Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone  (Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Release date: 6 June 2013 (New UK edition)
Publisher: Indigo
Source: Received for review
Reason for reading: Everyone has raved about it
Rating: 4.5

Goodreads description:

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance.

My thoughts:

I watched the reviews of this book roll in when it was released as The Gathering Dark and thought it sounded really good, but I wasn't a huge fan of fantasy. Then once I got back into fantasy, I really wanted to read it but I figured I should wait until the re-release with the US cover/name. From that moment on I have been impatiently waiting, fighting the temptation to just buy it, so when Nina offered it to me for review slightly early, I couldn't help myself. 

Shadow and Bone was everything I hoped it would be. The world Leigh Bardugo has crafted is rich and interesting and detailed. I loved how it was clearly influenced by Russian culture; the names and words and the outfits and food, everything was inspired in a really interesting way. I love Russian culture so that element of the book was really appealing to me. I wanted to learn as much as possible about the world, the Grisha  ranks and the different types of powers, I was just so fascinated by it all. 

Alina was a really interesting character. She grew a lot in this book but still retained her personality. She maintained a healthy scepticism throughout part of this novel, but she accepted her position once it was clear she was Grisha. She struggled at first, but once she mastered her power she really grew in confidence. She clearly was a little insecure in herself, never being special or standing out and being, and feeling, overshadowed by those around her. But she was smart-mouthed in a way I found very entertaining and whilst not the strongest, most resourceful main character, she used her intuition and made the right judgements when necessary.

I can't talk about this book without mentioning the Darkling. I might be in love with the Darkling. Mysterious, funny, bit moody, possibly evil, he's ideal really. Thee scariest thing about the Darkling was that I totally got what he was doing, even if he did go about it in a rather controversial manner. He reminded me a little of Lenin leading the Bolsheviks against the Russian aristocracy (only, you know, more attractive). 

I always love books with journeys and this one has a literal journey that is mirrored by Alina's emotional and mental journey. She grew and discovered so much, both about herself and the world that she lived in. I was tearing through the pages, on tenterhooks through the latter part of the pages and my only criticism is that I wish there had been more: more detail, more story (more Darkling). 

TL;DR: Leigh Bardugo has created a richly imaginative world that I cannot get enough of. I cannot wait for the sequel and am literally counting down the days until its release. 

Shadow and Bone previously released as The Gathering Dark in the UK will be re-released with this new cover, alongside its sequel Siege and Storm, on the 6th June. Thank you to Nina at Indigo for my copy, which was received for an honest review. 

May wrap up post

It's the end of May! How quickly has THAT gone? I think I did pretty well in May; got a consistent blogging schedule back, read a decent amount of books AND got a special, super-exciting piece of news (which you can see at the end of the post)

Books read in May:

A Spoonful of Jam by Michelle Magorian (re-read)

Back Home by Michelle Magorian (re-read)
Darkfever by Karen Moning (3*)
Bloodfever by Karen Moning (4*)
Faefever by Karen Moning (4*)
Dreamfever by Karen Moning (4*)
Wait for You by J.Lynn (3*)
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (4.5*)
The Runaway Queen by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson (4*)
Heart-shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne (4.5*)
Torn by Cat Clarke (3*)
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn (3*)

Books acquired in May:

For review:

  

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainai

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

So I am insanely excited for Fangirl, TSfGaE I've started already and Shadow and Bone I ADORED (review to come soon!)

Bought:

For Kindle:

  

Books 2-5 in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning 

(I've read them all, loved them)

The Runaway Queen by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson 

(not quite as good as What Really Happened in Peru but I enjoyed it)

Wait For You by J.Lynn

(It was exactly what I wanted to read when I read it)

The Things We Did For Love by Natasha Farrant

(I haven't read this one yet but it does look good)

Borrowed:

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

(Wasn't sure but got the others for Kindle and, as above, loved them)

Favourite book(s) in May:

 

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and Heart-shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne were my favourite books this month, both excellent for different reasons. 

Thoughts on the month:

I'm really pleased with the amount of books I read this month. One was a novella and I sped through the 5 books in the Fever series which really boosted my numbers, but I think I did well. In terms of books acquired this month; I got 11 and I've read 8 (and a bit) so not much of an addition to my TBR which is good and I finally read2 books I really wanted to read (and they ended up being my favourite books of the month!)

