Review: Helen of Troy by Margaret George

I love the legend of Troy and how it is believed that the war started because of the gods, specifically Eris, who was the goddess of discord and chaos because of her nature she wasn't invited to the wedding of the gods Peleus and Thetis but she interrupted the party and in anger threw a golden apple amongst the goddess with the words inscribed on it "to the fairest". Three goddesses claimed their rights to it and decided a mortal should decide who deserved it, so they called Paris Prince of Troy who was a shepard's son having been outcasted by his family after his sister Cassandra had a vision that Paris would be the one to burn Troy to the ground. Each goddess offered Paris something, wisdom the ability to win every battle but Aphrodite caught his heart by whispering that she could give him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris chose Aphrodite and in a rage the other goddess's left sealing Troy's fate.

Helen of Troy is told from the perspective of Helen and the book starts from when she is born, with golden hair, blue eyes and pale pink skin and how it was rumoured that she was the son of god when he went to Helen's mother in the form of a bull. The story follows Helen as she grows up and eventually is eligible for marriage and receives a 100 suitors, her father feared that a war would break out after Helen decides who she shall marry so they suitors have to swear that they shall honour who Helen marries and if any man shall ever take her away they will go to war. Helen chooses a husband, Menelaus and has a daughter Hermione but events are going on in Troy when Prince Paris shows up after been gone for many years and he is on his way to Troy.

Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now, Margaret George, the highly acclaimed bestselling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.

Margaret George breathes new life into the great Homeric tale by having Helen narrate her own story. Through her eyes and in her voice, we experience the young Helen's discovery of her divine origin and her terrifying beauty. While hardly more than a girl, Helen married the remote Spartan king Menelaus and bore him a daughter. By the age of twenty, the world's most beautiful woman was resigned to a passionless marriage until she encountered the handsome Trojan prince Paris. And once the lovers flee to Troy, war, murder, and tragedy become inevitable.

In Helen of Troy, Margaret George has captured a timeless legend in a mesmerizing tale of a woman whose life was destined to create strife and destroy civilisations.

This is an unforgettable read that follows Helen through her whole life not just when she was in Troy but afterwards and what happened to her, the face that launched a thousand ships. I absolutely adore this book!

Review: Reunion (The Mediator #3) by Meg Cabot

This is one of Meg Cabot's best series! Suze, the main character, is a mediator (she can see dead people and needs to help them 'get to the other side'). Suze sees the RSL Angels, teenagers who recently died in a horrible car accident when they flew off the rails into the sea on their way to prom and they are NOT happy and are out for blood, the other driver who they begin to haunt and try many times to kill him. Suze is able to solve the mysterious crash incident with the help of the ghost crush, Jesse, Father Dominic and her best friend Gina. This has to be my favourite book in the Mediator series as it has a darker tone and is probably the one with the most action!

Review: Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

 I know I say this is every review but this book is AMAZING! The book starts of on a relaxing start by introducing the characters then jumping right into the storyline. The book is basically about a small town in rural Australia where it is invaded by foreigners, everyone is captured and imprisoned except for a small group of teens who were off in the bush on a camping trip and had no idea that an invasion had occurred. The story is told from the point of view of Ellie. The book is about survival and the complicated relationships of teenagers who have to deal with growing up to look after themselves and save their families and town.


Anyone who loves the apocalypse or survivalist genre, young adult books and Australian authors will instantly become a fan of this book!

Review: Shift by Em Bailey

This book is completely and utterly amazing, one that I could not put down! Everything is perfect the storyline is phenomenal with a bunch of unsuspecting twists and turns, this is a book that will instantly hook you.


The protagonist, Olive is beautiful, witty, sarcastic teenager with a lot of problems, ever since her dad left she hasn't been the same and has convinced herself that she is the reason he left but Olive has Ami, her best friend who also suffered a similar family misfortune. 


When a new girl arrives at Olive's school- Miranda Vaile, rumours start going around that she killed her parents, this made Olive intrigued and so she decides to uncover Miranda's secret by googling her symptoms on-line and found out Miranda is a shape shifter. A shape-shifter is said to be an organism that sticks onto its host and drain his/her life force away. Olive doesn't know whether this is true, but evidences are pointing towards it.


This book is fantastic because it is extremely hard to determine the line between fantasy and reality, after a while I figured out it is set in a normal place with paranormal elements. This book is cleverly spun into what seems to be a thriller with a high factor of creepiness at times. This book also has fantastic characters with many flaws making them seem more realistic. Shift is a engrossing novel that breaths a fresh breath of air from the usual teen paranormal books, honestly no one could ever regret reading this.

Review: The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

This is the first book in the Luxe series. It is about New York socialites in the 1900's and it is a cross between Pride and Prejudice and Gossip Girl, it is an easy read. The first book is mainly centred around Elizabeth Holland who is to marry the most eligible bachelor in New York but Elizabeth has many secrets on of them is that she is in love with William, the stable boy. 

This series is magnificent with an amazing story line but shamefully it is poorly written Godbersen tries very hard to draw readers in but she makes the time period seem boring and dull, which it definitely was not! I became frustrated at times because the dialogue and actions of the characters where not suitable to the time frame of the novels.

This series would be a good read for teenage girls who love gossip girl, scandal, romance and vengeance, I guess this book really is an old-fashioned Gossip Girl society!

Review: The Princess Diaries 10/10 by Meg Cabot

This is the final novel in the Princess Diaries out of the whole Princess Diaries series this has to be my favourite mainly because Mia has matured and [quite honestly] she can frustrate anyone but at least it can be amusing at times. Cabot does not disappoint in this concluding novel of her no.1 best seller! I am extremely disappointed that I've come to love this series when it has reached its end. This was the only book in the series that I was unable to put down, which I do say a lot but this is the only book in this series that I am unable to put down.


A great thing about this series is that it follows Mia as she goes through high school, when she goes through hard times, fun new things and is afraid to talk to even her close friends about difficult issues, Cabot was able to seriously connect with the character and make Mia mature and realise that you should be able to share things with your friends, these type of things is what has made this series a best seller.

REVIEW: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The Debut novel of Marissa Meyer, Cinder is the first in a collection of fairytale re-takes and the first book of the Lunar Chronicles.

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl…
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

I was really excited when I received a copy of Cinder to review thanks to Penguin, and I have finally gotten around to reading it; and I am so glad that I did!

Cinder is described as being a re-take on the fairy tale of Cinderella, which, for me is what I thought was clever about it. Meyer manages to incorporate elements of the classic fairytale, sometimes twisting and changing them to fit the story; while at the same time building an amazingly unique world that has a life of its own.

The plot is imaginative and cleverly intertwined with all elements of the novel to create a complex, futuristic, semi-dystopian world brimming with characters reminiscent of old and new archetypes.

To read the rest of this review, go to The Book Slooth