Friday 29 November 2013

Let's talk about: The Walking Dead


So series Four of The Walking Dead has been on for a few weeks and it is amazing! The Walking Dead was  is one of my favourite t.v shows ever. 



I remember when I watched the first episode on the t.v and I became completely captivated and addicted. Every episode was tense and you just couldn't look away. There was the constant threat of walkers and it helped to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire way through. When it ended it felt like years until series 2 came around.

Ah series 2. What can you say about series 2? It was pretty much the BEST series of any t.v show EVER. Every episode was even more tense and had more action than series one did. The whole thing with Sophia was gripping and full of questions.We had the welcome edition of the farm and its inhabitants. The series 2 finale was Oh My God good!!! It was one of those things that you just couldn't help but watch over and over and over again and still be surprised. When I looked up clips of the finale before it was released the announcer stated "Due to the intense nature of the finale this will be the only clip released." 



Then there was series 3. Sigh. Ah series 3, what happened? You had so much potential but then we got to about episode 3 or 4 and it was just so blah. Dull and boring, nothing tense or exciting. Far too many people and far too little walkers. It just got very boring. That's not to say that there wasn't some good moments. There was some very heart-breaking moments but overall just failed to deliver. The finale was so dull, in my opinion anyway. There was no tension and I found myself starting to fall asleep while watching it. 



And now series 4. It feels like the good old days before the atrocity of series 3. The tension is back. The walkers are back. The Walking Dead is back. The anticipation for every episode is so great that I wish I had a time machine. Anyone want to get me a time machine? I won't go into great detail in case any of you haven't seen it yet. But it is Oh My God good. I really hope the series continues like this cause it's amazing!


What do you guys think? Have you been watching series 4?

Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Summary from Goodreads:
Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.


Mila 2.0 has been on my TBR list for a while and I finally bought it. When I started I was immediately hooked.

Debra Driza very quickly had be in her grasp and didn't let me go until the very end. There wasn't a single point in the book when I began to feel bored. It was such a compelling and unique story with characters that I adored and just couldn't get enough of.

What I really loved about this book was that, eventhough there is a love interest, it didn't consume the plot. There was just enough to keep us satisfied but not so much that it compromised the plot. The story was strong and flowed flawlessly throughout the entire book.

Mila's story had me captivated from the very beginning. She was such a wonderful and compelling character that you couldn't help but love. At times I wanted to shake her and hug her all at the same time. She was one of those character that you really didn't want anything bad to happen to. You want to put her in your pocket and protect her from all harm. That's not to say that she is weak. She is one of the strongest characters that I have read. In simple terms; I love her.

Debra Driza did an excellent job here. It was a refreshing plot with excellently developed characters. Go read it right now!


Sunday 24 November 2013

Review: Torn by David Massey

Torn
Summary from Goodreads:
Afghanistan. In the heat and dust, young British army medic Elinor Nielson watches an Afghan girl walk into a hail of bullets. But when she runs to help, Ellie finds her gone. Who is she? And what's happened to her? What Ellie discovers makes her question everything she believes in, even her feelings for the American lieutenant who takes her side.

When I picked this book up I didn't expect to like it as it isn't the type of book that I usually read. Having said that I completely and utterly loved it. I loved it so much that I stayed up until all hours reading it and had it finished in a few hours.

There isn't much that I can say because I am completely lost for words. This book was wonderful and haunting and addictive. There was always something happening, whether it was gunfire or bombs you were kept in constant suspense. You just  wait for something bad to happen because it's war and bad things happen. And people die and it's tragic.

The writing style was very strong and easy to read. Massey expertly crafted images designed to shock us and to make us feel and think. There very eerie moments in the book that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I was nearly in tears at several instances. Having said that, the book was certainly not all doom and gloom. There were some very humorous moments courtesy of Ellie and her friends.

My favourite thing about this book was how much Ellie developed and grew as a character. She was so different in the end as compared to how she was in the beginning. I also loved the relationship that developed between Ellie and Husna, a twelve/thirteen year old boy. It was such an unlikely friendship and I think that's what I liked about it so much. 

The only thing that annoyed me was that it just wasn't long enough. I would have loved a longer book but that might have taken away from the story.

Tuesday 19 November 2013

Review: Red Tears by Joanna Kenrick

Red Tears
Summary from Goodreads:
Emily Bowyer is a normal, confident teenager. But beneath the surface she has a wretched secret. Because, for Emily, life isn't as much fun as it would appear. Her friends are going off her and her parents only seem to care about her troubled brother. Tension, pressure, anxiety, anger and self-hatred - where does it go when no one will listen?

This was one of those books that just strikes you and stays with you long after you finish it. It makes you realise that you have no idea what is going on in someone else's mind. It's amazing how relateable Emily was in the book and I found that a lot of things she felt were things that a lot of teenagers feel at that point in their lives. 

One thing that really disturbed me, and kinda made me feel sick, was how people reacted when they found out about Emily cutting. What her school did made me feel physically sick and it seemed as though no one wanted to help her they just wanted to cover up what she was doing and didn't really want to see the reasons for why she did this to herself. I have full sympathy for Emily and I just wanted to hug her and try and help her through it. The way her mother reacted to it made me so mad. It was as if it was happening to her and I just wanted her to stop being so selfish and help her daughter. 