And finally....

I got a job in publishing! I'm so excited to say that from 24th June I will be the new publicity assistant for Hachette Children's Books. It is exactly what I want to be doing and I am so excited to start; I still cannot believe I got the job! I'm not sure how it will fit in with my blogging yet, that's something I'm going to have to look at. 

How did you guys do this month?

Review: Torn by Cat Clarke

Torn by Cat Clarke
Release Date: 22nd December 2011
Publisher: Quercus 
Source: Bought for Kindle
Reason for Reading: UK author loved by everyone
Rating: 3/5 

Goodreads description:

Alice King isn’t expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she’s not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares… 

Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there’s Tara – queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down. 

Cass decides it’s time to teach Tara a lesson she’ll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever...

A compelling story of guilty secrets, troubled friendship and burgeoning love.

My thoughts:

I've sat back and watched the love that exists in the blogosphere for Cat Clarke. I've seen the release of each of her books with their intriguing premise and evocative covers and I've thought to myself "one day". Unfortunately, when the day finally came for Torn, I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to. 

My main issue with Torn is that it made me feel uncomfortable. Some people, I guess like isn't the right word really, but that sort of uncomfortable, tense feeling is something they look for/appreciate. A lot of people watch cringe comedy for instance, which is similar. I just cannot tolerate that feeling at all. So that feeling being present, all the way through this book, really impacted my enjoyment of it. It's good that a book can affect me so much, but when it is causing such an adverse reaction it isn't that great. 

At first I thought the plot was a bit far-fetched but when I thought about it, I could totally see it happening. A prank gone horribly wrong, scared girls panicking and making totally the wrong call and then leaving it too late to come clean. It made me totally suspicious of the disappearances we see in the news. 

I thought the characters were totally authentically teenage which was really great; Cat Clarke captured that teen voice perfectly and they were so diverse. I didn't really connect with any of them that much though, which didn't improve how I felt about the story. Rae was probably my favourite character and I really felt for her throughout this whole story. I really liked Jack as well he was so sweet and kind and caring and I just felt so sorry for him all the way through. I wanted him to know what happened but at the same time I didn't want anymore pain caused. 

The ending happened the way it had to happen and whilst I know it was an intentionally ambiguous, make-your-own-mind-up end I couldn't help but feel that it had to end there simply because there was nowhere else to go with the story.

TL;DR: I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately I just...didn't. I can see why it has such appeal though, it was a really good book, it just wasn't for me. So if you're into a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and give you that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, this is the book for you. 

Five Friday Favourites [3]

Welcome to Five Friday Favourites! A regular blog feature where myself or another blogger share their five favourites of a particular bookish category, be that favourite books ever, favourite recent releases or favourite bad boys ;)

Today I have the lovely Sophie who has shared her Five Favourite controversial novels

One of our specialties in UKYA is our preference for gritty, controversial novels. I’m a big fan of them myself and here are my top five favourite controversial YA novels:

• FORBIDDEN byTabitha Suzuma took my breath away when I read it during the summer of 2010. I’d never read anything like it. Forbidden is the story of Lochan and Maya, a brother and sister who looks after their siblings in a horrible home situation. They fall in love with each other. I wanted them to be together so badly, but I also knew it was so wrong! Never have I had such a heart-head struggle. And that ending, wow.

One of my favourite books so far this year has been Isla J Bick’s DROWNING INSTINCT. I’m a big fan of her post-apocalyptic series and I wondered how she’d handle the change to contemporary: brilliantly, actually. Bick draws characters who are damaged and broken by things that most people wouldn’t want to think about all while juggling the relationship between a student and a teacher. Motives are questioned and feelings are expressed. But Bick never casts judgment, only depicts two damaged human beings who sought comfort in each other. Breathtaking.

Meg Rosoff’s debut HOWI LIVE NOW is one of my favourite books of all time and I couldn’t even guess how many times I've read it. Though Daisy’s story tackles war, eating disorders and a relationship between two first cousins, that’s not what makes it controversial to me; it's the narrative style and language. Daisy swears, Daisy shouts and she doesn’t use proper punctuation and sentence structure. It’s verging on stream of consciousness and it’s utterly perfect. Never has a character’s voice been so perfectly captured before. If you haven’t read this yet, what on earth have you been doing for the last eight years?

