2014 Wrap-Up: My Top Ten Picks for This Year

Image sourced from Peddhapati at Flickr

2014 is over! And I've read a lot of books this year. In fact, I've read 105 novels so there are a lot of books to choose from for my top ten favourites of the year. I've been quite selective with tagging books as "2014 favourites" yet despite that, I have 24 books on that shelf (click here to see all the books that made that short-list). So without further ado, here are my top ten picks for 2014!!!

Book Review: 1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell

Standalone novel

Publisher: Signet Classics

Published Date: 8 June 1949

Read Date: 8 September 2014

Tagged under: 5, Book Review, 2014 Read, 2014 Favourites, Classics, Dystopian, Adult Fiction

Check it out: @Goodreads, @Amazon, @The Book Depository

Book Summary

While 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is more timely than ever. 1984 presents a "negative utopia", that is at once a startling and haunting vision of the world - so powerful that it's completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of entire generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions - a legacy that continues to grow, not less, with the passage of time. 

Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Standalone book

Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell

Release Date: 13 September 2011

Read Date: 16 September 2014

Tagged under: 2014 fiction, 2014 favourites, 4, fantasy, adult fiction, historical, romance, book review

Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

The Circus arrives without warning.
No announcement precede it...
It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

In 1886, a mysterious travelling circus becomes an international sensation. Open only at night, constructed entirely in black and white, Le Cirque des Reves delights all who wander its circular paths and warm themselves at its bonfire. 

Although there are acrobats, fortune-tellers and contortionists, the Circus of Dreams is no conventional spectacle. Some tents contain clouds, some ice. The circus seems almost to cast a spell over its aficionados, who call themselves the reveurs - the dreamers. At the heart of the story is the tangled relationship between two young magicians, Celia, the enchanter's daughter, and Marco, the sorcerer's apprentice. At the behest of their shadowy masters, they find themselves locked in a deadly contest, forced to test the very limits of the imagination, and of their love...

Book Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Series: Anna and the French Kiss (Book #3) but can be read as a standalone
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: 14 August 2014
Read Date: 23 August 2014
Tagged under: 2014 read, 2014 favourites, contemporary, YA-fiction, romance, 4
Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

Loves ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 

Featuring cameos from fan-favourites Anna, Etienne, Lola and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love - set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris and Barcelona - is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins' beloved series. 

Book Review [Sorta spoilery for the first two books. Though again, so is the blurb]

Book Review: Prodigy (Book #2) by Marie Lu

Prodigy by Marie Lu

Series: Legend (Book #2)
Will need to read the first book prior to reading this one
For the beginning of the series, click here
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: 29th January 2013
Read Date: 17th May 2014
Tagged under: 2014 read, 2014 favourites, dystopian, YA-fiction, 4
Pages: 371
Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

She is a Prodigy...

Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?

Book Review: Legend (Book #1) by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu

Series: Legend (Book #1)

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Release date: 29th November 2011

Read: 31st January 2014

Tagged under: 2014 read, 2014 favourites, dystopian, YA-fiction, 3

Pages: 305

Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

He is a Legend...

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem 

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Book Review [Spoiler Free]

Having freshly finished the Legend series just prior to this review, it's hard not to let my feelings and views of Prodigy and Champion cloud my thoughts of Legend, the first book in this dystopian trilogy written by Marie Lu. Which is why although I have tagged this book (and series) as one of my 2014 favourites, I still left the rating of this book at a 3, the original rating I gave when I first finished this book.

Legend follows the story of June, a fifteen-year-old prodigy of the Republic, as she embarks on a quest to avenge the murder of her older brother, Metias, who was killed during a routine night of patrolling. Her target is the infamous Day, the Republic's most wanted criminal. But as the two of them meet and get to know each other more, June is forced to question her goal and the actions of the country she has sworn to protect.

As far as dystopian novels go, this one is a solid start to the trilogy. It features a strong powerful heroine and an equally capable hero. Both are strong with almost inhuman strengths and powers that gives this book almost a tinge of fantasy. The world they reside in is fully dystopian (none of the half-formed societies that some lesser books try to pass off as dystopian) with plenty of mystery and intrigue as to its past. And despite the almost instant attraction between the pair, the fact that June and Day are pitted against each other right from the start gives their friendship/relationship an off-kilter tone right from the start. 

