2015-01-30T04:43:31+00:00

The One by Kiera Cass

January 30, 2015/Charlotte Bull/Leave a comment

The One

Kiera Cass

5 Star Review

This book is just wow! Interrupting your reading of this book by ‘living your life’ is not an option. It’s one of those books that you clear your schedule, curl up and read it until you finish it. You’ll thank me for the warning once you’ve finished it.

Positives – Thankfully this book was as fantastic as the first book if not better. From the action (which I felt the first two books were lacking a bit in that area) to the emotional turmoil and of course the love, this book was a perfect ending to the story. I enjoyed the action scenes and was on the edge of my seat so to speak most of the way through. The change of scenery for a large part of it was good to shake things up. There was a lot of sadness in this book and as with most endings there were deaths but the ending made it all worth the sadness. There were a lot of great unexpected twists and turns added in. This book brought out the best in all of the characters.

Negatives – Throughout the series Americas brother Kota was briefly mentioned but unfortunately he didn’t seem well developed and his part in the story was flimsy. America’s indecisiveness and hesitation was irritating but not as bad as the second book. I was forced to stop reading about 20 pages from the end (silly life getting in the way of reading) and I was very annoyed. I couldn’t believe that Kiera Cass had written it like that. How could she? I was ready to throw my poor ipad in frustration and wanted to refuse to finish it but it ate away at me. I needed to know what those last 20 pages said. As soon as I could, I finished the book. I must’ve stopped reading at the worst possible time. Literally the next page it started to get better again and went on to end fantastically.

Overall – I just loved this book. The annoying parts were few and far between. The ending is wow. I won’t give anything away but this is one series that everyone should read. 5 out of 5 Stars!

BLURB – The time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon’s heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants.

The Elite by Kiera Cass 4 Star Review

January 28, 2015/Charlotte Bull/2 Comments

The Elite

Kiera Cass

4 Star Review

This book is a bit hard to review because as soon as I finished it (at 1am) I started the third book (The One). I needed to know how it all ended! It wasn’t as great as the first book but definitely worth reading.

Positives – This book wasn’t anywhere near up to the high standard of the first book. Of course there were some great parts but there were also some horrible parts; but on to the positives. Kiera Cass’s writing style is always a pleasure to read and she is very gifted. America is a great character although her motives and actions were questionable at times. How can you not love Maxon – most of the time and Aspen was just as wonderful. Marlee was a beautiful character but her part in this book didn’t really work well (for me anyway) and I thought her storyline should’ve been changed. It doesn’t change how much I loved Marlee though.

Negatives – I loved this book but it annoyed me in many parts. It had the feel to it that it was the bridge between the first and third book. Necessary but not nearly as enjoyable. America acted very stupidly in some parts and it was pretty darn irritating. There is no way that someone could act like that in a palace and get away with it. The way the main characters acted in some spots was downright stupid and didn’t seem to make much sense in relation to their personality.

Overall – I did enjoy this book for the most part and it’s a must read in order to finish the series (which you so have to!) but it was lacking and very annoying in some spots. Those parts almost made me give this book a 3.5 star rating but when there were good scenes – they were fantastic. I’m very glad I finished this book and had the third (The One) ready to start straight away.

BLURB – The Selection began with thirty-five girls.

Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon’s heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?

America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America’s chance to choose is about to slip away.

To Grow Something From Nothing

January 27, 2015/Charlotte Bull/Leave a comment

Recently I’ve started growing (or at least trying to grow) my own plants. I have always been a horrible gardener and giving me a plant meant giving that plant a death sentence. BUT I guess with practice and some research I have slowly become better at it. My growing capabilities are still very limited and the plants I can grow must be hardy but I’m proud to announce that I have my own little garden now.

Recently whilst deciding what I should plant next I realised something that is really a fantastic metaphor for many things in life. As the title implies – To grow something out of nothing. Buying a well-established strong plant can make the success rate of that plant becoming full-grown is much higher which is the goal right? Well it’s not exactly like that for me. To buy seeds, plant them, care for them and watch them grow from basically nothing into a strong plant is a wonderful achievement for me. I stare proudly at my strawberry plant believing that it must be much stronger than if I had bought an established plant instead of seeds. *I’m most proud of my strawberries but don’t tell the other plants*

I believe that growing something from nothing is a million times better in so many ways than buying your way through the tough times to ensure your success rate is almost guaranteed. You also get the satisfaction of knowing it is because of your dedication that you have your own beautiful strawberries to eat.

I’m glad I’ve started out from a ‘seed’ and eventually I hope to make my way to become a beautiful, strong plant just like those in my garden.

Happy Gardening my friends xo

**Please note these are not photos of my plants as mine are nowhere near as spectacular but who doesn’t like a pretty photo of strawberries.**

The Selection – Kiera Cass 5 Star Review

January 23, 2015/Charlotte Bull/Leave a comment

5 Star Review

I picked up this book because of course the cover was gorgeous, it rated high on Goodreads and because the concept seemed different. I’m very, VERY glad I did.

Positives – I realised as soon as I finished the book that a lot of the reason why I loved this book was because of Kiera Cass’s writing style. It was beautiful to read. No awkward sentences, no staggered paragraphs, it just flowed along majestically. Kiera Cass is obviously a very talented writer. Apart from the writing style, the storyline was fresh and new. Oh how I loved America. She’s a great character that has a quirky personality yet strong in many ways. Each scene was written to the point where you were completely engulfed in their world, (yes I did smile like an idiot and laugh out loud at some things). Both Aspen and Maxon were well developed characters that had strong motives and were responsible young men. Their actions were logical and suited their personalities perfectly. I really enjoyed the strong characters that stayed true to their natures.

Negatives – There were hardly any negatives in this book. The one major thing for me was that I felt that the climax lacked a little. I was reading it and looking at the page numbers wondering when I’d get into the real action but it didn’t really evolve into anything memorable. Nevertheless the storyline was still enthralling and exciting. The only other thing was the lack of description for the appearance of the character’s sometimes. When America was looking into Maxon’s eyes I wanted to image that but I didn’t remember reading what colour his eyes were.

Overall – For those who love a good love story (or love triangle) this is a must read. It’s different, it’s enthralling, it’s beautifully written, it’s captivating and it should be on the top of your book list. Thankfully the next two books in the series have been released so I can move straight on to number 2 – The Elite. Really looking forward to delving into that book and I have high expectations for it.

BLURB –

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself–and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Happy Reading Everyone xo

Shadows (The Rephaim) by Paula Weston 4 Star Review

January 19, 2015/Charlotte Bull/Leave a comment

Over the Christmas/New Year break I read Shadows by Paula Weston. Once I read the first book, I was hooked and ended up devouring all three within a few days. I’m very excited about the release of the fourth and final book Burn. Here’s my review on Shadows –

Shadows – The Rephaim

Paula Weston

4 Star Review

Positives – First off the cover was different and I really liked it. It gave you an idea of what the book was about and wasn’t the conventional ‘girl in gorgeous dress’ design. I loved that this book is set in such a beautiful real location and the description of the landscape was fantastic but I may be a bit biased considering it’s almost local to me. I enjoyed Paula Weston’s writing style and the characters were fairly well developed. The storyline was fast paced and there were quite a few unexpected twists in it. Paula has obviously put a lot of research into this book and I loved that her concepts were based from real writings and teachings, etc.

Gaby was an interesting protagonist who was refreshingly down-to-earth and relatable. Her reactions to the situations she was thrown into were smart and understandable. She is a well-developed character with a unique story.

Rafa was a very sexy love interest and although it was predictable from the start that the reader would learn to love him, I enjoyed going through the journey. The cliff-hanger at the very end was exciting and I found myself staring in to space contemplating different scenarios that might happen to Gaby and Rafa in the second book, even long after finishing the first.

Negatives – I couldn’t find many negatives about this book. There was a few small inconsistencies and even one part seemed like it was missing at least a whole paragraph although it didn’t affect the overall storyline at all. I found with some of the characters – for example Daniel – he wasn’t as developed as I would’ve liked. The ending was a bit complicated and left the reader with some confusion about concepts that were only added at the end. There wasn’t enough time to explain the new revelations properly but I’m sure it will all make sense in the second book.

