Tag: lovebooks

#Book Series Review- The Red Queen By Victoria Aveyard

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Red Queen (series review)
Victoria Aveyard

This review does not include Broken Throne (Red Queen #4.5) because I am yet to read that (I absolutely can’t wait to do so), it includes the 4 main books in the series, which are, in order,
book #1 – Red Queen (my favourite!)
book #2 – Glass Sword
book #3 – King’s Cage
book #4 – War Storm (also my favourite)
book #4.5 – Broken Throne (tbr)
This review also contains some spoilers, so be warned!

Blood is what marks people as different in this world – while some people, the nobles, have silver blood, the ordinary people have blood of the color red.
The Silvers. And the Reds.
The Silvers are the kings and queens, the nobles and more valued members of the society in general, while Red kneel in front of them, scared of the deadly powers those with silver blood hold. The Silvers can drown you with just an intent and some water, can explode you with just a touch and thought, can burn you with some fire and rage, and much, much more. The Reds live under centuries of oppression, being told they are inferior and forced to do the actual, menial work of cleaning the nobles’ houses, keeping the kingdom running and fighting its battles. The battlefields of the war between the kingdom of Norta and the neighbouring one of the Lakelands is drenched, in most, in Red blood.
No one thinks anything will change. Not the Reds, and certainly not the Silvers. But when a Red with Silver powers, Mare Barrow, reveals herself to the world, when the power struggles between the noble Silvers reach their highest, when the war rages between the two kingdoms, paid now, with young blood, and the sparks of a rebellion flare in Norta, everything may just change – forever. But will it? And will it change for good or just create an even worse world?

I absolutely LOVED the way the author wrote the battle scenes – everything was written in great detail, and it honestly felt like you were actually there in the moment, fighting alongside the characters through the battle, and whenever something happened, like oooooh the bridge collapsed! What are we going to do now?! And now?! AND NOWW?!! There were a lot of battle scenes/fight scenes in War Storm, and I adored all of them. I WANT MOREEEE!!!!! King’s Cage did not have so many battle scenes, mainly because Mare was stuck in Whitefire Palace after being taken prisoner by Maven, so most of her pov chapters were her trying to survive the machinations and assassination attempts in the Silver Court, but there weren’t as many lengthy battles. Glass Sword was action-packed, but nothing like War Storm was. Glass Sword mostly has small, calculated skirmishes, with a few large-scale battles in between. Red Queen, however, was set almost entirely in Whitefire Palace, and it was more politics and planning than anything else. While the climax was quite eventful, and there was a lot of action, it was mostly aiding the rebellion in small steps. But I swear, War Storm and Red Queen were my favourites in the series. They were just EPIC. This is the Best. Series. Ever!!!!! (Well, till I like another series more than this one. I’m not exactly loyal, per se. But at the moment, it’s my favourite because it is AMAZING) I can’t wait to read Broken Throne, because even though it’s a novella collection it sounds really very interesting. Another thing I loved was the multiple povs. I was literally just so excited to be FINALLY getting multiple povs in King’s Cage. Sometimes multiple povs can be rather irritating, but in this case, I loved them. It was really very fascinating to see things from the other characters’ perspectives, and how they viewed Mare. A lot of people say that povs like Iris’ don’t really add much to the story, but I didn’t actually mind them. It was actually quite interesting to read everyone’s povs. Also, the covers. Have you seen the covers?!!! THEY’RE SO PRETTYYY!!! I just can’t choose my favourite (though I think I know which one is my least favourite. I’m really sorry, King’s Cage! I love you otherwise!)
Now, for the characters. Mare Barrow, was, to be honest, not my favourite. I didn’t love her, but I didn’t hate her either. I was just never sure what I felt about her. Well, at some points I did like her quite a lot, while at others I hated her with a passion, but both of these moments were few. Mostly I just felt indifferent towards her. Which is strange, I know, because she is the main character and everything depends on her choices, but I never quite cared for her. I loved or hated the others, and I always felt MUCH more invested in them than in Mare. If I had to rank all the characters, she’d probably be somewhere in the middle. And that is more than I can say for our next contender – Tiberias Calore. Yes! Note my refusal to call him Cal! I mean what an idiot. Like, ugh. Just ugh.
 I really, really, really hate him. He just did not endear himself to me. Like, at all. Firstly, he does not have much more depth than a toddler’s inflatable swimming pool. Like, I get it. I really do. He’s strong! He’s bold! He has a good heart! And I do appreciate that. I appreciate the fact that he’s not willing to give up on his family, which was the one touching thing about Tiberias Calore, but otherwise, what?! How or you supposedly so great but can’t make a decision to save your life?! Did we really have to wait till the end of the third book to finally hear you make a decision about your country, and, oh, make the wrong one?!! Really, Tiberias?! Oh, and even after he becomes Norta’s king he’s not sure what to do with his kingdom. Well, congratulations! This is what he wanted, wasn’t it?!! He would have made a useless king anyways. And this isn’t it! Oh no, it isn’t! What is his damn problem about picking sides?! Just do it! All that hand wringing was really annoying. I just did. not. like. him. (As you may have got). He was an insufferable, kind of insensitive, indecisive prat. If I did the ranking thing, he’d be one of the ones at the very bottom. (if you like him then I totally respect your choice, this is all my opinion.) Yes, so, anyways! Moving on to Maven Calore! (this is going to be lengthy) I literally LOVED him in Red Queen and was therefore heartbroken at the ending, Maven HOW COULD YOUUUU!!! *sobs hysterically* I mean I did not see that coming AT ALL (or I wouldn’t have seen it coming had I not already been spoiled from the net) but he made a really great villain for this series, like, really. One thing I absolutely love about this series is how the author has made the antagonist so sympathizable and justifiable, while at the same time showing how the protagonists are equally, if not more, justified in trying to stop him. I honestly think Maven Calore is a much, much better character than Tiberias Calore, and literally that ending of War Storm destroyed me. How could you, Mare?!! But again, Mare was perfectly justified in doing so, so….. eh. Oh well. I think the bottom line is, EVERYONE WAS JUSTIFIEDDDDD (well, most of the time. And now this is getting confusing. So moving on to the other characters! Kilorn was really adorable, though we didn’t see quite a lot of him. Evangeline was amazing. Her pov chapters were an insight into her life and how she, too, was struggling with her family and how she isn’t as ice cold inside as she is mostly portrayed outside. We didn’t really see much of Ptolemus, but he was nice enough. He was much nicer through Evangeline’s eyes than he was portrayed through Mare’s as in the first couple of books. He and Evangeline were a wholesome, dangerous sibling duo. Elane’s character wasn’t really explored, but she seemed sweet. Iris and her family were ruthless, power minded and cunning. Go, strong female leads! Talking about those, Cameron Cole and Diana Farley – different, but really bold and ready to do what she believed in and bring equality for all. Two great characters! Anabel Lerolan (Tiberias’ granny) was a biased, narrow minded old silver who I didn’t really like much. Elara Merandus- ELARA MERANDUS WAS HORRIBLE. I literally hate her so much right now. She was indirectly responsible for the death of two characters and directly responsible for the death of many others. Horrible is not a strong enough word. Julian Jacos and Sara Skonos were quite supportive of Mare. I’m almost sure I’ve missed someone out, but I apologize for that, whomsoever it is! All in all, Red Queen was a really, really, REALLY great series, and I thank the stars for the day I started reading it. It’s got a really interesting web of a storyline and great characters (well, most of them). It’s very nicely written and I loved it!!! If you love fantasy and struggles for the throne, please try this series! And now, onto Broken Throne for me! 😀
12+

