Reading The Riot Act: book blog

Showing posts with label book blog. Show all posts

Tuesday, 8 August 2017

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora's brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend's boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora's fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life.

With little more than the words "be brave" inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she is and why her memory is so limited, Flora sets off on an impossible journey to Svalbard, Norway, the land of the midnight sun, determined to find Drake. But from the moment she arrives in the arctic, nothing is quite as it seems, and Flora must "be brave" if she is ever to learn the truth about herself, and to make it safely home.

Reading the Riot Act

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Published January 12th 2017 by Penguin
Paperback 303 Pages

Flora Banks has no life. She has a best friend and a school and parents that love her - but her memory lasts barely a day, hours maybe. Still, she goes on, writing notes to herself on her arms, writing her memories down to tell herself later. Then, at his leaving party - Flora kisses her best friends boyfriend, Drake,...and the next morning, she remembers him. Then the next day, and the next day. The kiss on the beach and the boy. She remembers something, finally but the guy is gone, across the ocean and her friend hates her for kissing him. When her estranged brother becomes sick, Flora is left alone and after several R-rated emails between her and Drake, Flora is on a plane. She feels the memory slipping away and she knows Drake is the only person who can help her.

She heads to the Arctic, with no idea where he is or what he's doing - but she goes anyway. I was really excited once she'd decided to go. This book has a lot of repetition. I mean A LOT! Which is understandable, but still annoying as hell. The majority of it is re-reading the same stuff we read a few pages ago. Flora Banks has Amnesia - but I definitely do not! We get to the Arctic and here I am hoping things are about to happen. No. It's gonna take another 100 or more pages of wandering around in shops and having the same conversations over and over before she even gets an idea of where Drake is. This entire section made me wonder how insensitive I am - maybe that's the point. I didn't care that Flora was struggling, that she was in a new place and could not remember getting there. That she had no idea what was happening to her and still managed to make the slightest progress. Still, I hated her for getting in my way - for taking too long.

When Flora begins to make friends, begins to recall more and more of what is happening, I become very proud of her. It's the point we know there is something more than Amnesia going on because without her medication, she is starting to remember more. She goes on excursions, sees polar bears and I forget about Drake - just like Flora does. I'm in the moment with her but it seems even sweeter, because I know I'm the only one who will remember it.

Just as I give up on Drake - there he is. Flora, like a mad woman sails to his girlfriend's house with no memories. It's bonkers and I'm not annoyed at her anymore. FLORA IS A DAMN BADASS! Of course, we get there. Drake's girlfriend answers the door and he pretends not to be there. He slams the door in her face and the girlfriend brings her inside. It is horrible. He says that the kiss never happened, that all the emails were from Flora to herself, she imagined them all. She is crazy. And maybe she is. Suddenly the whole journey I've taken with Flora is bathed in suspicion, I don't know what to believe her on or if even she knows what's true and false.

Flora's parents bring her home, her father instantly seeming like the most comforting person we've seen in this book. Flora's brother is dying and he came to get her anyway. She doesn't know why none of them have spoke in years, there's still more to figure out but is any of it true? Is she just mad? Well, no. It's turns out the estrangement came when Flora's mother decided to buy illegal medication off the internet. In truth, the arguments between the mother and everyone else is because her Amnesia is getting better. The dad knows it, her brother knew it and now her best friend knows it. Flora is being doped up to keep her docile and it's affecting her memory. Then, her best friend to the rescue. She pops by for a visit, Flora lost in the fog of drugs. She tells Flora she knows she wasn't lying about Drake - because a girl from the party took a photo of them kissing. She does remember, and they are going to see a doctor who can help - besides she's only a week away from being 18. Soon, her mother won't be able to control her. And it ends. Just like that. I am furious.

I have issues with the ending. First off, the whole point of writing about someone dealing with an illness is redundant if that person is magically healed. I get it was about the journey, but if I was suffering from something like Amnesia or a memory disorder - I'd feel ripped off. Everyone in these stories ends up "normal" in the end. What a load of crap, why can't someone with a problem be allowed a story without them having to be magically cured of the problem? Why can't it be about representation? I didn't want Flora to get better, it felt...dishonest. Next, I had a problem with the parental plot twist (that everyone saw coming), I don't care how protective you are - I don't see any mother, especially the one we've watched worrying for Flora and wanting her to be happy- drugging her daughter to be sure she remains memory-less. It's too far-fetched and honestly, if the doctors knew that was happening, where the hell are the police? Why isn't the father doing anything? I didn't get it and I don't believe it.

