment this book will also make it onto the big screen in the year's to come.  I will be definitely re-reading this book very soon, but for now, there is a very long wait for the sequel.

 

"I really enjoyed this, and think you should definitely add this to your 'to read' shelf. Although, it did have some flaws"

****

Ages 12+

 

Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go was a book I had been admiring for months - and one day, it seemed the wait got the better of me and I finally picked it up.

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown.

 

But, Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in a constant, over-whelming, never-ending Noise. This a place where there are no Women, just men. There is no privacy. There are no secrets.

 

Or are there?

 

Just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man, he stumbles over something impossible. Noise. Prentisstown has been lying to him and now he has to run. Coming across the first girl he's seen in his life, there is soon an army against them.

 

The Knife of Never Letting Go is a heart-pounding, action-packed and heart-breaking beginning to the Chaos Walking Trilogy. A read that will hold your attention to the very end, and keep you thinking about it's messages. I just loved this book, and the ending left me speechless.

 

Told through the eyes of Todd Hewitt, this book explores so many issue's around the idea of growing up and introduces you to a complicated world where the truth is what makes you a man. Prentisstown, where this novel is set, is on New World. The idea of the 'Noise' and a place where you can constantly hear men's thoughts is so unique and interesting and at first glance, it seems there are no secrets. As the first few chapters go by, you are thrown straight into a novel where the author keeps your attention by never letting Todd share with you the truth. I mean, the concept of this book is good enough to keep you reading. What if everybody could hear you thoughts in a mess of Noise? What If you thought there were no secrets? And what is your world completely changed, when you discovered something impossible?

 

It also has a really unique writing style, that makes Todd's character much more realistic and believable.

 

Todd was a fantastic protagonist.  Everything he has known is destroyed for him in a matter of minutes. I completely loved his dry sense of humour. The Knife of Never Letting Go becomes the perfect title, as he finds himself stumbling on the route to becoming a man. He stumbles, he's not perfect, and that's where you can relate to him. Viola is the first girl that Todd ever see's himself, and I think their relationship was one of the best to see grow. Viola is a new settler: person making their way to New World to find a better life and her parents are dead. She was someone your routing for, and can completely understand.

 

From detailed and descriptive world-building- you can just slip back into this world. It constantly seemed the people trying to catch Todd were immortal. They kept coming back, no matter what, and I found myself reading through gritted teeth at many times, as I grew to love Todd, Viola and Manchee, when in the end all you want them to do is have a happy ending. Manchee is the best talking dog you will ever discover in book. He sets the book up within the first few sentences:

 "Need a poo Todd"

"Shut up, Manchee"
"Poo. Poo, Todd"
"I said shut it"

 

A talking dog so loveable it adds a type of light-hearted fun over a serious book.  I really doubt anyone will be able to get through this book without finding tears are streaming down their face. There were moments when your heart was pounding, or you took a sudden intake of breath.

 

This was an impossibly good book. My only comment is that I felt Aaron and Mr Prentiss seemed to survive too much and made that a little unrealistic. I really did find myself lost for words when I finished this one. This is a must-read.

 

Rating 4.5

 

By the way, thank you for helping my celebrate my Blogoversary! I will be holding the final giveaway tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the week's posts and enter the first two.