Linger (Maggie Stiefvater)

Linger is the second novel in the Shiver trilogy and it was just as good as the first one! After 24 hours, I had already finished half of the book and really had to try to pace myself whilst reading the remainder of the story.

The Book Cover

Much like the first, it remains a supernatural/fantasy romance story. The plot itself picks up where the first left off, not losing any pace, and has the same "feel" to it. There is one big difference between the first and this one:

... there are FOUR first-person perspectives. The first two are the same as the first novel, that being Grace and Sam. The third is the perspective of Isabel and the fourth is that of Cole. 

I'm still not too sure how I feel about the four perspectives. In some cases it added to the depth of the story and the emotions, but in other cases I felt lost or confused as to who I was. That second case was even more true in certain chapters when the perspective changed three times in one chapter. This story really begins to show character development amongst all four of the characters.

I can't really talk too much about the plot or the characters without giving away the suspense that I felt. It's a story that you really need to experience for yourself!

I would rate Linger 4.5/5 because I felt that having four first-person perspectives to be a little too much to follow. Of course, as always, that is only my opinion and you might think differently.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

Shiver (Maggie Stiefvater)

Shiver is a short novel that I came across whilst browsing my library's online database. I had never heard of it before or heard of anyone talking about it. Upon collecting the book from my library, I discovered that it is actually the first novel in a trilogy. I had made a personal decision, after reading many trilogies, that I didn't want to read another trilogy for a little while because I really wanted to a find an excellent single book; however, looks like it's time for another trilogy!

Shiver, like I said, is the first novel in a trilogy. The story is a supernatural/fantasy novel with the main storyline following the developing romance between Sam and Grace. The book itself does switch between first-person perspectives of those two characters, and I think that it is important to the plot and emotions of the characters. Grace is a girl with an unusual past who has a fascination with the woods behind her house, and the animals that roam within. Sam is a boy that is far from ordinary as he is not quite himself through the winter months. Their lives become entwined when Sam is faced with an injury that changes him.

The Book Cover

The characters - and even the story itself - drew me in drastically and had me struggling to put the book down every night. I can't say much about the storyline itself because it would definitely ruin the surprise and suspense of the novel. What I will say is that I found the style of writing (and the story) to be very refreshing and simple. I say simple, but it is also a unique story.

I would rate Shiver 4.9/5 because I am always wary of given a story a perfect rating. There were a couple of spots where I found myself skipping over some paragraphs, but I can't decide whether it was because the story was slow or if it was more just my excitement to get to the end.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

Erebos: It's A Game. It Watches You. (Ursula Poznanski)

Erebos: It's A Game. It Watches You.
Where do I even begin with this review? I read this book in less than 24 hours and I'm sat here - having just finished reading it - unsure of what to say other than, WOW! If you haven't read this book before, then you are seriously missing out.

The Book Cover

Erebos is a book that I'm also unsure as to how to classify it. It's not supernatural, although at times it feels as such, and it's not fantasy, but again you could say it has aspects of it; it's a book that stands on it's own as far as I'm concerned. The story follows the life of Nick Dunmore and a mysterious computer game that begins to circle around his school. However this game is not like a normal game as it seems to live, breathe, and think like a human. The virtual world begins to tie itself to the real world, harmless at first but quickly becoming daunting and trying to those who play the game. As the back of the book says, "Erebos watches its players and begins to manipulate their lives in frightening ways. It soon becomes clear the game has a deadly agenda. When Nick sets out on a dangerous mission, reality and the virtual world begin to blur..."

As far as characters in the story go, I can't say that I felt a personal connection to them; however, in the case of this book, that was necessary. The story itself and the game in which the people play was enough to hold my attention completely!

I know this review is short, and I've really only discussed the plot, but you must read this book!

I would rate Erebos 5/5 because it's left me speechless and wanting more!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment telling me your thoughts on this book or a suggestion as to what I should read next.

The Gravesavers (Sheree Fitch)

The Gravesavers came to my attention while I was searching for a different book on my library's online database. It appeared on the side bar entitled 'Recently Rated', as someone had given it 4 out of 5 stars; the title of the book, as well as the cover, intrigued me. I immediately put a hold on the book and began reading it without any prior knowledge of the storyline. Upon arrival of the book, I noticed that it was both a Canadian novel as well as a Red Maple Award winner; for those of you who may not know what that is, it is (simple put) a reading program offered to students in Grades 7 through 9 with a small selection of books on which you get to vote on at the end. I was excited to read the story since it was a winner of this reading program because I once participated in this program myself.

The Book Cover

Upon beginning this novel - about one third of the way through - I would have placed this story into a Historical Fiction category; however, as I approached two thirds of the way through, the storyline took a different path that I would instead class as a Supernatural Fiction category. This novel actually is composed of not one, but two story lines that become entwined:

The first story follows the life of a young girl named Cinnamon "Minn" Hotchkiss who is forced to go spend the summer with her grandmother following a rather unfortunate event. Much to her distaste, Minn actually begins to enjoy that summer upon discovering the graveyard in the town at which she is staying; however this grave site is in terrible condition and is not faring well to the sea.

The second story follows the life of a young English boy named John Hindley in the year of 1861. His family decides to uproot and travel across the seas on the magnificent SS Atlantic.

SS Atlantic

The stories entwine as Minn discovers more about the graves and the connection they have to the past, and more specifically John Hindley's family. I won't say much more as I hate over sharing a novel's plot, however I wanted to intrigue you readers to perhaps try a different genre other than the Science Fiction novels I have reviewed previously.

I instantly fell in love with the character Minn because she, in a way, reminded me of myself. Her imagination is wild and when she becomes passionate about something, she truly sees it through until the very end; I found her character to be a breath of fresh air.

As for the plot, I loved it. I really am at a loss for words because I think it's a book you need to read for yourself to understand the feeling I got. I wasn't in tears, it's not that type of feeling; if anything, I think I felt at peace at the end. The main message I got out of it was, "the past may be unsettling and may never quite leave you, but if you find a way to come to terms with it and let it go, you will find a sense of happiness and peace."

I would rate The Gravesavers 3.9/5 - which may seem low - only because I found the story to be a little slow and over descriptive at the beginning, otherwise it was a very good book. It's not my usual pick of genre, but I am very glad to have read it.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment telling me your thoughts on the book or a suggestion of what I should read next.