Book Review #Aru Shah & the city of gold By Roshani Choksi

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BOOK COVER

Aru Shah and the City of Gold
by Roshani Choksi

This review is about the book ‘Aru Shah and the City of Gold’ by Roshani Choksi.  This book came out a few months earlier this year, and this is a fabulous addition to the Aru Shah series. This series is out of the world. It’s frickin amazing!!!!

Aru Shah has been kidnapped by the Sleeper (the nastiest villain who wants to take over the world, a.k.a Aru’s father) and now she is in for a huge surprise. Because apparently, she isn’t the only daughter of the Sleeper. Meet Kara, the Sleeper’s other daughter, who is supposedly Aru’s sister, and she wants to help the Pandavas defeat the Sleeper. But can they trust her? That remains to be seen…
First, they have to go to Lanka, the city of gold, to convince Kubera, Lanka’s king and god of, well, gold, to give them his powerful army, his secret ultimate weapon, and return their deva friends Hanuman and Urvashi. But for all this, Kubera gives them three quests. They have to succeed in all of these to win his favour, and that too  before the Sleeper’s army arrives. Can Aru and her sisters and friends succeed, survive unexpected betrayals, and meet friends old and new and not die? Because the answers aren’t always in plain sight….

This is awesome. This is the fourth book in the Aru Shah series, and the fifth (and final) book will come out next year, in 2022. I’m so excited!!! I love the Aru Shah series, because a) It’s really funny! b) It’s on Indian mythology (I’m an Indian) c) It’s amazingly interesting! So I really, really love it!! This was one of the best books in the series, and the bombshell about the Sleeper’s other daughter was really shocking. It had amazing character development and obviously the author HAD to end it at a cliff-hanger. My favourite characters where probably Aru, Mini and Rudy. The characters are also relatable (not that I’m a reincarnated Pandava, hehe) but you can totally put yourselves in the character’s shoes and feel right at home. There are a lot of stories and characters from Indian mythology which I didn’t know of, and this book told their stories too in a short and engaging way. I hope that a movie is made of this series, and that they do a good job of it. This is a ‘Rick Riordan Presents’ book series which basically means that ‘Rick Riordan Presents’ is a publishing branch which publishes amazing book series based on mythology of various cultures. It’s safe to say that Aru Shah is one of my favourite book series. I recommend this for ages 9+/10+. (Read the first book, Aru Shah and the End of Time, before continuing with the series) IT’S GREAT!!!!

This book deserves 5 stars!!!

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl By Stacy McAnulty.

