May Wrap Up (2017)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And today I am posting my may wrap up!
This is the first time I am actually talking about what I thought about these books- because I don't want to do a separate review for each book- so let me know what you think about that!
Also! Total achievement- I actually stuck to my TBR this month! I read every single book on my May TBR, which I feel super accomplished for!
So this is my May Wrap Up!
Enjoy!

May Wrap Up (2017)

So I read a total of 6 books this month, which to be honest, I'm pretty happy about. (Especially considering I read the last three books in the past 6 days). These books were:

1. The Sudden Appearance of Hope, by Claire North

This book was one of those that was okay, but I was expecting more from it in some aspects, but I got more than I was expecting in others. The book took a kind of roundabout direction, and it took it's time explaining how the things that were happening, were relevant to the story. This is a story about a thief, and from the time that she was 16, her family, and everyone she knew, started to forget her. From that point on, Hope (who takes on multiple personalities and names), is out to destroy a company called Perfection, whilst also finding a way to finally be remembered. Despite the roundabout way that the story that the story was told, I did enjoy this book. The pacing was off in a few places, but overall it was an enjoyable read, purely because you get the feeling that you never know what is going to happen next. If you're in the mood for an unpredictable, unique read, I recommend picking this one up.

2. Tempest (Tempest #1), by Julie Cross

I read this one purely because I wanted to continue the series (I got Vortex, the sequel, a while ago), and I had forgotten most of the bigger plot points (I read it about a year ago). If you want to know more about my thoughts on this book, you can check out my review here. 

3. Vortex (Tempest #2), by Julie Cross

I also read the second book in the series. And I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I thought it was the perfect lead on from the first one because what we got introduced to at the end of the first book, was carried on throughout the second book. And although the first book had a nice ending, I'm glad I read the second one, because so many things were turned on it's head in this one, and I have to say it was done really well. In Vortex, after saying goodbye to the life that Jackson used to have, he is currently training as a CIA agent, though he is still keeping his time travelling a secret. And even though this wasn't the main point, we got to learn more about Jackson's family, and we got to learn more about Jackson himself, which was nice to see, and it actually made me relate to him more, to see outside the spy-time-traveller person that we've seen so far. This is turning out to be a decent trilogy, and I can't wait to see how it wraps up.

4. The Crooked Sixpence (The Uncommoners #1), by Jennifer Bell

So, I put this on my TBR purely because I was sick of it gathering dust on my bookshelf. And that stuck with me throughout reading this book. I don't know whether it was the fact that I read this in one day (I literally had nothing else to do), or whether it was recommended to me, but the whole thing just dragged. Admittedly, there were a couple of times when I was like "Wow!" moments that I wasn't expecting, but for the most point, I was kind of confused and disappointed about the story, and I doubt I will be carrying on with the series.

5. The Edge of Everything (The Edge of Everything #1), by Jeff Giles

This was another that I read in a day, but for a different reason. I could not put it down! The whole time I was thinking that I need to slow down, because I did not want to finish another book in the day, but I kind of needed to, because it was SO GOOD! This book, actually really surprised me! I will definitely be reviewing this book, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, so more detail on those then.

6. After You (Me Before You #2), by JoJo Moyes

Yet another book that I read because I just wanted to finish. But I also wanted to read this just to see how some of my favourite characters doing after the events of the first book. And even though it wasn't as good as the first book, it was still a decent ending to a traumatic duology. This book takes place about a year and a half after Will... yeah. And it's basically about Louisa, getting her life back together after everything that happened with Will. It's about her coming to grips with life once again, and learning to let go of her love to Will. And when his daughter comes in search of Louisa, wanting to know about her Dad, she has two choices: close the door and life continues, simple, safe. Or open the door and risk everything. The story carries on from there, and let me tell you, this book was beautiful. Like not happy cry beautiful, but still hopeful. Recommend to anyone who wants a story about learning to love after someone has passed.  

So that is my May Wrap Up (2017)! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any thoughts about any of these books, let me know in the comments!

I will see you all on Friday, and until then, goodbye!

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxxxx

Perfect (Flawed #2), by Cecelia Ahern

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And it's time I get caught up on all the reviews that I've wanted to review- just because I'm choosing what books I want to review, doesn't mean I can ignore them altogether!
So today I will be reviewing Perfect, the concluding book in the Flawed duology- enjoy!

Perfect (Flawed #2), by Cecelia Ahern

Title: Flawed

Author: Cecelia Ahern

Genre: Sci-fi and Dystopian

Release date: 6th April

Pages: 428

Blurb: "Celestine North lives in a society that

demands perfection. After she was

branded flawed, Celestine's life has

fractured completely- all her

freedoms gone.

Since Judge Crevan declared her

the number-one threat to the public,

she has been on the run with the

complicated, powerfully attractive

Carrick, the only person she can trust.

But Celestine has a secret- one that

could bring the entire Flawed system

crumbling to the ground.

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand,

and time is running out for Celestine.

With tensions building, she must make

a choice: save only herself, or risk her

life to save all the FLAWED..."

