Review: Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Title: Hourglass
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Year of Release: 2010
ISBN: 978 0 7322 8968 0 (pbk.)
Source: Purchased
Bianca has found refuge again with the Black Cross, and she and Lucas work desperately to keep her secret. In this company, being a vampire is a death sentence, and the two of them live and train alongside the hunters without anyone noticing her increasing need for blood. 
Even though she's with the boy she loves more than anyone else in the world, Bianca can't help worrying about the family and friends she left behind. Caught between three feuding worlds, it's starting to feel as though she'll never be entirely at peace again. 
When another betrayal puts the lovers in mortal danger once more, they realise that all they truly have is each other. But with the secret of Bianca's birth taking hold, not even Lucas can help her win her toughest fight. 

Nothing I say in this review will be enough to say how much I enjoyed reading this book. It was positively fabulous. It was the first book in the series to be set away from Evernight and that just made it all the more suspenseful. I finished this book within a matter of days- it was un-put-down-able and without a doubt my absolute favourite in this series so far. Black Cross- the secret organization that specializes in hunting and killing vampires has taken Bianca and her friend Raquel under their wing and are teaching them the ropes. Little do they know, Bianca is a vampire- the creature they despise- and if they knew the truth, she would be slaughtered without a moment's hesitation. No one has noticed her increasing need for blood and she can only go five days without it before the craving gets to be too much. The physical signs begin to show too- she's weaker, paler, and her reflection in mirrors is beginning to disappear. If she doesn't get blood soon, there's a good chance the Black Cross hunters will catch on. After a whirlwind of events that unfold one after the other, Lucas and Bianca are forced to leave Black Cross and make it on their own. No money, no home and no food, they're pretty much stuck. After borrowing money from a few friends and living in Vic's basement, the two seem pretty much set for a while. That is, until Bianca starts getting dizzy spells. She's gradually getting weaker and is losing her appetite for blood. She doesn't know what's happening to her and Lucas is worried. With no way to contact her parents or the friends she once had at school, Bianca and Lucas are on their own. 
Okay, I'll stop there. I hope I've given you a good enough summary of the book to make you want to get into this series. It's great. Mystery, suspense, vengeful vampires, a steamy romance and an earth-shattering conclusion all make this book so beautiful and I would highly recommend it and the series. If you're a fan of the Vampire Academy series, you'll love these books! 

Review: Stargazer by Claudia Gray

Title: Stargazer
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Year of Release: 2008
ISBN: 978 0 7322 8968 3
Source: Purchased
"I kissed Lucas again, more slowly this time. We held each other tighter, and I started to wonder how much closer we could get- and then I remembered what it had felt like when I drank his blood."
Evernight Academy: an exclusive boarding school for the most beautiful, dangerous students of all- vampires. Bianca, born to two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one of them. But Bianca fell in love with Lucas- a vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school. 
Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Cross- or deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight. Bianca's secrets will force her to live a life of lies. Yet Bianca isn't the only one keeping secrets. When Evernight is attacked by an evil force that seems to target her, she discovers the truth she thought she knew is only the beginning...

I'll be straight- I'm conflicted. I can't decide if I like these books or not. They are by no means the best vampire-romance stories I've read and they aren't to die for and Lucas isn't all that hot and they are kind of cheesy, but on the other hand, there is a truth to the story and the plot is incredible and it is well written, so I honestly don't know. I liked the first book better, I always like the first book of a series best, but this one had more action, secrecy and suspense than the last one, which was good. 
Lucas has been forced to run away from Evernight and Bianca can't go with him, despite how much as she would like to. They are in love. What seems petty and selfish and stupid to her superiors is actually true and pure and she will do anything to be with Lucas. They arrange meetings, but these don't always work the way they want to. Lucas belongs to Black Cross- an organization based on killing vampires- and his schedule is understandably unpredictable. Instead of Bianca having to sneak away from the school to see him, she puts her faith in Balthazar- a 300 year old vampire intent on finding his sister Charity who is in town. They strike a deal. Balthazar is respected and has authority. If he and Bianca fool people to believe they're dating, he can get permission to take her off campus. She can meet up with Lucas and he can focus on hunting down his sister. It's a win-win. But when other supernatural forces attempt to penetrate the school and target Bianca, they realise that they have more to fear than getting caught.
I really liked this story-line. It was much more interesting than the last one, but then again, I did find it kind of cheesy at times. I will recommend this series if you are a vampire fanatic, but don't read them if you're sick of all those vampire books because this one is pretty much exactly like the rest of them. 
(You can find links to relative websites in my review on Evernight)

