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

REVIEW: The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelly Armstrong

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…

First of all, let me say that I accidentally read the second book first. Now I know that it's not really relevant, but I would not want you to do the same thing - all I can say is: "the prequel effect."
So; the book order:
1. The Summoning
2. The Awakening
3. The Reckoning


Overall, I thought that this book was a cute, light and fun read; like a paranormal version of chick lit.



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

REVIEW: Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

Corrinne Corcoran’s upscale Manhattan life is perfectly on track—until her father announces he’s been laid off and she’s shipped off to Broken Spoke, Texas, to live with her grandparents. All alone in a big public school and forced to take a job shovelling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the glamorous life she’s supposed to be living. But as she grudgingly adjusts—making new friends and finding romance along the way—this city girl begins to realize that life without credit cards and shopping sprees may not be as bad as it seems.... 

Okay, so here's the deal: the story has been done before and there are no surprises - but, in saying that, it still finds a way to be really enjoyable. 

You know the story: 'little rich girl' becomes 'poor little rich girl' - literally. Moves to the country and becomes real person who isn't such a big-city-dwelling snob after all. 

Although Where I Belong does take on this story line - when I bought it I was aware of this and wasn't expecting anything else. Just a cute, fun read to take your mind off things; I found this great during a period where I had a whole bunch of school work due.

Read the rest of this review at The Book Slooth