Jam and her TBR Jar
Welcome nerds, make it a great day!
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Alphabetical by Author
  • Bookish Extras
  • About Me
  • Contact Me

The Girl on the Train by: Paula Hawkins

10/30/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Girl on the Train by: Paula Hawkins
Synopsis: 
The debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives.
EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
Picture
Creepy, addicting and absolutely mind blowing, The Girl on the Train is perfect for anyone looking for an intoxicating thriller.

Going into this book, I had fairly low expectations because I had heard so many mixed reviews. However, as cliche as it sounds, I was completely hooked from the very first page. Similar to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, the twisted plot and deranged characters in this novel keep you on your toes and guessing from beginning to end. The unpredictably and authenticity of their actions and emotions maintained the eerie and hair-raising mood/tone as well as made them very relatable. The complexities of the human condition were so prevalent in this novel that nothing felt out of place or random but rather felt like an insight into the nature of mankind.

The only itty bitty problem that is preventing me from giving this book 5 stars was the simplicity of the writing style. There were some things that didnt flow as well as I would have liked and at times, it felt kind of choppy. Just my personal opinion. :)

Because of the well deserved hype surrounding this novel, the movie adaptation of it will be released sometime in October starring Emily Blunt and Haley Bennet! YAY! I am a huge Blunt fan and I think she is the perfect Rachel. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a gripping and mature read that is perfect for the Fall/spooky Halloween season.

Happy reading nerds!
0 Comments

A Darker Shade of Magic by: V.E. Schwab

1/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
A Darker Shade of Magic by: V.E. Schwab
Synopsis:
 
Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit. 
Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.
Officially, Kell is the personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. While travelling, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to try to stay alive.
Picture
Alright.... its review time!!

**Closer to a 4.5 star rating**

I am literally in awe of V.E Schwab and her writing abilities. I wish I could be inside of her head for a day because based on what I've seen in her books, it must be the coolest place ever.

Granted, this is only the second book that I have read by Victoria Schwab (the first being Vicious) but both times she has absolutely blown my mind with her complex plots and WEIRD ASF worlds. Because I read so many books in a year and I don't have the best memory in the entire world, I tend to forget about some books a month or so after I read them. This will definitely not be the case with this book. The world is so creative, unique and unlike anything I have ever read before! I wish my brain was that talented.

I must admit, when I first started it, I was more then confused because we were just thrown into this brand new world with lots of magic and lingo that had zero sense. Within the next 50 pages or so everything was laid out for us and things started to click together. Basically this book is set in a world where there is lots of magic and parallel universes. There are 4 different versions of what we known to be London. Each version of London (black, white, red, and grey) has different rulers, ways of life and degrees of magic. Kell, our main character, is one of the last rare Travellers who can jump between the different London's. 

I absolutely loved Kell's character (and coat) from the beginning and Schwab had be rooting for him till the very end! Our other main character is Delilah Bard, a young girl that Kell meets while travelling in Grey London. This girl was a firecracker. And SASSSSSSSSSY as all get out. AND a professional badass. Obviously, I loved her from the moment she was introduced. I loved seeing her and Kell's relationship grow and their bickering brought more then one smile to my face. 

Im not gonna give much away about the actual storyline of the book but just please know its amazing.The only reason that i maybe wouldn't give this book a full five stars was because a small thing that happened during the ending that kinda confused and frustrated me. I HIGHLY recommend this novel and I can not wait until February 23rd (the release date of the sequel, A Gathering of Shadows) because I need to know what happens next. I also have a theory or two about one of the characters so I want to see if I'm right! 

Happy reading nerds! Sound off in the comments with your opinion on this novel!


0 Comments

Animal Farm by: George Orwell

12/26/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Animal Farm by: George Orwell
Synopsis: 
Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose slogan becomes: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." This 1945 satire addresses the socialist/communist philosophy of Stalin in the Soviet Union.
Picture

Alright... its review time!!

Do you know when you have those SUPER WEIRD dreams that you wake up from and you're just so disturbed that your mind is capable of coming up with something so ridiculously strange that you start to think you may need to see a health professional? I feel like that is what happened to George Orwell, except instead of getting a psychiatrist, he just wrote it down on paper and somehow got it published. The scary part for me is that my brain somehow jumped on the same crazy train he must have been on... and I loved it... 

This story was so strange and unique!! Going into it, I knew it was about animals rebelling against humans (which I thought sounded pretty freaking cool) but I must admit, I did not expect what this novel had in store! Everything was so twisted and even when I put the book down, I couldn't stop thinking about it. All I know is that I will not be getting any sleep tonight because I won't be able to get this story out of my head. And THE ENDING THOUGH. BLEW MY MIND A BIT. These kind of weird, unique stories are what our generation needs more of. So happy I read it! 

The only reason I didn't give it 5 full stars is because i found the middle part of the book was lagging a bit for me and there was like a solid 2 chapters where I was less engaged. Besides that, I can totally understand why George Orwell's writing is so well known and considered a literary "classic".

Happy reading nerds! Sound off in the comments with your opinion on this crazy novel!
0 Comments

Me Before You by: Jojo Moyes

12/26/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Me Before You by: Jojo Moyes
Synopsis: 
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.
Picture
Alright... Its review time!!

All I can say is that you make me... you make me into someone I couldn't even imagine. You make me happy, even when you're awful. I would rather be with you - even the you that you seem to think is diminished - than with anyone else in the world.

I just can't even being to handle the feelings that I have after finishing this. Like I am really struggling to find the words to describe it. This story was just so beautifully written and the characters... my god, the characters were just flawlessly written. *huge round of applause for Jojo Moyes* 

I must admit, I went into this novel with my "black and white YA mindset" which basically means I did the whole "omg that person is being a rude so therefore I hate them" and "wow so-and-so acted a specific way so therefore they must not care about their son". In Young Adult fiction (excluding most contemporary novels), there is almost always a villain, a badass hero, and the witty sidekick friend and for some reason, thats what I kept looking for in this novel. I wanted to hate Will's parents so much and I kept waiting for Louisa to be this person who saves the day. I don't think it was until we were given that chapter from Mrs. Traynors point of view that I had to slap myself. It really sunk in that these are flawed people in the real world and you never really can know what is going on in a persons head. This book challenged me to constantly be putting myself in other peoples shoes and I loved that. 

My mom used to work at the hospital with patients suffering from spinal cord injuries so when I told her about the premise, she immediately starting telling me stories about her patients. And the thing is, a lot of those stories who extremely similar to Will's. I loved that this story was authentic. It was real and it shone a lot of light on something that I don't commonly see written about. I HIGHLY recommend!!!!!!

Also, I just want to say that i am SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR THE MOVIE. THE CAST IS SERIOUSLY JACKED. AND JOJO IS WRITING THE SCREENPLAY. ASDFGHJKLASDFGHJKL.


Happy reading nerds, sound off in the comments with your opinion on this novel!
0 Comments

The Casual Vacancy by: JK Rowling

7/10/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Casual Vacancy by: JK Rowling
Synopsis: A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ...
When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?
Picture
Alright... its review time!!

Okay so I am in the middle of final exams right now so this novel took me a week or two to finish but oh my goodness am I happy that I read this!!! I was extremely hesitant at first because I have heard SOOO many mixed reviews about but I found the HARDCOVER copy at a local garage sale for $2 so I couldn't pass it up. I admit, when I first read the plot, I was not impressed. It sounded boring and more tailored to adults (politics aren't really our youths forte). This novel however, isn't about politics, the Casual Vacancy is simply about life. Basically, this book is about the death of one of the councillor/politicians dudes in a REALLY small British town and how this mans death effects all of the members in the community. The thing that I really loved though was the fact that it was written from the perspectives of the rich and the poor, the old and the young. It showed all the nitty and gritty drama and secrets behind of the pretty curtain that a lot of families hide behind and how it effected both the kids and the parents. It showed how Barry Fairbrother's death effected the rich people who knew him really well but also the not so rich people. It showed how easy it is for your life to fall apart but also how easy it is for someone else to come along and help you put it back together. Parts of it were hilarious while other parts were heartbreaking and extremely hard to read about but in the end, it was real life and I loved it. I can see why a lot of people struggle to finish it or get bored halfway through because JK Rowling is VERY verbose in this novel. There is a lot of dialogue and character building (which can get confusing at times because there are so many characters) but in the end, when everything ties together... my goodness... it is incredible. Rowling proves once again but an absolute badass she is.


Happy reading nerds and sound off in the comments with your opinion on this novel!
0 Comments

    Jamie

    Avid reader, music lover, total nerd, night owl, chocolate addict, 24/7 try hard

    my favorites shelf:
    Jamie Roeske (*touch ma books and ill slay you*)'s book recommendations, liked quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (favorites shelf)

    Archives

    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2016
    June 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    Categories

    All
    1 Star
    2 Stars
    3 Stars
    4 Stars
    5 Stars
    Adult
    Classic
    Contemporary
    Dystopian
    Fantasy
    Historical Fiction
    Middle Grade
    New Adult
    Non Fiction
    Novella
    Paranormal
    Young Adult

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Alphabetical by Author
  • Bookish Extras
  • About Me
  • Contact Me