Review: Evernight by Claudia Gray

Title: Evernight
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Year of Release: 2008 (USA), 2009 (Aus.)
ISBN: 978 0 7322 8967 6
Source: Purchased
Bianca wants to escape. She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow are too perfect: smart, sleek, and somehow predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in. Then she meets Lucas. He's the not the 'Evernight type' either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs and wants Bianca to be careful- even when it comes to caring about him. 
"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would." 
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them both apart... and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed. 

Upon picking up this book, I thought this would be just another stupid vampire book. Truthfully, it wasn't the best vampire based book I've read, but it definitely wasn't the worst. It had a fantastic plot and Gray is a very talented writer. What many authors fail to realise is that when writing in the first person, you must take on the role of that character and become them, writing in their point of view and not your own. It's not an easy thing to do and takes a lot of practice, but Gray was able to do this beautifully. 
The book was a little predictable, but what I didn't expect was to find out the vampire was the girl in the story and not the boy, like in so many other vampire love stories. Twilight, The Vampire Diaries- they all star a boy as the mysterious vampire and the girl as the love-struck idiot. It was surprisingly refreshing. Lucas has a secret of his own that I wasn't expecting. It's like two people who are so in love, but are torn apart because of who they are. This made it so interesting that I practically read the entire book in under three days. 
At first, you think that all the students at Evernight Academy are evil vampires and Bianca is a clueless human. You would never, ever expect that she would turn out to be one of them. If you did, leave a comment, I want to talk to you because you're awesome. 
If you are looking for a book about a vampire boarding school, I would definitely recommend the Vampire Academy series over this one. But I do suggest you read it for yourself if you're really into the vampire, supernatural stuff as much as I am.
Links:
Visit Claudia Gray's official website here! 

Review: Toxic Friends: The Antidote for Women Stuck in Complicated Friendships by Susan Shapiro Barash

I don't think this book requires me to provide a blurb, the title speaks for itself. I picked up this book because I was having problems within one of my friendships and was looking for some advice and a little insight into what to do. This book seemed like the most reliable. I wasn't planning on reviewing it, but I enjoyed it so much, that I thought all you women out there should really know about this one. Even if you're not stuck in a complicated friendship, this book really will help you to do the right thing by you. You may think you know a friend, but this book is a real eye-opener. 
Find out whether to tolerate, ditch or keep your friends based on this whimsical, eye-opening and thought-provoking book that will have you renewing your self-confidence and worth by deciding which friends are good for you and those who don't deserve you. Many self-help writers will often skip over the difficult situations that many will come across because they are not able to provide a decent resolution. Susan Shapiro Barash however, was wonderfully intelligent, honest and compassionate in her writing. 
She provided beautiful examples of what women could be going through within their friendships with books, T.V shows, papers, all modern day things that related, consisting of fiction and non-fiction examples. 
You will find names for all of your friends within the pages of this deeply satisfying and enlightening book. 
(Sorry if I've gotten too deep with this review, I was listening to Ed Sheeran while writing it.)
I do recommend this book to all women who need a little advice, trying to figure out if you should keep your friend, or if it would be better for you to leave her/him. If there was one thing I learnt from this book, it's that if your friend makes you frown more than she makes you smile- tell her goodbye. 