JUNK byMelvin Burgess is often regarded as the controversial YA novel. Sex, swearing, drugs, prostitution; think of a taboo, Junk covered it. I was fairly young when I read this and I didn’t really realise how controversial it was until I re-read it last year. Burgess doesn’t pull any punches and his sharp, clear prose does Gemma and Tar’s story justice. This really is a book you have to read if you love contemporary, or YA, or reading.

I would say that all thought these four are my favourite controversial novels, Philip Pullman’s HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy is probably the most famous. I didn’t get around to read Northern Lights until last year and I still haven’t read the rest of the trilogy as I didn't love it the way I expected to, but I definitely understood why it made such a splash. Pullman’s take on religion shocked the media and outraged religious communities, causing it to be banned countless times. It’s an eye-opening trilogy and definitely worth a read.

So there you have it! My favourite controversial YA reads. Do you think I missed anything important? Disagree that any of these are controversial?

Thanks for hosting me Cait!

Thanks so much for sharing, Sophie! I LOVED Northern Lights, How I Live Now and Junk when I was a teenager! My favourite controversial book is probably Denial by David Belbin...what are yours?

Caitlin Considers: Books You Love More Than You Thought You Would

Have you ever had those books that, for whatever reason, you've read but weren't really sure about? And then you absolutely love them and become a little obsessed with them? Me too.

Usually I've read them because I was curious about them or because they've been recommended multiple times or because someone has lent them to me. The thing they all share was that I wasn't sure I'd like them before I read them, I started with little to no expectation of them or even expected to dislike them.

This is my actual favourite thing to happen when reading. I love to go from scepticism to adoration. I love that moment where you realise that you are so immersed in the story that it is 5am and you have to get up soon. I love when you spend days remembering the world, thinking about the characters.

My first memorable instance of this is with the Percy Jackson series. I bought the first book cause it was a fiver for the hardback and it sorta looked like Harry Potter. I didn't read it for a few months and at first, felt the writing style was too young but I was soon immersed in Percy's world. The next day I left early for college so I could run to a bookshop first and buy the sequel. This is where my love for Percy blossomed. Since then I've read all the books and the Heroes of Olympus books and made my boyfriend read them (one of my other favourite things about reading is having my boyfriend admit to enjoying a book he was initially dismissive of. The day he finally accepted Harry Potter is a very fond memory).

The second time it happened was with the Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow. I kept looking at them in the shop, thinking I might like them, but not prepared to spend the money to find out. Then I found them at a book sale, 2 for £1 and bought them (the first 2). I knew as soon as I started reading that I'd been stupid not to get them before. They were perfect for me, from the female main character to the mysterious hot boy to the heart-pounding action-filled plots.

Finding a book or series you adore is always magical. But finding it in a book you didn't expect to like much is always more so. There's just something about the change of attitude you have, of going from one feeling to another, opposite feeling. Of just knowing that you've found something special where you didn't expect to. 

Other books/series I love that I didn't expect to:

Divergent by Veronica Roth
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter
I Capture the Castle by Dodi Smith
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 
The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan 
Graceling by Kristen Cashore
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
The Fever series by Karen Moning

What books do you love more than you thought you would?

Series review: The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

Bloodfever (Fever #2) by Karen Marie Moning
Released: October 2007
Publisher: Delacourt Press
Reason for reading: Continuation of a series

Other books in the series: Darkfever, Faefever, Dreamfever. Shadowfever

Series rating: 4/5

**This is a review of books 2-5 in the series, my review of Darkfever can be found here**

Goodreads description of Bloodfever:

I used to be your average, everyday girl but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae, and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets. . . .

In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can’t trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V’lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them.

My thoughts:

As soon as I finished Darkfever I realised I needed to read the next one which I immediately got for my Kindle. It's weird, because reading the first book, I did have a lot of misgivings but I can safely say that this series is one of my favourite Urban Fantasy series' ever. I love the take on the Fae in this book, it's a little different from most interpretations and is really interesting.

My favourite thing about this series has to be the interactions between Barrons and Mac. They are so...multi-layered and complicated. There's an undercurrent of sexual tension with every conversation and this becomes more pronounced as the books progress. I loved wondering how they felt about each other, trying to find a hidden, or sometimes, not so hidden message in the words they exchanged. I loved their silent conversations; how they knew each other so well they could could interact non-verbally. They have to be one of my favourite character pairings ever. I really liked how their story arc turned out and the revelations that we had-and didn't have-about Barrons. I loved watching the change of attitudes that the two had towards one another and the gradual acceptance that came from so much time spent together. One of my only issues was that I found them so distracting I was often impatient to get to their next encounter and not always enjoying the rest of the plot in between!