Overall – This book rates as a 4 – 4.5 star book. It did have some negatives but overall I really enjoyed it. For me to thoroughly enjoy a book I need to feel that the storyline is based on reality, giving the reader the sense that it might just be possible. This book was just that – real yet imaginative. Shadows is Paula Weston’s first book which means she will only get better. I’m very excited to read Haze!

(Alternative Cover)

It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn.

And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?

Fast-paced and gripping, Shadows, the first book in the Rephaim series.

Happy New Year!

January 15, 2015/Charlotte Bull/Leave a comment

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you’re still on the path to your new year resolutions! I’m wavering a little but basically on track. So far 2015 has been a great and exciting new year.

Goals for my blog this year –

*More book reviews

*Blogs on writing

*Blogs on editing

*Random pieces of writing (from yours truly)

*Maybe even a few exerts from my manuscripts.

My writing related goals for this year –

*Meet new friends

*Reach more people with my blog

*Start the ball rolling on my publishing journey with my manuscripts

*Read and Review a lot more books than I did last year

*Blog way more often (starting now)

*Get more involved in the world of all things writing

*Finish two of the manuscripts I started last year

*Try and keep a journal/diary.

I’ve got a lot of goals but at least I have some great things to work towards.

What are everyone else’s goals for 2015?

Waterfall – Lauren Kate Review – 2 Star

December 28, 2014/Charlotte Bull/Leave a comment

Eureka’s tears have flooded the earth, and now Atlantis is rising, bringing with it its evil king, Atlas. Eureka is the only one who can stop him, but first she must learn how to fight. She travels across the ocean with Cat, her family, and Ander, the gorgeous and mysterious Seedbearer who promises to help her find Solon, an enigmatic lost Seedbearer who knows how to defeat Atlas.

Once on land, Eureka is taunted by gossipwitches, a group of displaced Atlantean sorceresses, and ambushed by locals struggling to survive amid the destruction her tears have wrought. And she feels no closer to facing Atlas or saving the world when Solon lets slip that love is Ander’s weakness, and that any affection he feels toward her makes him age faster.

Trying to make sense of the dark world her sorrow has created, Eureka receives startling insight from an enchanted pond. Her bewildering reflection reveals a soul-crushing secret: if she’s strong enough, Eureka can draw on this knowledge to defeat Atlas—unless her broken heart is just what he needs to fuel his rising kingdom…

I recently purchased a copy of this book with a gorgeous cover that promised to hold a captivating story inside. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case at all. I honestly don’t think I could rate this book any higher than a 1.5 star and because I can’t do halves I’ll have to round up and make it a 2 star. The only reason this book got any higher than a 1 star was mainly because I love Lauren Kate’s writing style and that was her saving grace from a 1 star rating.

Positives – The cover was beautiful. I loved Ander (still) – a loyal character whose love was unwavering and maybe his part in the story was what contributed to my annoyance. Lauren Kate was a way with words and her writing style is a pleasure to read. If only the storyline complimented her talent….

Negatives – Sadly, the negatives vastly overshadow the positives with this book. The story line was tangled and messy, confusing the reader and expecting them to understand concepts that the author obviously assumed were easy to pick up on. When I finished reading this book I wasn’t left excited to read the next book but rather annoyed that I’d bothered to read this book. Eureka toys with both boy’s emotions and it starts to get old. The story drags on in many parts and it makes you irritated at yourself for still bothering to continue with it. The ending was completely unexpected (and not in a good way), disjointed and downright confusing. The last few chapters didn’t fit in with the rest of the book and should’ve been wound in before the end. It felt like a rushed ending to a tediously long storyline. There was also some unnecessary violence but it was the same with the first book.

