Unpopular Book Opinions Book Tag

This Book Tag was originally created by The Book Archer on Youtube - Check out her video, and many more, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYfgq8HgDc0

I first saw this tag on Youtube and thought that this would be the perfect way to share

more of my opinions regarding popular books and series'. I would love to hear your own answers to the questions of the tag, be sure to comment your answers below in the comment section or tweet them to @DaisyReviews1

1. A POPULAR BOOK OR SERIES THAT YOU DID NOT LIKE

I found this question quite tricky when I was planning my answers, as I usually don't bother reading the rest of a series if I didn't like the first instalment. However, there have been numerous YA series' in which I have loved the first book and then felt severely let down in the subsequent books. So for this question I am going to have to say the Divergent series by Veronica Roth but more specifically the final book Allegiant. I absolutely adored the first book in this series, which you can see in a review of the book I did last year. I loved the world Roth created and the majority of the characters were well thought out and loveable. Unfortunately for me Insurgent and Allegiant didn't really live up to my expectations. If you asked me what Insurgent was about I wouldn't be able to tell you and, in my opinion, Allegiant left a massive hole in the narrative that left me bewildered and confused. And don't even get me started on the ending of Allegiant!

2. A POPULAR BOOK OR SERIES THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO HATE BUT YOU LOVE

Now this was an easy answer for me. The Beautiful Dead series by Eden Maguire is probably one of the series that I have read that I feel didn't receive the hype it truly deserves. I read this series a few years ago but even now I still think about the characters and the mysterious plot. Usually, I steer clear of love stories like this but the characters, plot and mystery made the book not too cheesy or cliché. This series is especially great to read if you are looking for an easy read or you just want a break from intense fiction.

3. A POPULAR BOOK GENRE THAT YOU HARDLY REACH FOR

I probably read quite a large range of different genres, from classics to YA fiction, but the one genre that I really regret not picking up sooner is Horror/Thriller. I have probably dodged this genre for quite a few years now as I honestly had no idea where to start. Recently, however, I read Joe Hill's Horns and although this is not a typical hard-core horror like other writers, I did really enjoy the horror aspect to the book. This year I really want to delve into this genre more.

4. A POPULAR CHARACTER THAT YOU DO NOT LIKE

There are very few characters that I absolutely adore. Probably the most popular character that I have disliked is Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I loved these books but at points I just felt that Katniss was a little boring as a main protagonist. I know that the whole idea was to highlight the effects of the games and the Capitol's rule but honestly she is probably one of the most annoying characters I have experienced in a long time.

5. A POPULAR AUTHOR THAT YOU CAN'T SEEM TO GET INTO

Although I have only read 1 of his books from start to finish, Patrick Ness is one of those authors that I just can't get into. I was bought a copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go a few years ago as a gift and it is still on my shelf gathering dust. I have tried a few times to get into the book but for some reason I just can't get into this fantasy world. To try to remedy this, I purchased More Than This and I did really enjoy this plot but still couldn't get to the same level of attachment I have experienced with other series' and authors. (If you know of any of Patrick Ness's books that you think I would enjoy please let me know in the comments)

6. A POPULAR BOOK TROPE THAT YOU ARE TIRED OF SEEING

Please can we stop with all these unnecessary love triangles. Ever since the Twilight Saga I have dreaded the notion of love triangles and still can't quite fathom why so many brilliant authors resort to using this over-used and cliché trope.

7. A POPULAR SERIES THAT YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN READING

The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead doesn't appeal to me. I have endured countless vampire related YA fictions that have endless amounts of instalments in each and, to be honest, I do not think I endure another. If anyone has a compelling argument though as to why I should give it a try please feel free to attack the comments box.

8. WHAT MOVIE OR TV SHOW ADAPTATION DO YOU PREFER MORE THAN THE BOOK?

I am a huge advocate for the idea that the book is always better than the film or TV show. So it pains me to say that when I saw this question I knew exactly what book series I would talk about. I have read a few of the instalments of The 100 series by Kass Morgan and I was indifferent towards the plot and its characters. After reading these I thought I would see how the television show compared and I was pleasantly surprised. Although it has severely drifted from the original books I love the characters and the how the narrative has been shaped in the show. The one negative of the show, which I am still a bit disappointed with, is the neglect of Glass and her story.

 

Legend By Marie Lu

Book Details

Author: Marie Lu

Ages: 12+

Rating: 7/10

Number of Pages: 295

Plot: Set in the futuristic ruins of Los Angeles in the Republic of America, the Republic is constantly at war with its neighbours, the Colonies. The Republic’s strict regime of tests and trials ensures that the best go to high school and college whilst the undesirables, usually the poor, are sent straight to work or worse, to the infamous labour camps. The Trial, taken by all citizens once they hit the age of ten, uses a range of mental and physical tests to determine their futures. Through Lu’s alternating narrators, we learn what it is like to live for and against the Republic and their repressive regime. June is the Republic’s prodigy, the only student to ever receive a perfect 1500 score on the Trial or so she thinks. Following the murder of her brother, June is being groomed for success in the highest of the Republic’s military circles in the hopes that she will catch the infamous revolutionary that has been plaguing the Republic and avenge her brother. Day is the Republic’s most wanted criminal, desperately looking to ensure the safety of his family from the dreaded plague and June’s brothers killer. In a story of betrayal and survival, Day and June are brought together by the murder of June’s brother and together uncover the truth behind the Republic and the mysterious plague that devastates the slums of the Republic.

Review: I am a massive fan of dystopian fiction and have heard a lot about this series online, especially on Youtube. I knew very little about the premise of this dystopian trilogy and so was intrigued to see how it would differ from other popular novels and series that fit into the genre. Lu creates an interesting contrast between the powerful elite and the poor, more so than I think other dystopian writers do. Through the use of two narrators, each with very different backgrounds and experiences of the Republic, Lu truly depicts the repressive and violent nature of the regime. By doing this, I feel as if Lu manages to establish a greater hatred for the Republic and thus makes the reader support the protagonists more. I think that this is one of the main reasons that make this series stand out from the rest – we are not just experiencing a character from the slums suffering at the hands of an oppressive regime, but we are experiencing the effects of a regime on two very different lifestyles.

Unlike some other novels I have read from this genre, I thought that the plot was well thought out. Instead of having a predictable plot, I felt that throughout the story there were countless twists and turns that kept me engaged throughout. The twists and turns were made even better, I believe, through Lu’s use of alternating narration. It was so interesting to read one character’s perspective and then the other and comparing what they do or don’t know about the Republic. Despite this, I will say that I wasn’t initially 100% behind the friendship between Day and June. Their first initial meeting, which I will not discuss for those of you who haven’t read the book, I felt was a little forced and was the only point in the book where I felt that it was very predictable.

Despite loving the alternating narrators, another aspect of the book that I didn’t like was the choice to use different font for each narrator. I felt that Lu had already successfully differentiated between the two narrators and so the choice of using different fonts felt rather unnecessary. Although this sounds like a bit of a pedantic criticism to make, I feel that this editorial choice effected the fluidity of the plot. However, I did really love the use of the different narrators and I think that it is because of this structural choice that so many have fallen in love with this series.

Overall I think that this is a unique concept in a genre where so many are similar. Lu manages to contrast the lives of the two different groups in her dystopian landscape directly through her use of alternating narrators. The plot was also unpredictable – Lu creates twists and turns within her story that manage to keep the reader engaged throughout. I was slightly disappointed with the length of the book. Being only just over 200 pages there was little room for Lu to fully develop her characters but as this is a trilogy I hope that we will learn more about June, Day and the controversies of the Republic. I would recommend this series to anyone who liked The Hunger Games series or any dystopian YA series for that matter.

Have you read 'Legend'? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below!

A Game of Thrones By George R.R. Martin

Book Details

Author: George R.R. Martin

Ages: 16+

Rating: 10/10

Number of Pages: 780

Plot: In a world where winters can last a lifetime, Lord Eddard Stark is conflicted when King Robert offers him the role of the Hand. Following a supposed accident, Stark's son is left gravely injured and all evidence points to the family of the King's wife, the Lannisters. Split between the north and the south, the Stark family must root out the treachery in the King's court to protect their King and each other. To make matters worse, in the Free Cities the heirs of the executed Dragon King have grown and are creating their own forces to claim their old throne. The struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. In a tale of war, treachery and magic, Martin creates a fantasy world that is truly unlike any other. Through his use of multiple narrators, Martin explores the deadly nature of a war between noble families for one throne.