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The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
by Stacy McAnulty

This review is about the book ‘The Miscalculations of Lightening Girl’ by Stacy McAnulty. It is amazing. A fabulous story, with an engaging style of writing. A book that will make happy and sad at the same time. It’s beautiful! Anyway, more of that later. The story all began like this….

Lucy Callahan is maths genius. No, seriously. When she was 8 years old, she was struck by lightning. She survived, but it made her a maths genius with strange habits. Lucy has always been home schooled, but now her Nana has decided to send her to… middle school. The seventh grade of East Hamlin Middle School, to be precise. She will be stuck around kids her own age, and now she has to make a friend. Easier said than done. Lucy thinks that going to middle school is a horrible idea. The worst decision ever, in fact. But is it? For some time, things still seem to be going okay. She makes a friend. Two, in fact. Levi and Windy. She even gets invited to sleepovers! But then they get a school project. They have to make a difference in their community. So, they decide to help pets get adopted. They go to a small pet shelter, where they help some dogs get adopted. But then, they fall in love with a terminally ill dog, Cutie Pi, who has cancer. He won’t live long, and because the shelter can’t afford to take care of him, if he doesn’t get adopted, he will be put down by the animal control. Now, they are in a desperate race against time to help Cutie Pi get adopted. But, to top it all off, one of her friends betray her, and soon things are spiralling out of Lucy’s control. Can they fix this mess? Can they save Cutie Pi, and become friends again, all in time?…..

This book is an extremely interesting one, with an excellent storyline that makes it a beautiful book. This isn’t well known enough. You will get lost in this amazing book, which was obviously written with a lot of love. It isn’t a fantastical or sci-fi book, but it has a magic of its own which keeps you hooked to the very last page. A sad but heart-warming book, this is one of my favourite books (which aren’t series). Severely underrated. My favourite character is probably Levi and, of course, Cutie Pi. It is a story that will show you the plight of many shelter dogs, healthy or sick. I loved this book. A lot. I think that this book was awesome, and even those who generally don’t read books will like it. It is a perfect book to read on a rainy day, and one which will not leave you bored. Basically, one damn good book! It’s perfect! I rate this book for 9+.

I give this book 5 stars!

Keeper of the Lost Cities #Book-7 By Shannon Messenger.

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Keeper of the Lost Cities #7 – Flashback
by Shannon Messenger

This review is about the 7th book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Flashback. It is an awesome book in a fabulous series. It has a great plot concept and nice style of writing. I really like this series, especially this book. Well, anyways, it all happened like this……

After Alvar Vacker (a traitor and murderer) was captured during the raid on the facility of Nightfall, he has lost his memories, and now has to be sentenced for his involvement in the rebel group Neverseen’s plans. The final verdict – Alvar will return to his family’s home Everglen on house arrest for some months. However, not everyone feels that this is a wise decision, especially few from his family. Whether this is a mistake or not, remains to be seen. A few days later, Sophie and Fitz are attacked by the members of the Neverseen, but they managed to escape but just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, not without injuries. They were hurt by a mysterious shadowy weapon called Shadowflux, and it will take them a while to recover. They need to learn more about this shadow force, and now they are even more determined to foil the Neverseen’s plans, but the problem is that they never seem to realize their plans until it is too late. So, time to be more vigilant. Time to rearrange their priorities, to keep an eye on their enemies, old and new. Time to defend themselves from the Neverseen’s attacks. Maybe even talk to old enemies.
Now, with the alicorn babies (the last of their kind) in grave danger, and an attack on Everglen with some bloodthirsty trolls, can they save everyone they love? Another betrayal and sacrifice follow……

Join Sophie and her friends on their quest to save their world……

This book is even better than the previous books in this series, with its extremely dangerous climax and an ending cliff-hanger. Shannon Messenger is an amazing writer who can make you feel like you are in the character’s shoes yourself. A fantastic book in an amazing series. I really loved this book. It has amazing descriptions, adventure filled situations and touching moments. An imaginative, fantastical series that will leave you wishing for the next book. With its beautiful, touching style of writing, it captures the attention of book lovers. I think that this is one of the best series I have ever read. My favourite characters in this book were probably Elwin and Dex. This series is really good for those who liked Harry Potter, The Inheritance Cycle and Percy Jackson. It is incredible, one of a kind and an outstanding series in general. I rate this book for 10+. Its genre is fantasy/adventure. I found this the best book in the series, it is really action packed!
With its great plot and characters, an excellent book.
I give it 5 stars!

My Top 5 Favourite Series.

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My Top Five Favourite Book Series

1.Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud

At the time, England was afflicted by an enormous epidemic of ghosts, had been so since decades. The only people who could see or hear them were children. No adult could do so. However, the ghosts can only appear after dark, and they are tied to a Source, something they deeply cared about or hated in life. All the kids who can sense ghost are employed by agencies, and their job is to eradicate the ghosts. It isn’t an easy job, but a necessary one. 15-yr-old Lucy Carlyle was born in a tiny town in northern England, where she grew up in the company of her six sisters and her friends. She had excellent hearing and decent sight for ghosts. She catches a train and arrives in London, hoping to get a job in a decent agency and put her talent to good use. Instead, she joins the smallest and most unknown of all agencies- Lockwood and Co. With her two friends, Lockwood and George, they solve many cases, and have many adventures, and make some new friends and allies on the way. They spend a night in the most haunted house of England, find a rare, talking ghost, stop one of the biggest ghost clusters of all time, and more. But underlying it all, they uncover a huge, horrifying conspiracy. One that could endanger the lives of thousands of people……

Lockwood and Co. is a humorous, mystery filled, slightly creepy series, that JUST ISN’T WELL KNOWN ENOUGH! It is a beautiful series that is really refreshing to read, and like, anyone can read this book. It doesn’t really have an age limit, even an adult can read it if they want, or a 9-year-old. It has a really intriguing plot, with great character variations. This is a five-book series, but I kept wishing there were more. This is an incredible, outstanding series that I really love, and everyone should read this! Basically – it’s really good, and there really is nothing negative about. It’s great!

2. Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Sophie Foster is someone with a big secret – she can read other people’s minds. No one knows that she can do this, or that it is even possible. So it comes as a big surprise when a boy appears at the museum her class is taking a field trip too, and reveals that he can read minds too. How? Because neither of them are human. They are, infact elves with powers, and neither of them belong in the human world. Now, Sophie has to live in the elvin world, and say goodbye to everything she knows and loves in the human world, and stay in a whole new world. However, not everyone wants Sophie there. Sophie and her friends are in big danger, because they are the only ones brave enough to see the flaws in their world. All of them will figure out some jaw dropping secrets and have some action packed adventures, and make a huge difference in the world. But can they do all of this in time? After all, the villains are always one step ahead….

Keeper of the Lost Cities is an amazing book series, and I think everyone should read it. I LOVED this series. Full of detailed descriptions, amazing fight scenes and some really sweet and emotional moments. It has a really nice plot concept, with superb character descriptions. There are eight books in this series. These are some of my favourite books. It was really hard to choose between this series and the Lockwood series, but I liked Lockwood just a tiny bit better. Both are really good though!        I recommend it for 10+.

(P.S – the ninth book is coming out this year! I’m so excited! 😀 )

3. Artemis Fowl By Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl is a child genius and criminal mastermind, who has an unusual obsession. Fairies. He believes in fairies, and is determined to find one, and loot it of its gold, with the help of Butler, who is his faithful bodyguard and….well, butler. Only, these fairies aren’t your typical wish granting fairies who dance around rainbows and sing. They are dangerous, with high tech machinery that humans can’t even dream about, who live under the surface of the Earth, and have, somehow, managed to evade detection for millennia. But not anymore. Artemis Fowl has found them out. Now, Artemis Fowl kidnaps Captain Holly Short, the first female elf in the police department of Recon. In ransom, he wants one metric tonne of gold. A desperate battle commences. And as for who won? No spoilers. But this won’t be the first time the fairies and Artemis meet, as allies or enemies, they have a rollercoaster ride of adventures, like riding a radioactive train across the arctic, breaking into one of the most secure industries on the planet, travelling to the demon dimension and much, much more. But there is something more important than gold –  friendship…….

This lighthearted, action-packed series will captivate the reader. It is really an amazing series, full of humor and adventures. Again – really hard to choose between this and Keeper, both are really good. It is full of adventures with unpredictable endings, and with every twist and turn of the plot, you really can’t tell what will happen next, and that is one of the things that makes it so fun to read! It also really fires your imagination up, and makes you wish you could join them on their adventure. This series has 8 books. I recommend this for 9+.

4. Land of Stories By Chris Colfer

Alex and Connor Bailey are twins – but have different personalities. On their twelfth birthday, their grandma gives them the ‘Land of Stories’ book, that has been in their families for ages. After a few days, they find out something strange – the book glows. And hums. And if you keep something on top of it, it goes inside the book! The twins accidently fall in the book themselves and find…. they are in the Land of Stories! They can see and meet characters they had read about when they were younger, like Snow White, Prince Charming and Goldilocks. But everything is slightly different –  Goldilocks is a fugitive and the Evil Queen is on the loose! And now they only have one way to get home – they need to collect all items of a Wishing Spell. However, they are not the only ones who want it…. Can they reach them in time?
They will have amazing adventures in the fairy tale land, and make lifelong friends with the characters. But as for the ultimate battles, who will win? Can they save the worlds from colliding?….

This is a really funny, fabulous series,with an originality of it’s own, and an beautiful style of writing. It has an intricate, interesting plot line. I really liked this series. Again, no real age rating, any age can read it. It is a laugh out loud, touching book with complex plots, and clever changes in the actual fairy tales. It has delightful characters and great storyline.It is a six-book series. I think even an adult would like it. It’s awesome and engaging, but the last book ended kinda abruptly. But it’s still pretty good.

5.Percy Jackson By Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is 12-yr-old who is no stranger to trouble. But one very strange thing that happens on a class field trip to a museum takes the cake. His algebra teacher turns into a monster and attacks him. He manages to escape, but then a few days after that, he is on vacation with his mom, when a minotour (a big monster) attacks them, his mom get kidnapped and he finds out that his best friend is part goat. Yippee. You see, he isn’t normal. He is the son of a greek god, Poseidon. The god of the sea, storms and water in general. Now he has to attend a camp called Camp Half Blood, with other kids who are like him, demigods. Percy with the help of his friends, Grover and Annabeth, must complete quests, fight ancient Greek monsters, try not to die and rescue his mother. But there is a danger no one know about, a traitor no one suspects…..
Kronos, the worst titan in greek mythology, is waking up, and soon a great war will happen….

I really liked this series. It took the best aspects of Greek mythology, and blended it with normal, likeable characters, with a lot of humour and A LOT of action. It is a five book series (why?!! 5 books are too less!) and really good for learning more about Greek mythology, but it’s also really fun and original. It’s really good! Also unpredictable plot, but it all ties together nicely at the end. It’s great for 9+. A fabulous story with great characters.

Aru Shah and the End of Time By Roshani Chokshi

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This review is about the first book in the Aru Shah series, Aru Shah and the End of Time. This was a fun and adventurous book following the adventures of a girl, her soul sister and a talking pigeon. It is really good, and now let me tell you more about it!

One morning, in her school break, Aru’s classmates turn up to catch her in a lie (or rather, several lies), and start filming a video, catching her in the lie. It’s not Aru’s fault, she loves spinning tales, and lying about having a chauffeur and spending the break in Paris is the only way to fit in at her snobbish school. And now the only way to get out of her own stupid lie, is to light the museum’s cursed Lamp of Bharata. Something her mother has told her to never ever do. Her mother runs the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, and Aru lives there with her. The Lamp of Bharata is just a lamp, she thinks, what is so special about it? So……. she lights it. And her world officially turns upside down. To begin with, her classmates are frozen in time, and so is her dear mother. And to cap it all off, a sulky pigeon appears in the giant statue in the hall, who insists that Aru is the reincarnation of one of the historic Pandava brothers. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any weirder, a mystical door appears and another girl appears, who is also another Pandava. Her name is Mini, and the pigeon’s name is Boo. And now, they have to stop the world from ending, as a mysterious demon called the Sleeper has apparently been freed, after Aru lit the lamp. Now they have to go to the Otherworld, and go through a Claiming, to see whose daughters they are. Mini turns out to be the daughter of Dharma Raja, the god of Death and Justice, while Aru …… is the daughter of Indra, the god of thunder, sky, lightning and the King of the Heavens. Now they have nine days to stop the Sleeper, and to do that they have to find three things –

  • The spring of Youth,
  • The bite of Adulthood
  • The Sip of Old Age.

And then they have to face the Sleeper… Piece of cake!!!!

 Aru and Mini battle through the Otherworld, the Land of Death, a mysterious forest, the Bridge of Forgetting, and many other amazing, magical places. It will be journey they’ll never forget. But, can they do all of this in time?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

This book showcases some of the not-so-well known aspects of Hindu mythology, and makes it really fun and interesting to read. Even if you are an Indian, and know a lot about it, you will still find something new. Pair this with its quirky sense of humour, it is an instant favourite. For those who love Hindu mythology, this book is a must!! You’ll see the characters and their super cool abilities, and wish you had a superpower like that! Its storyline is kinda sad and happy at the same time, it has the perfect balance. The reader will get swept along in the enchanting, magical and dizzying world of Aru Shah, and with amazing characters and places like a talking pigeon, the reincarnation of the legendary Pandava brothers (reincarnated as girls!) and the fact that all villains are never fully evil. You will take great delight seeing the beautiful realm of Hindu mythology, written in a way that is both interesting and easy to understand, and meet great characters, and want to buy the next book immediately! The author paints out the scenes in vivid detail, and you will love Aru’s bravery and Mini’s smartness. This is definitely a remarkable book! I hope all the other books in the series are this good. I will try the other’s, and I urge you to read this book! This is perfect for those who love comical, fantastical books. I recommend this book for ages 9+.              

I give this book 5 stars!!

The Graveyard Book By Neil Gaiman

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This review is about the book, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. This novel is one of the best books I have read, and its creepy, imaginative plot story line is an entrancing one. It all started in the way the best horror books do – with a murder……

One cold, dark night, a man Jack was attending to some business – killing an unsuspecting family in their beds. He had just one person left to attend to – a little baby boy. The most important of the lot. Not a very difficult task. Or so he thinks. However, his satisfaction on a job about to be well done turned into panic and fury, when he discovers the child is not to be found in the house. He hurries out into the dark, misty lane, to try and find the boy, and salvage the job before it was too late……..

What of the boy, then? An adventurous boy, he had fallen out of the cot and stumbled out of the house, in hope to explore. He goes into the graveyard next to the lane, and stumbles into an unsuspecting ghost couple. Mr and Mrs Owens have been quite happily married for about a few hundred years, in life and now death. Suddenly the spirit of the baby’s mother appears, and begs Mr and Mrs Owens to take the child, hide him and raise him as if he was their own. A kind-hearted couple who had wanted a child to raise, but had never had one, the Owens agreed. The entire graveyard pitched in to take care of the child, and Silas, a friend of the ghosts, agreed to become his guardian. They agreed that the child should draw as little attention to himself as possible, and the christened him as Nobody. Nobody Owens, Bod for short, who would be raised, taught, and educated by ghosts. He was given the Freedom of the Graveyard and was allowed to go anywhere and meet any ghost in the graveyard. He was safe, and the man Jack was thwarted. At least for now….

Bod grows up, quite happily, amidst the ghosts and Silas and even makes a living friend, Scarlett. He has some interesting adventures, with ghouls, an underground monster, a witch and a dance. But soon Scarlett has to leave for Scotland. He soon wants to learn more. He wants to go to school, out of the graveyard, and be around other living people. However, the outside world is not safe for him. The man Jack is still looking for him. But he still goes to school and nothing untoward happens.

Scarlett moves back from Scotland to her old city with her mom when she is about fifteen. She meets Bod again and become friends again. However, danger is lurking around the corner, and Bod’s enemies are closer than anyone realizes……

Can Scarlett and Bod save themselves and end the threat of their enemies?

This creepily fantastic novel is an amazing one. It has beautiful descriptions that make you feel as if you yourself are in that situation, with touches of sarcastic humour in between. You get lost in this book as take a journey in Bod’s world. This is an awesome work of Neil Gaiman’s. I will definitely read more of his books if they are this good. My favourite character was Liza. A beautiful story, slightly creepy with a bittersweet ending, this is definitely one of the best books I have read. It is perfect for a rainy afternoon, or if you are bored since it will certainly shake the boredom away. It’s originality makes it a must read, and even the people who do not like reading, will like this book.
I hope that he continues writing such good books. It is perfect for people liking creepy, fantastical stories, and I really hope you read and like it. You won’t regret it.

I recommend this book for 9+.

Keeper of the Lost Cities, Book-4 By Shannon Messenger

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This review is about the fourth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Neverseen.  It’s an amazing book, and now let me tell you more about it!

Sophie Foster and her friends are officially in trouble. After sneaking away to the Himalayas to try and capture the evil rebel group, the Neverseen, with the help of the good rebel group, called the Black Swan, they are definitely going to be punished or expelled, or even… banished. It is no longer safe for any of them to remain in the lost cities. It was time for them to venture out in the world. Gain some experience. Time for them, to find the Black Swan, and demand answers. Time to uncover some truth.  However, just as they were setting out, of course something happened to make Sophie’s life even more dangerous and complicated. She is given the dead councillor Kenric’s cache, which contains some dangerous secrets, which, if the fell into the wrong hands, would doom the world….

After following some clues, they find one of the leaders of the Black Swan, Mr Forkle. He takes them to one of their hideouts, Alluveterre. They are going to stay safely there, and train their skills. They are going to train their skills, to rescue Prentice Endal. Prentice was a worker for the Black Swan, who’s mind was broken and he was exiled, on charges of treason. To achieve this feat, they all have to train for separate tasks. Biana has work on her Vanishing ability. Sophie and Fitz have to achieve Cognatedom. Dex has to work on the security devices. And Keefe…. has got the exciting task of reading (pretty much his hated job). However, they get side tracked by a plague which has been unleashed on gnomes. They suspect it was the Neverseen, allying with the ogres, (since their King Dimitar pretty much hates Sophie and her friends after an incident at Kenric’s funeral in the last book) but they have no proof. Also, their excursion to rescue Prentice goes horribly, with all twelve councillors turning up on what was supposed to be a covert operation. Fitz gets gravely injured and Sophie is forced to barter their freedom, with Kenric’s cache. The deal is formed, all of them including Prentice would be given freedom, on the condition that they would hand Gethen (a member of the Neverseen that they had captured earlier) over and go to Exillium….

Exillium is the dreaded school for the hopeless cases, and it is supposed to be a horrible school. However, their attendance to Exillium turns out to be remarkably useful (and hated). They learn some useful skills, and even make some new friends. They see the school, and see the incredible neglect there, courtesy of the councillors. Meet Tam and Linh Song. These two incredibly talented twins have an extremely sad story. They find that their glittering world isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks, it’s incredibly prejudiced and unfair. Too many secrets. Too many lies. And on top of it all, the threat of the gnomish plague is increasing. The only cure is locked in the legendary ogre capital, Ravagog. Can they all sneak into the most highly guarded lost city, steal the cure, and run? The fate of the entire gnomish species depends on them. No pressure……

An action-packed story, full of suspense, amazing surprises, and shocking betrayals. This book takes adventure to a whole new level. This was definitely my favourite book in the series so far. I swear, each book is even better than the last, which I thought was not humanely possible. But it is. The detail and intricacy in this series is really amazing. It’s a huge puzzle, like when a big revelation comes, then you see that all the clues and details were there all along, you just didn’t see them. And the variety in the characters is absolutely a part of the book that helps keeps it from going bland. I may be fangirling over here, but seriously, this book deserves it. This book totally fires up your imagination, and every page of it is super good. My favourite characters were Tam and Linh, and Silveny, who are yours? If you have read this book, I hope you like it as much as I do. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?! Grab a copy of this book now! (But you should read the first three books in the series before this, since this is book #4) I like this book because this something different, with a whole new world full of adventure and cool abilities (I would LOVE to be a Phaser :D) and it will keep you hooked. If you like fantasy/action, this is so for you.                                                                                                                                                                                             I recommend this book to ages 10+.

The Green Ember by S.D.Smith

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Hi friends!

Today I will be talking about the book called “The Green Ember”.  I know it has been ages since I wrote the last blog. Sorry for the delay. This book is the first book in the Green Ember series, and it is really incredibly good. It is more of a war story than a fantasy which is my favourite genre. I hope you will try it reading like I did. It is excellent. Let me tell you all about it!

The story begins like this…

Heather and Picket are two extraordinary rabbits, but they are not aware about it. They are content with their life and family in a place called “Nick Hollow “and they could not be happier about it. Their father is from the east, and their mother is from Nick Hollow only. Heather and Picket have a baby brother too named Jack. Heather is the eldest and Picket the middle one is the fastest rabbit. They thought that their life was perfect. However this was not going to last for long. In a span of few days their life turned upside down. Their families are torn apart, and their lives can never be the same again.

The Wolves……wait wait… I need to give you brief history before I go on with the story!

Once upon a time, there lived a wise and good king called King Jupiter Goodson. It was a golden era under his rule. However, it soon ended sadly because of a traitor called Garten Longtreader who betrayed the King by colluding with the enemy. The king was murdered at a spot called Jupiter Crossing. There are two sides which have been warring since the dawn of history- Rabbits (the good fellas) and wolves/hawks (the bad ones). Morbin is the evil hawk king who wants to rule everyone and become emperor. They are at war since centuries.

Now, back to the story. The wolves who were actually looking for slaves(slavers) came for their family. Only Heather and Picket escape with great difficulty and timely help from other rabbits, one of whom is their Uncle Wilfred, an uncle they didn’t even know existed. WOAH!!

They have to reach to the safety of a mountain called cloud mountain, and fight with unity for their freedom. However, things are not as they seem, and they struggle to tell apart fact from fiction. Heather and Picket get tied up in strange plots of family secrets, traitors, liars, and true heirs.

Will they ever come out of Morbin’s evil shadow?

This story is awesome and really original.  It will certainly captivate you so much that you will read the whole series. I certainly will do. I understand that the rabbits and wolves sound really kiddish and lame, but it is actually a rather good read. Beside the fact that the characters are animals, the narration is pretty realistic and actually pretty much everything is realistic too. This fast-paced book takes you along the journey of Heather and Picket and will have you at the edge of your seat. Sadly, this is not famous enough but certainly deserves to be. S D Smith is a superb author. This book shows you that you have to be loyal, work hard and never lose hope. Hope is the definitive theme of this book. I recommend it for the ages 10 (and above). I hope that you enjoy reading my blog. I really enjoyed writing it and love this book a lot!

Thanks!

Visit to World Book Fair 2019, New Delhi.

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World Book Fair 2019 was held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. I was eagerly waiting for it. I was very excited to buy and read new books. This year the guest nation was UAE.

Glimpses of Book Fair
Glimpses of Book Fair
Glimpses of Book Fair
Glimpses of Book Fair

GLIMPSES OF BOOK FAIR

I went on the very first day of the fair. It was so difficult to reach the halls as there was lot of construction work going on.

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CONSTRUCTION WORK

They are making new exhibitions halls and i can’t wait to see them.  We had to walk a lot and were dead tired by the time we covered only half of stalls. But I managed to buy around 20 books.

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BOOKS I BOUGHT

There was so many books and I would have loved to read them all. I went along with my parents.We took a strolley from home so that we don’t have to carry heavy books in our backpacks. In one of the stalls I met my school Library teacher who was buying stash of new books for our school library.

 

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That’s me at Harper Collin’s stall. I have also made this my profile picture. My father also took some candid pictures of me while I was browsing the books.

 

CANDID SHOTS

Even though we went on the very first day, being a weekend it was pretty crowded. Also we had a to walk a lot but it was worth it. I go there every year and buy lots of books. It was a very nice and memorable visit and I would love to go there again…. I would recommend that if you a get a chance, you must visit!

My Top Ten Reads!

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As i promised in previous blog that I will list out my Top ten favourite books, here they are in no particular order.

These are from the books that I have read till now. I have reviewed most of them and will review the left ones soon!

  1. MARLEY, A DOG LIKE NO OTHER by JOHN GROGAN
  2. ALL FOUR STARS BY TARA DAIRMAN
  3. CARBONEL BY BARBARA SLEIGH
  4. ANIMALCOLM BY DAVID BADDIEL
  5. OUT OF MY MIND BY DRAPER
  6. KIRA KIRA BY KADOHATA
  7. THE TRUMPET OF SWAN BY E.B.WHITE
  8. GOODNIGHT MR. TOM BY MICHELLE MAGORIAN
  9. ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS BY SCOTT O’DELL
  10. JENNIE BY PAUL GALLICO

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Apart from these books, I have loved reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and of course all eight Harry Potter books by J.K.Rowling  which I have read over and over again!

Hope you like my favourite books!!