Mac's character development across the series is outstanding. She goes from being a naive and quite annoying girl to a strong, capable and independent woman, fully able to fight her own battles and make her own choices. The things she did and the events that occured and what happened to her affected her character in a way that felt truly organic. I liked the explanation of her nature at the end of series that helped explain where some of her character changes came from. I liked how, at the end, she became a happy medium between the girl she was and the girl she became. She was lovable and fun but also hard and firm and wise. It was really interesting to see the parts of herself collide and combine across the series. 

I think the other characters are fantastic as well; the story is all about Barrons and Mac but V'lane certainly makes his mark and even Darroc has an interesting story arc. I loved the inclusion of Dani; a sort of surrogate sister for Mac. I loved how her character developed and the revelations we had about her, although I felt her story wasn't as complete as it could have been (although I have just discovered she features in the book Iced, so that now makes sense). I thought so many secondary characters such as all the fae, the sidhe-seers and the druids etc might confuse the story but they really didn't. I think the Dreamy Eyed Guy was one of my favourite characters. 

The ending of book 3 is when this series got serious for me. I just...was not expecting it to go down that way. I finished Faefever at 1am and I was just in shock. If I'd finished it earlier I would have started the next one immediately but I really needed to sleep! I really didn't know what was going to happen in the aftermath of that ending. I felt similarly about the ending of book 4, only worse! I literally could not believe what had happened. I found myself barely concentrating on book 5, unable to enjoy it until that particular plot element was explained. I also loved the almost post-apocalyptic feel that the latter half of this series had; it really added to the atmosphere and gave the story a grittier, more realistic feel. 

I found this series so riveting I just could not stop reading. I never guessed any of the plot twists and feel that this is one of the most surprising, most unpredictable, most enjoyable series I have read in a while. I was set a little on edge by the treatment of women (namely Mac) in this series. Sex is used as a weapon A LOT which was something I was not entirely comfortable with. It was also used in other ways that made me equally uncomfortable. A lot of the characters are very possessive of and domineering towards Mac which was something else I was not happy with. Mac did stand alone in this series and was clever in refusing to fully trust or ally herself with a particular person or group for the most part, but I felt that that led to her being constantly manipulated, lied to, ordered around and objectified in a way I wasn't too happy with. This is mostly why I deducted a point from my overall rating of the series. 

TL;DR: Despite my initial reaction to Darkfever; this series is far and away one of my favourites of its genre. With plotlines that left me constantly guessing and characters that take stereotypes and mould them into something new and interesting, the Fever series was an emotional and gripping ride. I urge anyone who loves urban fantasy to give it a read. 

Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever (Fever #1) by Karen Marie Moning
Release: 28th August 2007 (This UK edition)
Publisher: Dell (This UK edition)
Source: Library
Reason for reading: Nearly due back!
Rating: 3/5

Goodreads description:

"My name is MacKayla, Mac for short. I'm a sidhe-seer, one who sees the Fae, a fact I accepted only recently and very reluctantly.

My philosophy is pretty simple - any day nobody's trying to kill me is a good day in my book. I haven't had many good days lately. Not since the walls between Man and Fae came down. But then, there's not a sidhe-seer alive who's had a good day since then."

When MacKayla's sister was murdered, she left a single clue to her death - a cryptic message on Mac's cel phone. Journeying to Ireland in search of answers, Ma is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to master a power she had no idea she possessed - a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae...

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister's death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysteriou Jericho...while at the same time, the ruthless V'lane - an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women - closes in on her. As the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac's true mission becomes clear: to find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book - because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control both worlds in their hands....

My thoughts:

I requested this a month ago in the midst of my urban fantasy kick. It's clearly very popular because by the time I got it I had moved onto historical fiction. Not wanting to return a book I'd specially requested unread, I decided to give it a go. I knew barely anything about it aside from that it was urban fantasy and very popular and therefore wasn't sure what to expect.