The story line alternates between June and Day, giving the reader perspectives on both the world of the elite and rich, as well as that of the streets. But soon, as the characters meet, their worlds collide and the story line merges to one. One of the strength of Lu's writing is the fact that even though Metias is relatively a small character, the reader nevertheless relates to June's grief over his passing and can understand the reasons behind her actions. Another small facet that I really enjoyed was both June and Day's ability to notice very small details with regards to their surroundings. Legend is most definitely a strong dystopian novel and stands above the throngs of dystopian works that have flooded the market. 

But what prevented me from giving this book a higher rating is that I felt it just needed a bit more. As often is the case with trilogies, the author holds onto some trump cards for the later books. I felt that Marie Lu didn't reveal too much of the world building, leaving me with the sense that there is a bigger world out there but the story is isolated to just one city. There are also a lot of questions raised but never answered. While it was enjoyable, it didn't do enough to land on my favourites list on its own.

Overall: 3/5

I definitely enjoyed this book and it left me wanting to continue the series. It may be a harsh rating for such a solid read but I just felt Legend just needed to give a bit more than what it had. However, I would still highly recommend this book (and the series) to fans of the dystopian genre. 

Book Review: Split Second (Book #2) by Kasie West

Split Second by Kasie West

Series: Pivot Point (Book #2)
Will need to read the first book prior to reading this one
For the beginning of the series, click here

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: 11th February 2014

Tagged under: 2014 read, 2014 favourites, fantasy, 3.5, YA-fiction, book review

Pages: 343

Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

Life can change in a split second...

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can't believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She's always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too... but not without a price. 

When Addie's dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He's a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that. 

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie's memories... once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don't want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school - but he seems to be the only one who can help her. 

As Addie and Laila franctically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot... and a future that could change everything.

Book Review [Spoiler Free]

As soon as I finished Pivot Point, I immediately got my hands on Split Second and jumped straight in. The ending of the previous book was good but heart breaking at the same time. Even though the ending was not a cliffhanger, I still needed closure over the repercussions of Addie's decision at the end. So thank goodness, I didn't have to wait a whole year for the second book to come out.

Last warning: please read the first book before continuing on with this review, although it's spoiler free for this book, it will contain details regarding the first book, possibly spoiling Pivot Point for you.

In Split Second, Addie has to live with the repercussions of the choice she made six weeks ago. In need of a change of scenery, she decides to take up her dad's offer of staying with him for the winter break. But living in the Norm world brings its own challenges. Not only does she have to hide her ability, an issue that's growing more difficult as she gets to know a boy named Trevor, Addie is also uncovering things that have the potential to shake her world and what she knows about her family upside down.

Back in the Compound, Laila is racing against time. A note Addie left for herself reveals to Laila that she needs to restore Addie's memories - if only she know how. To do so, she recruits the reluctant help from Connor,the one boy who seems to be able to help her and the one boy who refuses to fall under her charms.

Similar to Pivot Point, Split Second also alternates between two story lines that are initially separate and distinct. Addie struggles with adapting to the Norm world while Laila trying to find a way to develop her ability. But gradually, elements of the two separate story lines begin to merge with one another until they intertwine to become one story line racing towards the climax.

Once again, the highlight of this series is the romantic developments. I got so much feels and emotions whilst reading this book. The chemistry between the characters are so heartfelt and the memories of "what could have been" in book 1 come back to haunt in a very beautiful way.

I initially didn't enjoy Laila's story line as much as Addie's. Laila comes across as a bit brash and determined to get things her way. But as pieces of her background begin to be revealed, Laila became more relatable and her story line just as interesting, particularly as things began to heat up between her and Trevor.

The reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one is because the plot line I felt is not as strong as the first one. The way Pivot Point unfolded, intertwined and reached its climax is so clever. And the ending is good yet so heartbreaking at the same time, leaving just a hint of hope for the future. Split Second's plot isn't as straight forward and clear cut, making it slightly confusing as to which direction this book is going. The ending is a bit rushed and I would have loved to see more of the couples before the book reached the ending.

Overall: 3.5/5

I still enjoyed this book. As it stands, this is a lovely duology. But if there is a follow-up to Split Second, I would definitely pick it up in a heartbeat. 