Joanna Kenrick's writing style was so easy to read and you could feel every emotion from Emily. It was sad and disturbing but you couldn't stop reading because you wanted to see if Emily would be able to get through it. I have to say that the ending was just perfect. I think was a beautiful way to end and it left you with a feeling that things get better and that if you are going through something difficult that things do get better even if it doesn't feel like they will.

It was a thought provoking book that will stay with me for a long time.

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Review: Remembrance by Michelle Madow

Remembrance (Transcend Time, #1)
Summary from Goodreads:
Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy


When I first heard about Remembrance I was so excited. I mean a book based on the Love Story music video by Taylor Swift just sounds amazing. I am a big fan of all things Swifty so I felt like this book would be perfect for me.

However, I am sad to say that I didn't like it that much. 

Our main character, Lizzie, was far too annoying for me to like her. To me she appeared selfish and shallow. Very quickly she sees Drew and we have the insta-love....I am not a fan of insta-love. Straight away she is obsessed with him. But then he starts dating her best friend. Yet this doesn't stop her. Her thoughts were extremely selfish. Several times when Chelsea, her best friend, was talking about Drew Lizzie would think something about how Drew was hers. On one stage she even though "She doesn't know how she's hurting me." Why would she? Drew is her boyfriend, not yours.

Lizzie is no the only one to blame her. Drew was just as bad. He basically used Chelsea. I didn't like him. I preferred Jeremy, not that I liked him that much.

Chelsea was my favourite character. I loved her and I wish we saw more of her. I could read several books with her as the main character. I was thrilled to see that the novella, Vengeance, is from Chelsea's POV! (YAY!)

Michelle Madow has an enjoyable writing style and I found myself re-reading several passages.

Even though most of the characters were annoying and I found myself rolling my eyes several times it was still ridiculously addictive. Darn it! I can't say that I hated it, cause I didn't and I will definitely read the next books.

Sunday 10 November 2013

Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Where She Went
Summary from Goodreads:
It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future-and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I StayWhere She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.


If I Stay was one of the best books that I have ever read so I was very eager to readWhere She Went. I was worried that it wouldn't be as good as I hoped it would be. I was wrong, it was brilliant. When I heard that it was from Adams POV I was so excited as I adored Adam in If I Stay. Can I also say that the girl on the cover looks a bit like Emilie De Ravin.


I adored every single aspect of it and when I started reading it the world around me disappeared. I was completely entranced by Adam and the story and I just couldn't wait to read what happens next. Every moment of his story was heart wrenching and wonderful. I was so completely and utterly entranced by every single moment and it was so hard to stop reading. It was impossible not to feel for Adam every step of the way.


Hands down one of the best book that I've ever read. I adored this book. And I will always treasure these characters. I'm not going to spoil anything by telling you if they get there happily ever after, but I will say that this is worth every single second of reading. Fans of If I Stay will not be disappointed, this is one journey your not going to want to miss out on.


What's going on I hear you say.

So some of you may be wondering what is going on here. Trust me, I get it.

As you all know Megan and I left this blog and made new new ones. Well I have decided to come back.

I just didn't feel the same connection to my other blog as I do to this one. This was the blog that I started with and this is the blog that I want to keep. So I'm back. For good....Hopefully.

Megan has decided not to come back because she has hardly any free time. But she might come back to do a few posts when she has more time.


I want to say thank you for not leaving even when I left. I hope we can start again!

~Leona

Saturday 9 November 2013

I met Veronica Roth


So on Sunday 3rd November my sister and I travelled to Dublin to meet Veronica Roth. I can't even begin to describe my excitement. Dublin is my favourite city and Veronica is one of my favourite authors.

The event was in Easons (an Irish bookshop) on O'Connell street. We went in, got our tickets an were sent downstairs. When we got down there were some staff that took out tickets and then asked us what faction we are. I said Dauntless and they gave us a rubber bracelet and a badge with the faction symbol on it. We also got a bag with different items in it such as an Allegiant bookmark and postcard as well as a catching fire poster. We were pointed in the direction of the Dauntless faction. We were standing while everyone else sat on the ground.

Then another staff member came up to us and asked if we wanted to move over to Amity as there were good seats. We said sure and then he got us a bad and bracelet for Amity. I thought he would take the Dauntless stuff back but he said we could keep them because he didn't want us to have to leave Dauntless fully.

After 3 Veronica came down the stairs and everyone started freaking out. The organiser of the event went up and was talking and saying how he was calm until we started freaking out. 

Then Veronica came up and read for us. She read the moment when Tris jumps, from Divergent but it was from Four's POV. Then we had a Q&A session and my question was the last question that she answered.

And then it was time for the signing!!!!!!! When I got up Veronica smiled at me and asked me how I was. I could barely talk and I was completely starstruck!! She was so lovely and then I told her how I had written reviews on my blog for her books giving them 5* and she seemed so happy!

She was such a lovely person and It was the best day EVER!!!!