So yeah, The One Memory of Flora Banks was a mixed bag. Often, that can be a good thing - it keeps it all interesting. Overall, I gave this book a solid 3 stars! A totally respectable rating.

You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook. Until then...Happy Reading.

Monday, 7 August 2017

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Louise Wilkes 03:13:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

Reading the Riot Act

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Published May 2nd 2017 by Bloomsbury

Paperback 699 Pages

Despite my best efforts, this series has slowly wormed it's way into my heart. When A Court of Thorns and Roses was released, I was ride or die with Throne of Glass. Then, Celaena died and Feyre was born. Aelin, was second to Feyre - and in the place of my beloved Chaol, was Rhysand. I know, I know, how disloyal of me. But A Court of Mist and Fury was one of the best books I have ever read. So, as you can imagine, I waited for this conclusion with bated breath.

This book, was a wild ride. We start slow, building like a roller-coaster and Feyre - honey, I gotta say - is acting like a bit of an idiot. She's undercover in the Spring Court and every two minutes she's like...'Guys, how good a spy am I?' Not a great one Feyre. She's having mysterious headaches and her powers weakening but she notices none of it, she's too busy patting herself on the back for a job she hasn't even finished yet. There are 100 Rhysand-less pages and when everything finally kicks off, it is worth the wait.

Hyberns men attack, Feyre EFFS up Ianthe (totally justified) and Lucien is along for the ride. Turns out Feyre was being poisoned the whole time and she had no clue. (Nice one, babe.) They flee into Autumn Court, on foot, and low and behold. More shit goes down. BAM. FIGHT. ICE. MOUNTAINS. AHHHH! It's so dramatic. I'm on the edge of my seat. We're only 150 pages in and could this be the end? Of course not! Sexy Illyrians fall from the sky, smashing into ice with bat-wings and chiseled jaws. The Court of Dreams. Whoosh, swept up, back to Velaris and our beloved friends.

I've never been so happy to return to a setting before. Now with Lucien and Feyre's sisters and our darling, darling Rhysand. It's like I was coming home, and I didn't expect to miss Mor and Amren as much as I did. Suddenly the pace is different. It feels fast but so much is happening. Raunchy love scenes, sister drama, training. It's all so detailed but my mind is gone. I'm not reading the words, I'm there, trying to grow Illyrian wings and readying myself for battle.

Though it's good to be back, there's still Hybern to deal with. The gang organise a meeting, getting the leaders together and try to unite Prythian against Captain Crunch. Sorry, The King of Hybern. I loved how political this book was, it was like Game of Thrones, where wars aren't just won on battlefields. There is diplomacy, working together and it is so interesting to watch it all come together or unravel.

Hybern attacks Velaris and the meeting is pulled forwards. Nesta, who's been acting like a straight-up biatch is having a change of heart. I mean, we get what her problem is because Elain is acting nuts. Everything she says is sinister and random. Nesta, in her worry, basically becomes a meaner Amren. (I know, who thought that was possible!) The meeting with the High-Lords is pulled up, it has to be now and they are not happy about having a High-Lady in the midst. Neither are the High-Lords wives - Feyre seems to be giving them ideas. Everything is tense but working out and then boom! The moment we have all being waiting for...in walks Tamlin.

Tamlin is ruthless. For some reason, I love it. He's catty, talking about Feyre's climaxing noise and just bating Rhysand, begging for a punch. Then, Rhysand takes away his ability tio speak. As someone who didn't even like Tamlin in book one, this is extremely satisfying. I preferred this scene of the numerous Rhys/Feyre sexy times. After this, although a lot of stuff happens, the war seems to come at you fast. Before I know it, Elain is a seer, we've been winnowing the humans to safety and the battle is on us.

I was sure there was going to be death. Lots of death, and with Feyre rallying the Bone Carver, The Weaver and whatever the hell was in the bottom of the library, the odds seemed good. Until we saw Hyrberns army. The gang don't stand a chance. Lucien has gone to rally the human queens and as it turns out - Tamlin and Jurian are good guys. But, it's not enough. I know it, and the characters know it. They are saying goodbye and it all feels horrible.