The first thing that grated on me was the writing style. I hate that sorta omniscient looking-back-from-the-future style (please tell me there's a better name for that?) where the narrator starts sentences with ominous phrases like 'Little did I know' and 'Later I would come to realise'. I find it pulls me right out the plot and makes me feel like I'm reading an author's work rather than a character's story. That perpetuated throughout the whole novel and I did not like it. 

The other thing I was not a fan of was that at first, the characters seemed very cookie-cutter. There was the naive, sweet girl who knew nothing about the world she'd blundered into and the dark, brooding, give-nothing-away, borderline-abusive man she meets and inevitably exchanges barbs and information with.

Mac...annoyed me. I tried not to dislike her. I'm doing this new thing where I try really hard to like female MC's cause sometimes I feel like we're all so women-hating, especially when we are them...but I couldn't help it. She was so silly and stupid and vapid and childish. Blundering around this world she knew nothing about, talking about things she knew nothing of and I wanted to hit her. A little bit.  I felt the plot mirrored its main character in that, for a while, it didn't really seem to go anywhere. I was starting to get disappointed.

Eventually though, just as I was about to abandon all hope, the plot did get going. I liked the whole mystery aspect of it; the dual story of finding out what happened to Alina and also finding out more about the whereabouts and the story behind the Book. There was more action towards the end which I liked, culminating in the obligatory female main character being completely pulverized and put back together by the male main character. Suddenly, it wasn't easy to hate Mac anymore and I found myself starting to like her and her determination and, whilst she still blundered around, at least she never fully trusted anyone she encountered, which is totally smart. 

I'll admit, I did expect Mac and Barrons to get together. The introduction of V'lane did make me anticipate a love triangle and I rolled my eyes at the hate-hate relationships, waiting for the chapter when one of the stories evolved into the love it was inevitably going to. I was pleasantly surprised by how that element of the plot progressed and I enjoyed the little half-moment between Mac and Barrons near the very end. 

TL;DR: Whilst this book wasn't all I expected it to be and whilst I am a little apprehensive about the treatment of women in the story; namely the abusive behaviour that came  from all angles, the ending was intriguing enough to make me get the second one for my Kindle. Whilst its far from my favourite urban fantasy first book, I have high hopes for the rest of the series. 

Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Released: 7th March 2013 (UK)
Publisher: Puffin (UK)
Source: Bought
Reason for reading: I like New Orleans (and I needed a book for the BOGOHP offer in Waterstones....)
Rating: 5/5 

Goodreads description:

Out of the Easy is set against the vivid backdrop of 1950s New Orleans. Written by New York Times bestselling author Ruth Sepetys, this novel has something for everyone: love, mystery, murder, blackmail and warmth.

Josie Moraine wants out of The Big Easy - she needs more than New Orleans can offer. Known locally as a brothel prostitute's daughter, she dreams of life at an elite college, far away from here.

But then a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie caught between her ambition and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans is luring Josie deeper in as she searches for the truth, and temptation beckons at every turn.

My thoughts:

Out of the Easy was one of those books I heard about, thought looked interesting and promptly dismissed. Because it wasn’t quite interesting enough, because I had too much to read, because of all those other reasons I dismiss books in a split second. But my brain kept coming back and lingering over this one and then when I was looking for a second book for the Buy One Get One Half Price offer in Waterstones I thought “what the heck, I’ll get it” and let me tell you, I am so glad I did.

Josie was such a wonderful character, I loved that we saw her at such a young age because it really lent to her character as an older girl. To see what she lived through and was like when she was practically a baby was really sad, but seeing what she grew into was so inspiring. She could have easily gone the same way as her mother and the women she spent time with but she didn't. She was so determined to get out of New Orleans and make something of herself and live the life that she wanted to lead rather than the one she felt pressing on her from all angles.

I think Willy was my second favourite character. It was clear she really cared for Josie, even if she didn't always say it directly. I loved her disdain for Josie's mother and that it was clear that Josie was her first priority. In fact, I loved the support system Josie had around her. Despite her unconventional upbringing and lifestyle, she was surrounded by people that only wanted the best for her, and unfortunately, the one person who didn't care about her, who didn't want what's best for Josie, her mother, the one person who SHOULD have cared, was the one who managed to screw everything up.