Overall – I feel the Lauren Kate has missed her mark with this series. The Fallen series will always be one of my favourites but it’s hard to understand how an author, who got it so right has now got it so wrong with this series. Lauren Kate obviously understands the ‘Teardrop’ world that exists in her own mind but doesn’t convey it to the reader very well which leaves the reader annoyed and confused. How can you enjoy a book if you can’t understand it? This book may be a book that requires multiple reads before you understand (any of) it but I wouldn’t torture myself by reading it again nor would I waste my time. Sadly I rate both this book and the first – Teardrop as a disaster and certainly won’t be reading any more in the series. I had high hopes that this book would be much better than the first as I saw real potential for it but that just wasn’t the case. If you enjoyed the first book then maybe read this one but I definitely won’t be recommending it to anyone.

Broken

December 26, 2014/Charlotte Bull/Leave a comment

Just need to spill some words out tonight and writing always soothes me. Enjoy 🙂
The tears wind their way down my cheeks, following the same path as their fallen brethren. Tear lines that are a well worn track by now.
Sometimes things break and sometimes those things are irreparable. Sometimes it’s us that irreparably break.
That defined moment when apart of you breaks and you feel the full force of the wave of realisation crush you.
There are only a few parts of the human soul that have the power to break it and those few parts make up love. The love of a mother; the love of a father; the love of a sibling; the love of a pet and the love of a ‘soul mate.’ These are parts that makes us who we are but when one of those precious parts is broken we can be changed forever. There is no going back.

The power of a mother’s/father’s love was meant to be unwavering but such love is not the sturdy anchor that I believed it to be.

All my strings have been severed and I lay here on the floor in a crumpled mess as the tears easily run the course toward the cold ground. I realise that all but one string is gone, that last final string holds my head up and keeps me from drowning in my sea of tears. He is my final string, he is the one who saves me from crashing to the ground. He will always be there to hold me up until the day we die. He has given me strength and faith that there is still a type of love that is unwavering and that love is his. He is my saving grace……

Sorry it’s disjointed but it’s nice to do some writing again and let my brain spill out its thoughts.

Bleeding Out These Raw Words Straight From My Soul

November 27, 2014/Charlotte Bull/Leave a comment

Today is one of those days where typing out the words that are inspired by a difficult situation is harder than ever. I assume all authors draw some inspiration from certain life events and it is those significant events that shape us so hell why not share our emotional experiences with our readers. The great thing is though that we can cloak the realness of our experience behind our characters. Our readers never have to know how real a situation is to us or whether or no we have experienced something like that. We draw our inspiration from every aspect of life and that includes the books we read and movies we watch.

As hard as it can be to write down these words and as horrible as it is to remember the tough moments from where the inspiration is drawn, it is sometimes great therapy. I find that sometimes writing about things gives me a release from the emotional pressure that can build up. As a reader I know that when I read a part of a book where a character has to go through a situation that relates to something in my life I feel a closeness with them. Those words can leave your scars raw but it can benefit both you and your readers greatly. I’ll be your fan club and remember I’ll be cheering for you and sympathising with you as you bleed out those words.

Stay strong my friends xox

Writing the ‘Hard Parts’ – NaNoWriMo

November 11, 2014/Charlotte Bull/Leave a comment

NaNoWriMo is well under way and I’m sure there are others like myself who are trailing (even just a little) in the word count. I’m a first timer and I don’t think I’ve been taking it as seriously as I thought but I’m not far from catching up. It’s been head down tail up the last two days to ensure I don’t fail but it’s been fun.

The problem that I have realised is affecting my word count is the fact that I’m currently writing the ‘hard parts.’ Hopefully I’m not naive in thinking that I’m far from the only one who has those parts of their book that isn’t as fun or is maybe even emotionally taxing. It’s the latter for me at the moment. The part I’m writing contains a lot of raw emotion and I’ve found myself avoiding my daily writing when I can because after I finish my 1600+ words I’m left drained. This work in progress contains parts that draw on previous experiences and the emotions that came along with them and to relive that can be a tiresome activity that I dread. If I keep going and work through it then it won’t be long before I’m writing the parts that I love. I’m exciting to get to that but I guess as with everything you have to do the hard yards before you can reach your goals.

Good luck fellow NaNoWriMo writers (and of course all writers in general). Just remember we all feel your pain when we write our ‘hard parts.’

Write on my friends xox

Ramblings of a Young Aussie Writer

A writer lost in her own imagination

Author: Charlotte Bull