Review: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day... or who did the heart breaking and wondering why."

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. 

This book is one of my favourites by far. It's deeply compelling and fair style of writing present a beautiful, coming of age story. A book with a fascinating sense of emotional acuity and precision, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is beautifully written and often inspirational. It offers a unique insight into the life of someone who is not popular and good-looking, but rather shy and quiet and small. As my personality is similar to that of Charlie's I could often relate to what he was feeling in particular situations. I think that more people are able to relate to the character of Charlie because he is a much more realistic character set in a much more realistic story. Not all high school themed books have beautiful, popular girls on a cheer leading squad with boyfriends who are the captain of the football team and then ignore the other boys whose personalities are similar to Charlie's. It's not realistic, nor idealistic. Charlie is a more sensible character and it was a nice change. Especially since it came from a boy's point of view, it made the book more enticing and was a bit of an eye-opener. 

Charlie is someone who is thrown into a world where he has no experience and is trying to navigate it the best way he can. So we do develop a bit of a soft spot for him. When he meets Patrick and Sam, they become friends instantly despite the age gap. With these two amazing characters by his side, Charlie finally feels a sense of belonging. And with Sam, he now needs to learn how to deal with crushes. 

I highly recommend this book and would love to hear your views on it if you've read it.

The movie The Perks Of Being A Wallflower will be released on September 20 this year and stars Logan Lerman as Charlie, the lovely Emma Watson as Sam and Ezra Miller as Patrick.

You can view the entire cast and crew here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1659337/ 

Leave your comments below! 

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year of Release: 2011
ISBN: 9780545259088
Source: Purchased
Number of Pages: 386
then.
When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from a curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives. 
now.
That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt. 
forever.
Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present and the future are about to collide in one pure moment- a moment of death or life, farewell or forever. 
This book was probably the best one in the series. I absolutely adored the characters and was devastated to be leaving this amazing series behind. I have become so attached to the characters. This book made me laugh, cry, sigh, yell out in frustration... etc. Cole's one liners and hidden adoration of the other characters just strengthened the crush I had already developed for him. 
I particularly love the cover art of these three books and how each one reflects the story of the novel. In Shiver, the cover portrays a wolf looking out from behind a tangle of branches. We know this to be Sam longing for a human life to be with his summer girl. In Linger, we see a girl walking away from a wolf in the woods that is staring at her retreating figure and after reading the book, we understand that she is trying to deny her fate for as long as possible. And finally in Forever, we see a boy watching helplessly as a wolf stares back at him from the woods.
Really, the only thing I wanted from these books was to see Isabel and Cole get naky  together like every reader hoped they would. And all they did was share a few brief, yet passionate kisses that hardly sufficed. Grace was adorable, as usual, and Sam was tough and loyal. Cole was funny and broke my heart, Isabel was the same and her dad was still an asshole idiot. 
So, to summarize, I really enjoyed this book and was very satisfied with the ending, minus the Isabel/Cole part. 
Please leave your comments below, I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year of Release: 2010
ISBN: 9780545123280
Source: Purchased
Number of Pages: 360
the longing. 
Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.
the loss.
Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life as a wolf while denying the ties of being human.
the linger.
For Grace, Sam and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces- wolf and human- with love baring it's two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?
I do think I like this one better than the first one. In this book we get two new perspectives accompanying Sam and Grace's- Cole, the new wolf and Isabel. This book is more intense than the last one and has more mystery to it. You feel sad to see the characters you have grown to love get hurt, as they often do throughout this book. Not only do we see both Sam and Grace in a new light, we also get the opportunity to welcome Cole and Isabel into the story and we grow to love them too. No doubt you're all crushing on Cole as much as I am. 
Beautifully written, even poetic at times, and inspired by famous poetry, song lyrics and lots of coffee, Linger is an enchantingly dangerous and mesmerising combination of love, loyalty and the constant battle between human and wolf, all the while afraid of the possibility of loss that is ever present.