Review: I have been wanting to start this series for some time now due to the pages and pages of positive reviews online and the wildly popular television series. It was not until I received the box set of the books for Christmas that I truly considered starting to read the series. As most of you will already be aware, I am a huge fan of fantasy fiction and so I was expecting to like the series. However, I don't think I could have imagined how much I would come to love the story and its characters.

I knew very little about the whole premise of the series, as I had steered clear of extensive reviews and the television series, and I am glad that I did. I have always felt that going into a new series knowing very little makes the premise more enjoyable and forming opinions of the individual characters more likely. The story, itself, is beautifully crafted. Martin manages to successfully have multiple stories running alongside each other due to his effective use of multiple narrators from the perspectives of both 'good' and 'bad' characters. Not only this, but Martin manages to create narrative voices that are all very different from each other, something that not all modern day authors can portray effectively. I feel that by using not 1 but 8 different narrative voices the reader truly gets an understanding of the differing characters whilst building these themes of treachery and betrayal.

I also loved how Martin didn't overuse the typical magical fantasy ideas that many other fantasy writers focus on. Instead, Martin subtly weaves in ideas of dragons into the story without steering away from the key themes, like betrayal and treachery. I think this is one of the main reasons why this book, and probably the whole series, is so popular. Instead of focusing on a genre, that is often associated with children or young adults, Martin creates a fictitious world that has a greater focus on, what some may describe as, more adult themes, whilst incorporating magical ideas and concepts like dragons.

If there was one criticism that I would make about the first book, however, it is the unnecessary use of sex in scenes that really don't need it. There were a few moments in the book where I was left thinking 'did that really add anything to the plot?' This was more apparent in the battle scenes when I felt not enough information was given about the battle itself. Some may also argue that Martin uses too many narrative voices. Towards the middle, I found that some of the narrative voices began to blur, especially during Catelyn Stark's chapters.

Despite this, I feel that this is by far one of the best fantasy books I have read due to its choice of narration and its focus on themes like treachery. Martin has created a fantasy world that is truly unlike any other and I am not surprised that so many have fallen in love with the story and its many different characters. I would recommend this to anyone that loves fantasy or just more adult fiction in general but I would say that this is probably not the series for you if you struggle with continually changing narrative perspectives. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and start the television series to see how the characters and plot develop.

Have you read 'A Game of Thrones'? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below!



January TBR

Happy New Year!


Happy New Year! 2016 is set to be a massive year for YA fiction with many new books and films coming out. This year I wanted to document the books that I plan to read better and sharing the reasons behind why I want to read certain books and series. I follow numerous booktubers and book blogs on the internet and over the past few months I have loved the concept of TBR's and wrap-up's for each month. For those of you who are not aware of these concepts, a TBR, 'to-be-read', is a brief list of the books you plan to read in a given month. A wrap-up, on the other hand, is a list of the books you managed to read at the end of the month, these are usually put with a brief review of each book.


This year I have decided to follow a similar format to share more of my reading habits as well as encourage me to read more. I hope that this will not only help me to read my 2016 Goodreads goal but will also give you some more recommendations. So here are the books I plan to read in the month of January;


A Game of Thrones By George R.R. Martin
The Game of Thrones series has a huge following and impressive number of positive reviews online. Having received the series for Christmas, I hope to start the series in January by hopefully finishing the first instalment in the series.


Legend By Marie Lu
The Legend series has also received great reviews on Youtube and on Goodreads. It has been a while since I read a YA dystopian series so I am really intrigued to see if the series lives up to its reviews and others in the genre.


A Brief History of Seven Killings By Marlon James
This was another book I received for Christmas and I am really excited to read this. The book received the 2015 Man Booker Prize and focuses on a part of history that I have not yet explored in fiction.


Follow my progress throughout the month on Goodreads! - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/32978990-daisy-wallis