Book Review: Pivot Point (Book #1) by Kasie West

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Series: Pivot Point (Book #1)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: 12th February 2013
Tagged under: 2014 read, 2014 favourites, fantasy, 4.5, YA-fiction, book review
Pages: 343
Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

One Girl. Two Fates. One choice

Knowing the outcome doesn't always make a choice easier... 

Addison Coleman's life is one big "what if?" As a searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It's the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie's parents ambush her with the new of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with - her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the "Norms," or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should always be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it's not. 

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school - but she never wanted to be a quarterback's girlfriend. When Addie's father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she's unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she's willing to live through... and who she can't live without.

Book Review [Spoiler Free]

This book, like so many books I'm reading recently, came to me highly recommended, so much so that I listed this book and its sequel, Split Second, on my Autumn TBR list. The plot is intriguing, almost in a pick your own adventure/ending sort of way, and I eagerly dived into this book.

As the plot summary suggests, Addison Coleman has an advanced mind. Her ability, Divergence, allows her to "live through" two lives whenever she needs to make a choice and thus, helps her select which outcome she wants to end up in. Thus, when the story opens with the news of her parent's divorce, she decides to Search it for six weeks to decide her fate.

At first, the two separate choices are distinct stories, each with their own share of problems and intrigues. In the life that Addison chooses to stay with her mother, she stays with her best friend and is being pursued by the school's quarterback. But life soon changes from idyllic to something sinister as trouble brews in the horizon. In the life that Addison could have if she chooses to leave the Compound with her father, she becomes the new girl in a Norm school and has to juggle the need to keep her past life a secret and the growing friendships she is developing with the Norms. However, even out here, she couldn't escape the mystery that's brewing back in the Compound. 

As the two stories progress, things begin to intertwine and the reader discovers that perhaps the two lives are not as separate as everyone thinks. One of the best features of this book is as the two stories begin to overlap and blend, pieces of the two time streams begin to appear in one another. A close friend in one life will appear as an interesting stranger in the other. Someone that pops in and out of the characters' lives in one life has a name and background slowly revealed in the alternative. Witnessing Addison live out the two lives, the reader has a bit of foreknowledge yet at the same time, Kasie West keeps a tight reign on the plot and only reveals things at the time and place of her choosing. 

And the relationships! I'm not a big fan of love triangles unless it's done well and this one had me all gooey and melting on the inside. It's not technically a love triangle yet at the same time, Addison is in theory torn between the two boys and with her decision on which life she wants to live out, she does end up choosing one or the other. That's all I'm going to say on this topic. And my lips are zipped with regards to the ending. Suffice to say, I eagerly dived into Split Second as soon as I closed the cover of this book.

Overall: 4.5/5

This book is definitely a strong contender to be featured on this year's favourites list. I enjoyed it very much and can't wait to start its sequel. I highly recommend it to people looking for a good YA-fiction that's urban fantasy in nature without dystopian elements thrown in. 

Book Review: The Book Thief by Mark Zusak

The Book Thief by Mark Zusak

Standalone novel

Publisher: Picador

Release Date: 1st September 2005

Tagged under: 2014 read, 2014 favourites, favourites, historical, literary, 5

Pages: 584

Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller...

It is 1939. Nazi Germany.

The country is holding its breath.

Death has never been busier,

and will become busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up an object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, and it is her first act of book thievery. 

So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burning, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. 

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.

Book Review [Spoiler Free]

Having heard so many glowing review from fellow book bloggers, booktubers and just book lovers in general, I knew going into this book that this will be amazing. I guess, in a way, that's what made me hesitant to start this novel. After all, what if this book doesn't live up to all the hype?

Let me reassure you, this one does. It totally does. It even exceeds all my expectations.

With Death as its narrator, you know The Book Thief is going to be quite an unusual book. And it is. Nothing is told in chronological order. There is a heavy sense of foreshadowing of what is to come. And it is a story set in World War II - yet it's not about all the action and drama of the battles (though there is some elements of that) nor is it about the struggles of the Jewish (though there is some elements of that too). Instead, it is a tale of a young German girl growing up with a love of books and it is through her eyes, with the voice of Death, that you the reader experiences the daily lives that German citizens lived through.

If you go into this book expecting plenty of action and drama, you will be sadly disappointed. Yet at the same time, there is a lot more to the book than the daily lives of the residents of Himmel Street. Several strands of stories are woven together into a bigger tale and there are many spots where you have all the pieces of the puzzle but it takes a further couple of chapters before you see the full picture.

Another highlight of this book is its language. A quick glance through the reviews on Goodreads shows that most of them have listed some amazing quotes from this book. There are so many simple yet profound statements dotted throughout the book that leave you with a sense of wonderment as if you have suddenly realized - of course, why did I think of that? I wish I had kept track of all of my favourite quotes on my first read-through but I know I'll soon return to this book with plenty of post-it notes for a re-read. The following one still haunts me -

[On the topic of Jews on their death march to another concentration camp]

The suffering faces of depleted men and women reached across to them, pleading not so much for help - they were beyond that - but for an explanation. Just something to subdue this confusion.

Overall: 5/5

This is an amazing book, definitely one of this year's favourites and it has even earned itself a spot on my all-time favourites shelf. Had I read it in one go, I definitely would have been moved to tears. Unfortunately, due to work, I read it in fragments and had time in between to absorb some of the shock. Even then, there were a couple of moments where I came close to tears. I'll definitely be heading back for a re-read soon and putting a lot of post-it notes in to mark my favourite spots.

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Source: Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Series: Anna and the French Kiss (Book #1) - all can be read as standalones
Publisher: Dutton Jevenile
Release date: December 2 2010
Tagged under: 2014 read, 2014 favourites, contemporary, YA-fiction, romance, 4.5
Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

Paris was not where she wanted to be...

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Etienne has it all... including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Book Review [Spoiler-Free]

This book, and Stephanie Perkins in general, have been recommended to me so many times that I finally bowed down to temptation and picked it up. Once I started the book, it was so hard to put it back down. I think I eventually read the book in the span of a day, finishing well into the early mornings (and knowing full well I had to get up early for work).

Yes, it is just that good.

When Anna's father told her he is packing her off to complete her senior year in Paris, she is not pleased. Everything that she knows and loves about her life - her little brother, her mother, her best friend, her potential boyfriend, her job - is back home is Atlanta whereas she is stuck in a foreign country where she doesn't even speak the language. Yet somehow, through her trials and tribulations, Anna manages to pick herself up, make some new friends and meet a seemingly perfect prince charming Etienne St. Clair who has everything - looks, charms, intelligence, and a serious girlfriend. Join Anna as she journeys through a turbulent year of highs and lows and find herself in a completely new country.

In short, this book is simply adorable. The story is incredibly easy to slip into and you feel as Anna does as she battles with the feeling of being utterly alone in a foreign city. She is a well-developed character and everything she does, including going to the bread table instead of facing the French chef, is so plausible - it feels like just the kind of thing a new expatriate would do. (I still remember the day I snuck out of primary school in my first year in Australia and walked all the way to my dad's workplace instead of facing the potential wrath of my teacher because I forgot my pencil case - I didn't realize at that time Australian teachers are not that strict)

And Etienne St. Clair. *sigh* What can I say about him? He's the perfect boy everybody wants to be stuck overseas with. He's friendly, charming and so helpful when you feel lost. I really appreciated the way Stephanie Perkins established the relationship between Etienne and Anna. There is no instant click or love at first sight. The pair spend a good portion of the book as really good friends, each with their own problems. Stephanie Perkins manages the perfect balance between chemistry and that dangerous zone of "unrealistic romance." There are countless beautiful yet understated moments in this book and I won't spoil them - you'll have to read the book to enjoy the experience yourself!

And perhaps that is one of the best features of this book - the ever changing shift of circumstances as the characters all continue to grow and the dynamics of their relationships change. Nothing is straight forward in this book and that's the way it should be - life is rarely easy and march on in a straight line. Despite the fact that yes, this is a very familiar premise, Stephanie Perkins manages to keep everything real and at the same time, interesting.

Overall: 4.5/5

This book definitely lives up to the hype. I think Maureen Johnson, who wrote the praise at the back of the book summarised it perfectly when she stated:

"Very sly. Very funny. Very romantic. You should date this book." 