I start to dread the ending, dread knowing the finale is coming for Throne of Glass too, knowing this will only be the beginning of my sorrow. Nesta feels it, having taken something from the Cauldron. She knows when it is about to attack, and it obliterates.

They have to nullify it, Amren says she knows how, the Suriel told her where to look. But Elain is mad and Nesta is down. Cassian at her side. More Goodbyes. They need to get Hybern away from the Cauldron, so Amren and Feyre have a chance of nullifying it. Ships appear and there is Feyre's father. Lucien didn't bring the human queen, their father did. With ships named after the daughters, he fights for. I won't pretend I didn't cry.

Damn. This review is long.

We flip between Nesta and Feyre, the latter with her hand on the Cauldron and Amren apologising for lying. They aren't;t there to stop the Cauldron, they are there to release Amren. Feyre is pulled into the Cauldron, watching Hybern battle Nesta and Cassian. He's killing them, both of them. Feyre screams. She can't do anything to stop it.

Then, Elain, with a knife in Hybern's throat. Nesta is on it, twisting the dagger in his throat, pay back for killing their father. The armies don't know Hybern has fallen. They keep fighting and Amren is released, laying waste to the fighters below. The Cauldron is destroyed, the beast inside Amren released. The very fabric of their world is shattered, and it needs to be fixed.

Made and Unmade. Rhys appears. They all know the world will end if the Cauldron is not remade. Feyre does it, but everyone is depleted. Rhys offers his limited power, insists on it. She takes and takes, healing the cracks and saving them all, until she turns, and has killed Rhys.

I know. I know, I crapped my pants.
I had forgotten about Feyre. About how Rhys had held onto her and the High-Lords had brought her back. Spoiler Alert! It happens again.

Then, the war is over. Time passes quickly and everything is such a shock. Amren is back and no one is dead. There is a happy ending. And it feels...disappointing. The final 50 pages are like lightning. I can barely comprehend where we are until we are there, at the end. And it feels like there should be more.

I gave A Court of Wings and Ruin a solid 4 stars.

Despite the slow beginning and the too fast ending - the journey in between was stunning. It was crazy and wild and one hell of an adventure. Besides, it's the journey that counts, not the destination. You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook. Until then...Happy Reading.

Sunday, 7 August 2016

One by Sarah Crossan

Louise Wilkes 04:04:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Grace and Tippi. Tippi and Grace. Two sisters. Two hearts. Two dreams. Two lives. But one body.

Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins, joined at the waist, defying the odds of survival for sixteen years. They share everything, and they are everything to each other. They would never imagine being apart. For them, that would be the real tragedy.

But something is happening to them. Something they hoped would never happen. And Grace doesn’t want to admit it. Not even to Tippi.

How long can they hide from the truth—how long before they must face the most impossible choice of their lives.

Image from Girl Reading

Sarah Crossan outdoes herself with yet another book written in verse. Through the eclectic use of poetry we follow the inner working of Grace, one half of a conjoined twin. Grace and Tippi have been connected since birth and now, for the first time ever - have to go to a real school. This is shudder-inducing even without being a conjoined twin.

Tippi is louder, she is often the conversation starter and she is also the rock that Grace leans on. It becomes hard to imagine Grace without Tippi. There is this really striking moment when a classmate says that being a conjoined twin has to be the worst thing ever! and then we have this stunning poem about all the things that are worse, that having someone with you all the time, who knows you better than anyone else is not the worst thing ever and that really struck me. This book becomes more focused on the fact that these girls are people, just girls. They discuss other famous conjoined twins and note how after a lifetime of doing things, on their gravestone it still read conjoined twins - as if this is all they could ever be.

This story is full of these beautiful observations, I think because the form allows it. Grace's words flow in a way that resonates solely with her emotions, that partly the action doesn't even matter because between the lines she is saying something far better. Some of these poems you could frame they are so beautiful, just as a freestanding work.

Soon due to health complications with Grace's heart, being surgically separated is no longer just an option for an easier life. Now it is life or death. The lovely thing about this book, is that the separation is a small part of the story - the little 50 pages at the end, because it isn't what this book is about. The book is about Grace becoming more than just Tippi's sidekick. She becomes louder, braver even daring to fall in love when Tippi tells her outright this isn't something they can have. She stops worrying about the idea that when one of them dies they both die and starts enjoying her life, making friends, going away on trips and finding a way to provide for their crumbling family. She really is this thoughtful, quiet heroine who's battle against evil is fought within herself.