My Thoughts

Going into this book, I was kind of nervous to find out how the story would go. Ending on such high expectations from the masterpiece that was the first book, I wasn't sure where the story was going to go, and whether I was going to be happy with how it ended. Turns out, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though I had a few problems with it.

PERFECT starts a couple of months after Flawed ends, on the run from her whistle-blower, and Judge Crevan, after he branded her number-one threat to the public. From the word go, she is thrown into deep water, and we are catapulted into the world where being immorally kind makes you an outcast for all eternity.

In the second book, the story has moved past the message from the first book, yet it takes it a step further in Perfect: will Celestine stand up for what is right, or will she hide in the shadows and protect herself and her family? It's really interesting to see how, when seeing the effect she has on the people around her, how she grows as a person and a leader as she makes this terrifying choice. This was one of my favourite parts of the book.

Saying that, I did have a couple of problems with this book. The pacing was kind of slow in a couple of chapters, when I wasn't sure where they where going with what was happening, and I didn't get the significance to the story.

But even though there were a couple of times when this happened, Ahern always managed to bring it back, and keep me interested in the direction the story was taking.

 There was also a little bit of a triangle thing going on in this book which, even though I kind of guessed that that was where the story was going in the first book, I didn't expect the way this sub-plot was headed. Let's just say that the betrayal was absolutely amazing in this book. Not saying any more, you'll have to read the book.

As for the plot, as I said before, the heart of what the book was the ultimate choice: will Celestine stand up for the flawed and say, this is wrong! Or will she protect those she loves, and let Crevan win? This is a high intensity and fast paced (mostly) book that anyone who reads it will agree: it is worth reading.

There isn't much else I can say about this without giving away a bunch of spoilers, so I'm going to end it there. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful end to the Flawed duology and I am satisfied with how it went. If you are a fan of any Cecelia Ahern book, I urge you to pick this up because I promise, it is as captivating and intriguing as any other (maybe a bit more, because it is YA). I thoroughly enjoyed this duology, and I highly recommend this to anyone who likes stories with interesting premises'.

So that is my review of Perfect (Flawed #2)! I hope you enjoyed the review, and if you have any thoughts, let me know in the comments below!

I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you on Wednesday!

Goodbye!

-Abi xxxxxxx

Beauty and the Beast Film Review

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet!
Saying that, I did go to see the film on like the last week it was in cinemas, but that should be no reason to not post it sooner!
But there is no reason to not... post it any more.
So here it is! Enjoy!

Beauty and the Beast Film Review

Okay, so everyone (at least anyone that has an interest in Disney) has seen Beauty and the Beast. It tells a story about how you can learn to love not with your eyes, but with you're heart, and frankly, when the idea for a live-action version was released, people were wondering, "When something is so perfect, why go near it?"

The answer: "Technology has caught up to the ideas that were introduced in that movie."

I just love this shot!

And let me tell you, they certainly did it well. Because the whole film was absolutely magical and beautiful and just all round amazing. I don't know whether it was the cinematography that just made the setting look impossibly beautiful, or whether it was how the film perfectly combined the era and what was real in that era, but somehow also related it to ideas that wouldn't have been allowed in that era, but is in this era, or the fact that the must was just so simple and hopeful and perfectly fitted the story they were trying to portray, I don't know what it was. But I am so glad that I went to see this movie.

At the moment, all these things are running through my head- its so hard to find faults with this classically beautiful, amazingly intricate and special film. Although the story stayed intact, there was a lot more added to the film. The characters were more realistic, I guess you could say, and you found out more about Belle's backstory (though I'm not giving any more info than that).

To be honest, when I found out who was directing the film (Bill Condon- directed Breaking Dawn part 1, Dreamgirls), I wasn't really sure whether he would do the film justice- of course, Breaking Dawn did have some beautiful moments in terms of shots and cinematography, I still didn't know whether he was up to it.

He totally was. He was able to capture the era, as well as the story that we all know and love.

Also, you can imagine that I was super excited to hear that Emma Watson was playing well, and she did even better than I thought. The perfect choice for Belle, particularly with the scenes with Maurice. You could really tell that the bond between father and daughter was strong between the two of them (particularly as the rest of the era don't really take them seriously). But you can see how close they are, and that was lovely to see.

I would like a moment to talk about the era that the film took part in. The film took somewhere in France in 1740, when women stayed out home, washing and cleaning  men went out hunting, and went out to earn a living. And it wasn't right for women to read or invent (which is basically the only reason why Belle and her father are outsiders- because they push and rebel, I guess you could say, against what is the done thing), which, I thought, is part of the reason that I love this film so much.

There is also the fact that it brings up the theory that magic is real, which makes the question of magic much more interesting.

And finally, I wanted to talk about the music. Now, being the musical fanatic that I am, if the music is good, then I'm more than willing to give a film a shot, regardless of the plot. But this music, it just... blew me away. There are no words for how I felt when I heard this beautiful music that perfectly matched the story and the mood of the scenes.

So overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and if you went to see it, I hope you did too. And if you didn't, I hope this review has encouraged you to buy the film when I comes out, because I most certainly will!

So that was my review of Beauty and the Beast! I hope you enjoyed it and if you saw the film, let me know what you thought of it in the comments!

So I will see you all on Friday!

Byeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxxx