Gale and Peeta - First Look

Here is the first picture of Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson as Gale and Peeta in The Hunger Games. Not really what I expected but I can't really judge them untill the film is released next year.

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Review: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Details
Pages: 327
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Released: 2010

Tessa has just a few months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex. Released from the constraints of 'normal' life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out. "Before I Die" is a brilliantly-crafted novel, heartbreaking yet astonishingly life-affirming. It will take you to the very edge.

I really didn't want to read this one because just by looking at the title, I knew it was going to be quite a tearful journey. And I was not wrong.


This book tells the story of sixteen-year-old Tessa, and her ever on-going struggle with leukemia. Tessa knows that she cannot be cured, the leukemia will claim her life eventually, so she writes up a list of ten things she wants to do before she dies.

I loved Tessa as a character and I think the battle with her illness was told perfectly. Seeing her work her way through the list with her best friend was a joy, and hilarious at times. Even though the book in inevitably about Tessa's approaching death, it's still a story about hope, a story that reminds you to make the most of every opportunity.

This truly is an amazing story that will make you laugh and cry. You will defiantly need the tissues for this one!
 
Also: Before I Die is currently being adapted into a movie staring Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine. The movie will be called Now Is Good and is due out next year.

I'd rate this book:
★★★★

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Books i'm Reviewing Soon

These are some of the books that I will be reviewing soon on the blog:

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Evermore by Alyson Noel
My So-Called Haunting by Tamsyn Murray
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

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Review: Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have by by Sarah Mlynowski

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

I found this book an extremely funny read. Being only slightly older than the characters in the book, I sometimes found them relatable in certain situations, but in others I wanted to scream at them for being so stupid. It definitely tore my emotions apart!

The main character, April, ends up living alone with her close friend Vi, and they get up to all sorts of typically crazy teenage stuff: parties, drinking ,and spending money on things they really shouldn't have. 

I loved the personalities of the characters and the humour within the book, but personally I think there could of been a few more moments between April and Hudson. Overall it was a great read, and it certainly kept me giggling. 

I'd rate this book:
★★★

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Review: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Goodreads Summary:
The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most important of all—Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse wrecking his life. And they’re willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

My Review:
I didn't discover The Mortal Instruments series untill a few months ago but from the first book, I've been hooked.

This is the fourth book in The Mortal Instruments Series and it picks up a few weeks on from the ending of book three.

I really liked how the story followed Jace and Simon more, instead of just focusing on Clary. I love Clary as a character but it's refreshing to follow the other characters around a bit more.

The storylines are as good as ever in City of Fallen Angels. There are many twists and turns to be found and of course, a mega cliffhanger at the end that leaves you begging to read the next book, City of Lost Souls, which unfortunatily isn't available until May next year!

Royal Rating:

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