The Box | Thoughts & Opinions

Since relaunching my blog I have wanted to go further then just the original book reviews I would publish weekly. I wanted to publish a post at least once a week that could be about pretty much any topic so that I could share with my readers more about myself. Whether it be a news article I have found interesting or a trailer for a new film I'm excited for or even a quick update on what I have been up to, I hope that these posts give you a greater insight into my own life and hopefully might encourage you too to share your own experiences and loves.

Reckoning (Silver Blackthorn Trilogy #1) By Kerry Wilkinson | Review

Book Details
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Ages: Young Adult
Rating: 6/10
Number of Pages: 360
Plot: In the village of Martindale, 16 year old Silver Blackthorn takes the Reckoning - a coming of age test that decides your place in society. Not only this but the test also selects a small group of 16 year olds to become Offerings to the aloof King Victor. When Silver is chosen as an Offering her future becomes uncertain forcing her to keep to herself. As the King begins to show his true colours the new recruits begin to realise that maybe being an Offering at Windsor Castle is not the privilege they had been led to believe their whole lives. Navigating through the ancient corridors of the old castle, Silver and her new friend Imrin find themselves in a world full of suspicion and intrigue not knowing who to trust. In a dystopian meets historical story, Wilkinson creates an interesting twist on the common dystopian novel.

The Martian By Andy Weir | Review

Book Details

Author: Andy Weir
Ages: Adult
Rating: 8/10
Number of Pages: 369
Plot: After an unexpected storm hits the base on Mars, astronaut Mark Watney is stranded with no way of contacting Earth or his team. But Mark's not ready to admit defeat. Using his engineering skills and botanical knowledge, Mark embarks on a desperate quest to contact Earth and get back to his team. As he overcomes more and more obstacles, Mark starts believing that his outlandish plan might work, but as the days draw on his supplies decrease. Will Mark have enough supplies to last? Written from a range of different perspectives, The Martian follows the desperate struggle to get Mark Watney off of Mars. A perfect mix of humour, suspense and adventure, the plot makes this novel impossible to put down and a story you won't forget for a long time.

End of Days By Susan Ee | Review

Book Details
Author: Susan Ee
Ages: Young Adult
Rating: 7/10
Number of Pages: 435
Plot: The conclusion in the Angelfall trilogy, End of Days follows Penryn and Raffe in their search of a doctor who can fix Raffe's wings and reverse the monstrous changes inflicted on Penryn's sister. But Penryn and Raffe are also on the run from the angels they have wronged and the impeding doom of a biblical apocalypse. With the evil angel Uriel trying to drum up support for his campaign to become the messenger of the angels and the growth of the human refugee camps, Penryn and Raffe are faced with more problems then they can cope with on their own and must seek out allies from both their present and past. Thrust into a new age of apocalyptic war, Penryn and Raffe are divided between their kind and each other. In a dystopian take on the traditional biblical ideas of the apocalypse, Ee uses the perfect mix of humour and courage to modernise a traditional tale.

Glass Sword By Victoria Aveyard | Review

Book Details
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Ages: Young Adult
Rating: 8/10
Number of Pages: 440
Plot: Following the shocking events of the Red Queen, Mare and Cal are on the run from the new Silver King, and Cal's evil younger brother, Maven. Mare Barrow, despite being a red blood, poses a threat to the Silver court due to her unique Silver ability of controlling lightening. Now with the knowledge that she is not the only of her kind, Mare alongside a group of red rebels, sets out to find and recruit these fighters to their cause - to bring down the king. In a tale of betrayal and rebellion, Mare is following a deadly path with the risk of becoming an even greater monster than the king threatening the lives of silvers and reds alike. Will Mare turn to the dark side? Or will her family and new recruits save the last of her humanity?

Review: I read Red Queen about a year ago and did really love the plot and characters that Aveyard created. Its unusual to find a series that incorporates the typical conventions of a dystopian with the more historical aspects of a royal court. I love this mix as it added a new lease of life to a genre, dystopian, which I feel has been over done in the last few years. I was therefore quite excited when I found this in bookshop and couldn't wait to delve back into Mare's world. The book continued with the interesting take on a world divided by blood and I feel that Aveyard still managed to make this believable and almost relatable in the current climate worldwide. In fact, throughout the book I felt myself comparing the distinct divisions between the silvers and the reds with religious and cultural divides across the world.

Another aspect that I think really makes the Red Queen series stand out is the integration of political aspects such as the ideas of protest and insurgent groups. Even though these political aspects have been used before in other dystopian novels, Aveyard leads with these themes adding a sense of individuality to her series. The use of the insurgent group the Scarlet Guard is a great addition to her storyline. Despite having shared characteristics with other groups in popular YA fiction, Aveyard I feel goes further into the running of the insurgent group as well as the many different roles that exist within it. For example one aspect I loved reading and learning more about was the divide in ideas between the leader of the group and his followers. I feel that this divide added a complexity to the group that other YA authors have yet to successfully delve into and explore.

"If I am a sword, I am a sword made of glass and I feel myself beginning to shatter."

I always judge a book by how I feel as soon as I have read the final line and it slowly sinks in that I will probably not return to this fictitious world for a good while. Upon finishing this particular sequel, I was left with a desperate longing to know more. And this I think is what makes this book, and this series, one which is loved or hated. For me, this aspect makes the series more intriguing and, honestly makes a huge impact on whether I am going to continue a series or just abandon it altogether. I must say that Aveyard's development of Mare Barrow was truly breath-taking. The moral complexity of Mare by the end of the book was extraordinary and totally unexpected. I can, however, see why people don't like Mare by the end of the book and feel as if more needed to be said. A clear example of this is a clear lack of Maven. Maven I feel is one of the best villains ever created in a YA series. A bold claim I know but for me Maven incorporates the best characteristics of a typical villain and yet is still a royal, so basically he is the Scar of the YA world.

Overall, I love this series. Aveyard adds a complexity to her characters and plot that really makes the series stand out amongst the other YA books of its kind. I loved the moral complexity of Mare and I can't wait to see how this develops in the next book. I do, however, understand why some people haven't enjoyed this sequel. I did feel at times that more could have been developed in regards to Maven and his diabolical plans to eradicate Mare's kind. Despite this I cannot wait until the next book!

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

Entering A New Era...

Welcome Back!

As you are probably all aware, I have not posted a review since February and for that I am truly sorry. I wanted to post weekly reviews of books across all different genres. Unfortunately being a full time A level student was a whole lot more work that I could have ever imagined. Plus being a perfectionist when it comes to essay writing, of which 3 out of my 3 A level subjects consisted of, really eats away at your free time, not that I had any in the last month or so. I don't mean to demonise A levels. The subjects I did were extremely worthwhile and opened up new areas of learning that I had not before experienced. However, in order to do my best, I needed to spend every waking moment glued to desk over an awe-inspiring mountain of books and worksheets - an image that will forever be imprinted on my brain. As a result, I fell out of my blogging routine and even, for a brief period during my examinations, stopped reading for pleasure. I have truly missed being immersed in the worlds created by writers new and old.

 

To restart my blog I wanted to completely redesign and add even more content. As a lover of fashion and beauty since I was little I wanted to incorporate these aspects also into my blog whilst retaining the same style reviews of books and literature. I really want to expand this blog even more so its not just another book review blog, but a physical representation of my own personality. So starting from Sunday I will be posting reviews, hauls and general thoughts and opinions on topics covering a wide spectrum including, books, clothing, beauty, travel and much, much more.

I look forward to reconnecting with the blogger community again and hearing your own thoughts and opinions about books, beauty and fashion!