Grace and Tippi are surrounded by a broken supporting cast, each of them as tragically flawed as the next. Their sister has an eating disorder, their father is an alcoholic and there best friend has HIV. Everyone has there damage, every character has there issues but they are fortunate enough to not show it physically. There are points when you forget all the broken cast, when you forget Grace and Tippi are conjoined, when you forget Dragon is starving herself in the name of ballet beauty - you forget that these people are broken and then it hits you, hard - because not one of these characters gets away without any baggage, and that's kind of beautiful.

If you want something unputdownable, or want a book that will give you something thoughtful and lovely to think about and make you grateful that you live in a world where books like this exist - then this is the book for you. You'll forget it's written in verse and the words will just flow. It really is as good as that. I'm always giving Crossan 5 Stars, and today is no different!

Happy Reading.

Friday, 5 August 2016

me before you

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Louise Wilkes 03:46:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Image from booksweheart

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Published December 31st 2012 by Pamela Dorman Books/Viking
Hardcover, 481 pages

Me Before You is set in the English countryside, Yorkshire I assume. I'm from Cumbria so this is like

next door to me and that makes me really happy. Moyes got the setting built really well as I live and have

been to these types of villages many times. That and the fact the protagonist is named Lou (I'm a Lou)

pulled me in immediately. What a shame I didn't like Lou that much - but I'll get to that.

Immediately Lou loses her job. She lives with her family who are a bit hard done for, so the loss of money is
a definite blow. She tries working at a few jobs that are gruesome or terrible until finally, she falls into being
a caregiver for Will. Will has Quadriplegia meaning he is mostly paralysed from the chest down, with a little
bit of movement in his arm. There relationship is pretty rocky to say the least until a mutual attraction forms.
They fall in love it's gushy and romantic and cute - but then we have this underlying issue. Will wants to die.
Will promised his parents 6 months to change his mind and if not he would be going to Dignitas to end his life.

Naturally this is a huge aspect of the book and has caused a lot of controversy. People seem to be concerned that
what Moyes is saying is that Will's life is meaningless now, that he is disabled so he wants to die because he thinks
his life is never going to be good enough. I disagree, personally I never got that reading of it. What I understood
from the book was that Will is a rich boy, he has probably never had to want for anything in his life and I imagine
when that's the case and to want for something so simple that you can never have -that has to be so hard. I don't think
Will as a person, from the way he was raised or whatever, is not equipped to look on the bright side.

I won't touch on euthanasia much but for me, the story was not saying all disabled people want to die. For me it
was about Will as a person rather than a man with quadriplegia. I think Will does not accept second best, even if
that second best is a happy life with Lou, and that is ultimately the tragedy of this book. When she lays it all out on the
beach, telling her she loves him and she can make him happy and he still says no. That was hard to read, it felt so final.

Lou at first really bugged me. I found her very childish, rather annoying and it was a struggle to push through until we
met Will - who was hilarious, charming and complicated. It's just every two seconds I wanted to shake her around and
give her a kick up the arse. She was so hard to get through too, but once Will did she became this whole new person.
Confident and actually honest with herself because I knew very early on that Patrick was awful, they were terrible together,
they barely got on and when she moved in with him it was just so awkward. She spent most of the book going through the
motions of what she thinks she should be doing and it was great to see Will knock some sense in to her.

The romance really was not as big of a part of this novel as it was advertised but that is fine by me. It was steady and real
and slow and I liked that. Moyes did not create insta-love or have her checking him out as he wheeled into the room -she let
the characters do it, almost to the point where you barely notice the change- it was some stunning writing.

That final scene in Dignitas, when they know it's about to happen and she rushes there to see him - BEAUTIFUL. I almost
couldn't believe it was happening it was so awful but it was also just so great. I would have to say this book got better as it
went along. The more we learned about both these characters, the more they reached out of the page and slapped me with
emotion. I think it is a damn fine book, but if I have to read Patrick running one more time - I will throw it at the wall.

I hope this helps, let me know what you thought of the book (or the movie).
Happy Reading.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/18171827/?claim=y9wxaf9cz56">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>