The New Orleans setting really lent itself to the story; not only was it very atmospheric but you had the difference between the urine-soaked and bottle-strewn streets of the French Quarter and the opulent neighbourhoods lived in by the rich residents. It was a juxtaposition between where Josie was and where she wanted to be. The rich/poor divide was so clear and so disheartening but Josie never gave up, even when she knew her shoes were scuffed and her blouse was faded and her skirt wasn't the latest fashion. What I also loved about Josie was that she never forsook her principles; she never went back on what she believed in to get where she wanted, even when it seemed like she was heading down that slippery slope. 

At one point I felt like it was just not going to get any better. The story was getting worse and worse and it looked as though Josie was going to be stuck in New Orleans, the daughter of a whore, forever. It sounds weird to say this but I liked how it was such a tragedy that led to her second chance. It was such a bittersweet outcome to the story. 

TL;DR: Out of the Easy was a heartbreaking yet inspiring read. It's the story of a girl overcoming almost insurmountable odds to get the life she dreams of having. Beautifully written and set against the backdrop of evocative New Orleans this is a story that will stay with you for a long time after you finish. 

You can win your very own copy of Out of the Easy or Code Name Verity, giveaway is open internationally, simply fill in the Rafflecopter widget

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Memory Lane Monday [10]

Welcome to another edition of Memory Lane Monday. The idea behind this feature is to take a nostalgic stroll along the bookshelves of my past, looking at those books I've loved since I was a small(er) girl. 

Today is 2 books instead of one! Ooooh ;) But these are books I've been having nostalgic feelings about for a while and tried to resist re-reading until I thought "Actually, I'm gonna read them" so I borrowed them off a friend and am so glad I did:

Cuckoo in the Nest and A Spoonful of Jam by Michelle Magorian

Both are set in post-war England and follow the same family, the Hollis'. In the first book we see Ralph, who desperately wants to be an actor but has to fight against the wishes of his father, his social class and numerous other obstacles to do so. The sequel follows his sister, a smart girl who is tormented by bullies every day for a seemingly unknown reason.

Both books focus on the struggles faced not just by the individual, but by their family and by their class and by Britain as a whole following the second world war. They are heart-wrenching but also so feel-good and delightful. Sometimes when you re-read books from your younger years they don't measure up to your memory; but these absolutely do and I am so glad I re-read them. 

Have you read these books? If so, what did you think? And, can you recommend me anything similar?

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Five Friday Favourites [2]

Five Friday Favourites is a new, regular feature on The Cait Files where myself or another blogger will share their Five Favourites of a particular bookish category. Be it favourite books ever, favourite characters, favourite contemporary novels, whatever you fancy!

Today I have the lovely Lucy from Queen of Contemporary....3 guesses as to what category she chose ;)

As my blog is called Queen of Contemporary, it's a little bit obvious that I'm a lover of contemporary fiction. I've chosen to talk about my five favourite contemporary YA novels today and I'm hoping that some of you will pick up some recommendations.

Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt is one of my favourite contemporaries. It's incredibly cute and sweet, something I think that all contemporaries should include. Skin Deep is about a girl called Jenna who is in a car crash and the novel explores Jenna coming to terms with the acccident, through her point of view and Ryan's, the other protagonist. Laura Jarratt is one of my favourite UKYA authors and I'll read whatever she writes.

From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas is a really fun and fascinating novel. Because of this novel, I've really grown to love road trip novels and the changing perspectives was a really great addition.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is one of the most popular contemporaries, in my opinion, and I have fallen completely in love with it. Set in Paris, it's no surprise that this is a love story. Sent away to school in Paris by her father, Anna Oliphant then meets the charming Etienne St. Clair. It's safe to say that I fell head over heels for Etienne. Maybe that's why I love this book so much...

Nobody's Girl by Sarra Manning was a really quick read for me. I spent all night reading it and then kept trying to give it to anyone that would listen to me. It's another travel book and was also partly set in Paris. Can you see a trend here..?

And finally....Undone by Cat Clarke. This book made me cry so much and it's an incredibly emotional and poignant read. It kept me captivated throughout and I couldn't put it down. This is another one of my favourite UKYA books.

Thank you, Cait!

Thanks so much Lucy! Wonderful recommendations. I absolutely adore Anna and I swear I WILL read a Cat Clarke book this year!

If you'd like to be featured on my Five Friday Favourites posts, please email me: caitlinhlomasATgmailDOTcom - I'd love to hear from you :)