 

 

 

Wind in the willows by Kenneth Grahame

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wind in the willows

This is a story about a proud toad, two best friends mole and water rat, and the badger. The toad is goodhearted but rather silly and loves motor cars and likes to drive one. He is caught and sent to prison. He escapes. In the time he was in prison the evil weasels take over his home, the big, stately toad hall. With the help of badger , water rat and mole, will he be able to reclaim his home and his honor ? This is a short story which is fun and cool. Kenneth Grahame is an author with an ability to make anything interesting. It is a must read book. NICE !

Harry Potter and he Philosopher’s stone BY J.K.Rowling

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harry potter and philosopher stone

Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone is a story about a boy, Harry Potter, who is eleven years of age.His parents were killed ,when he was just a baby ,by an evil wizard , Lord Voldemort.He is sent to live with his aunt, cousin, and uncle, who mistreat him a lot.

Hagrid the game keeper of Hogwarts (School of witch craft and wizardry) tells him that he is a wizard, his life changes in a wink. With the help of his two friends, Ron and Hermione will he be able to solve the mystery of Philosopher stone? Will the thief be Snape? or will it be someone more unexpected?

Harry Potter is written in such a detail that you can picture it clearly. It is a book of mystery and adventure. Its exciting , nervous , interesting and unputdownable. It is one mega book. J.K. Rowling is an awesome author. This book is a mixture of loyalty , bravery , cleverness and trickery. This book takes you to a land in the sky which has all these characters in it.  It is cool!

I have also doodled characters in Harry potter series. Hope you like them!!

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harry potter-2

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The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy

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the magic of the lost temple

The magic of the lost temple is a story about a brave and adventurous girl called Nooni. It is written by Sudha Murthy, a famous author.

Nooni goes to somanahalli , her father’s village, to spend her summer vacation.It also shows the beauty of nature, ratnapakshis and whatnot. Nooni and her friends,Megha,Anand ,Amit and Mahadeva like to go on walks to see these animals. On one of these walks they find something amazingly ancient and incredible.

This is a highly interesting, engrossing read. This is a book that you want to read all at once and never put down. It is a book about an ancient beautiful structure. This book will be reviewed full stars by the most hardened book reviewer. Its super!

Trumpet of the swan by E.B. White

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The trumpet of the swan is a story about Lewis, a cygnet, raised on marshy land in Canada. He is a trumpeter swan who doesn’t have a voice. His father stole a trumpet so that he could speak. To pay back the debt his father owed to the music store, he learnt to play a trumpet and earn money from many jobs. With the help of Sam Beaver, a boy, who had known him since childhood, he learns to read and write in a school. He gets a job in a zoo and he falls in love with another swan. Sam Beaver frees him from the zoo. In the end the debt is paid, they live happily and all is well.

It was good and interesting. It teaches us that debts should be paid back and if you want something in the end you shall achieve it. This is a story about the friendship between a boy and a swan. This story also tells us that friendship comes in unique forms. Lovely read!!

Out of my Mind by Sharon M. Draper

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Out-of-mind

Out of my mind is a book about a girl , Melody who can not walk and talk, but is extremely intelligent. Because of her disabilities, she is accounted ‘ dumb’.When she gets a computer that enables her to talk, she is finally able to communicate with other children. She gets to go on the quiz team, in the finale in Washington, D.C. Will she be able to face the disappointment that awaits her there or will she accept the apology? Read to find out. This story tells us that some people with disabilities are accounted dumb. It is not their fault. We should not be so thoughtless and rude as we also may have some disabilities that do not show so openly. This is an excellent book. WOW ! OUT OF THE WORLD BOOK !!

Beauty and The Beast by Madame Leprince de Beaumont

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beauty and the beast

Beauty and the Beast is a well known fable around the world, because it not only it shows that promises should be kept, but also that appearances can be deceiving. The Beast, for example, was a beast, but he was good and kindhearted . Beauty’s sisters were proud and vain and they only wanted riches and jewels.Beauty was kind , loving , caring, honest and polite, everything a person should be. We should not be proud like the sisters of Beauty in the story. It is an awesome bed time story . It is important to understand that love is more worth than wealth.

It should be read by readers all over the world because it tells us about the basic values of life.Excellent book!!

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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Fish in a tree is a story about a girl called Ally Nickerson , a girl who has dyslexia. She can not read, but is exceptionally bright.The whole class think that she is dumb and a loser.The teachers think she is a troublemaker, but the new teacher,Mr. Daniels, sees a bright kid instead of a trouble maker. When he learns that she has Dyslexia, he helps her to read, write, etc.There is a mean kid called Shay who bullies her and calls her dumb and loser. Ally has a brother called Travis who loves to work with machines.

She finds two friends, Keisha and Albert.What happens in the end is-Well, read to find out.It is a very good book.Every child should read this it is EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!

 

Wonder by R.J.Palacio

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Wonder is a touching read, and a very good one.This is a story about a boy with a different face. In fact, he is a wonder. He has a sister named Via and a dog named daisy and loving parents.With just a couple of friends in middle school beginning, will he be able to adapt to the life of middle school , or will he let the bullies put him down? Read to find out.It  is a must read for children, to understand never to bully, to be friends with everybody, and to be kind.It is very interesting, and incredibly cool.

Only one word – BRILLIANT!