Book Series Review: The Rift Runners series by Jennifer Fallon

The Rift Runners series by Jennifer Fallon

Comprising of #1 The Undivided, #2 The Dark Divide & #3 Reunion

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Tagged under: fantasy, 2014 read, 2014 favourites, trilogy marathon

Buy at: Amazon

The Undivided are divided...

Psychic twin, Ronan and Darragh, have been separated by the traitor Druid, Amergin, who has kidnapped Ronan and thrown him through a rift into another reality. Now time is running out for Darrah. If Ronan isn't found soon, they will booth die. But his twin brother is lost in a reality where Druids are legend, and there is no magic. Somehow, before the Autumn Equinox, they must find one young man in a world of six billion people... 

Meanwhile, Ren Kavanagh has no notion of where he comes from. He is plagued by strange injuries that appear from nowhere and everyone is convinced he is deliberately harming himself for attention. Then he meets the enticing and mysterious Trasa, and before he can figure out how it happened, he is in serious trouble - arrested for arson and possibly murder. 

Rescue will come from a completely unexpected direction. Ren is about to discover more about his origins than he bargained for, meet the twin brother he never knew he had, and discover nobody is what they seem, especially his new friend, the half-faerie, half-human Trasa... Amergin's daughter.

Book Review [Spoiler-Free]

In recent weeks, it feels like I have not stopped talking about Jennifer Fallon. Of course, she is one of my favourite authors and when I stumbled across this trilogy in the library, I was super excited and grabbed them at once. They are quite thick volumes, each numbering over 500 pages, but once I started, I simply had to keep going. I finished all three books in succession over the span of roughly 48 hours.

Jennifer Fallon is known for her high fantasy sagas encompassing multiple characters, each with their own story line which weaves and intersects with one another, culminating in a climax with a hint of something more to come. There is a lot of politics thrown into the mix too, ensuring there is battle of wits as well as of the brawn. Her Hythrun chronicles, both the Demon Child trilogy and the Wolfblade trilogy, are some of my favourite high fantasy sagas to reread.

With the Rift Runners trilogy, Jennifer Fallon is taking a bold step away from high fantasy and has produced a work that is probably more suitably classified as urban fantasy. Or a mix, I'm not quite sure. Ronan and Darragh, the psychic twins currently designated as the Undivided, have been separated into different realities - with one stuck as a young man in a world of six billion people. From that number alone, it doesn't take a genius to work out that Fallon is writing about our reality. Darragh, on the other hand, is in a world filled with druid magic and an uneasy treaty between the magical folks and humans. Everyone has their own agenda and beneath the courteous smiles on the surface, schemes are brewing - for the Autumn Equinox is not that far away.

I really enjoyed this series. Although I'm a huge fan of high fantasy, I found myself enjoying the chapters set in our world a bit more. The characters, across all realities, are engaging and easy to relate to - even those that you dislike. It is interesting to see the struggle between the two camps, one keen on keeping Ronan locked away in a world without magic and another desperate to find him in time and bring him home. Both sides have their reasons for their goal. It is not a straight case of black versus white.

The Rift Runners series is probably targeted more towards a YA crowd. The style of writing is not as dense as her high fantasy sagas, which makes it easy for the reader to fly across the pages. The characters themselves, too, are a bit younger than some of Fallon's previous works, with most of the main characters teenagers or just above the legal age. The themes and plot lines, as well, are not as complicated and intricately set-up as the Tide Lord quartet or the Demon Child trilogy, but for a younger audience seeking to try out Jennifer Fallon, this is probably a great series to start with.

The ending, in typical Jennifer Fallon style, ties up things yet leaves the reader with questions about what happens next. Since Fallon's next project is apparently to revisit the Hythrun chronicles, I'm not sure if there will be a sequel in the future.

Conclusion: 4.5/5 as a series [Book #1 5/5] Book #2 4.5/5 [Book #3 4.5/5]

The Rift Runners series is probably going to be one of my favourite reads this year. It is entertaining, engaging and once I started, it was difficult for me to put the books down. While this series is probably more geared towards the YA market and more urban fantasy than high fantasy, it's still a really well-written trilogy with lots of actions and intricate story-lines. For YA-readers who don't mind the multiple characters and interwoven storylines that are key feature of Fallon's works, I'd highly recommend you to at least give this series a go.

Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Source: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Standalone book
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Release date: 10th September 2013
Tagged under: 2014 read, contemporary, chick lit, YA-fiction, romance, 2014 favourites
Pages: 438
Buy at: Amazon

Fanfiction, College, Family and First Love

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. 

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan... But for Cath, being a fan is her life - and she's really good at it. She and her twin, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving. 

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. 

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to. 

Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words...and she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

 

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Review [Spoiler-free]

I've heard so much good things about this book that I've been dying to read it for ages. But with so many books on my currently-reading & TBR lists, I didn't get around to it until now. And oh my goodness, it's amazing. 

There are some contemporary young adult books that I read because they are light and fun. There are some I read so that I can live vicariously through the characters, knowing that my university days weren't like that but wouldn't it have been fun if they were. And then there's this book - which just gets me on so many levels that while reading it, I felt like I have been literally living a life similar to Cath's. 

Like Cath, I had to make some pretty big changes in order to attend university. I was 17 and alone in the country with my parents halfway around the other side of the world. Like Cath, I literally spent most of my high school spare times reading fiction and then, whenever the mood struck, reading and writing fanfiction. The move to university seemed daunting and there were days where all I wanted to do was go back to my room in my shared house, curl up with a good book and just ignore the rest of the world for awhile.

Cath Avery, for me, is a soul sister I never knew I had. She just feels so real. Everything she thinks and do are just so relatable. If you've ever had an awkward moment or incident in your life or if, like me, you're just socially awkward in general, then you would definitely feel like you share a kindred spirit with her too. Cath is not perfect - she freaks out sometimes, she makes bad decisions sometimes and she lets people walk over her or degrade her and her interests without retaliation. If you tell me that you've never done any of those things in your life, there is no way I would believe you. 

As I progress through this book, I literally get sucked into Cath's world and it almost feels like I'm living her every step. This is not a book filled with tension and drama yet its simplicity is part of its charm. In Fangirl, obstacles and bumps are thrown in at random - just as how life works. Things happen to Cath along the way and you observe her deal with it in her own manner. Sometimes it isn't the right way. Sometimes her decisions aren't exactly the smart ones. But then again, Cath isn't going to change magically overnight and neither are any of us. Through examining her and her life, I can't help but identify some of those similar quirks and tendencies in myself.

And the romance! I won't spoil you regarding the who, the when, the how etc. because I think this is a really good example of how good romance can be set up without a) being the entire focus of the story and b) without being insta-love that it feels like it would only happen in books. I think possibly the best word I can use to sum up Fangirl is that everything about it is just so real. You read this and bask in the feels and you know that this could happen in real life.

However, there are a couple of minor issues I did have with the book that prevented me from giving it a perfect score. While I do enjoy reading and writing fanfiction (perhaps not to the same degree of success as Cath but at times, certainly to similar degrees of enthusiasm), Cath's particular love of Simon and Baz (the two guys in her thought bubble on the front cover) is one aspect of fandoms that I still struggle to get into/comprehend. I don't have issues with it or homosexuality, but just like in Harry Potter how I fail to identify a romantic link between Sirius & Remus or Harry & Draco, I come across such fanfiction works and I just can't see how these pairings would fit into the canon universe. So when Cath went gushing about Simon and Baz, those are the only moments I felt like she was talking in a foreign language to me. But then again, that's fandom for you - you can move the characters around and play with them however you like.

While on the subject of fandom, I'm not sure I'm 100% comfortable with Rowell's depiction of what being a fangirl is. Cath's comment about how, sometimes, in some ways, she writes better than the actual author. That comment, no matter how padded it was with Cath's admiration for the author of the original work, just grates me a little bit. Another aspect was something that happened in the book with her professor who, as you can tell in the book summary, isn't a supporter of fanfiction. Without going into it in too much detail, I just can't see any professors being as lenient as Cath's.

However, these issues are such minor aspects and didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book at all.

And the ending! Everything came neatly together without being fairy tale perfect. It was absolutely heartwarming, seeing how Cath has progressed through her freshman year and grown in the process. The subtlety with which Rowell summed up everything is something I really admired about this book.

Overall: 4/5

I absolutely love this book. As soon as I finished the last page, I knew this will very likely become one of my 2014 favourites. I highly recommend this to pretty much everyone.