Catch Me When You Fall by Eileen Merriman: Book Review

Discovering happiness amid uncertainty and finding a love that transcends the boundary between life and death.

Seventeen year old Alex Byrd is about to have the worst day of her life, and the best. A routine blood test that will reveal her leukaemia has returned, but she also meets Jamie Orange.

Both teenagers have big dreams, but also big obstacles to overcome.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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I have never been as moved by a novel as I have with this teenage romance caught between the struggles of reality. Catch Me When You Fall follows the story of a sixteen-year-old girl called Alex Byrd who lives in Christchurch with her parents and younger sister. After a brief doctors appointment where she bonds over a mutually loved book with a boy of her age, Jamie Orange, she soon finds out that her leukaemia has returned and she may not survive this time around. Throughout the course of the novel, Alex finds solace in her newfound love and passion for the arts with Jamie and comes to realise that Jamie has many issues of his own, despite him appearing angelic in appearance with a personality that continues to sway her deeply as a typical first love does.

Some people believe in love at first sight, and some don't.
I believe in love in four days.
I believe in falling.

The title Catch Me When You Fall seems to imply the act of falling in love and expecting another to return the feeling in full. I definitely felt that this novel lived up to the expectation that came with this statement; its storyline has captured teenage love with absolute precision and also managed to convey the same message with the idea of succumbing to the sicknesses they suffer from.

Since I have not personally suffered with a sickness as dire as cancer, reading about a girl who has gone through it not once but three times, has been an experience that I will never forget. Both Alex and Jamie kick off their bonding session over a book called 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. This love for books grows into a connection over music they relate to which seems to give the book more life and beauty as the reader can search up the song and listen to it during the scene that is playing out. I found myself rooting for Alex to survive, despite the terrifying odds, and relating more-or-less to Jamie with his bipolar disorder, as it is one of the two major categories of manic depression.

A photo I posted to my Instagram account. Click on the photo to see more

Merriman has done an extraordinary job of creating a realistic world of love and suffering, where two teenagers connect and clash over trivial matters which overall brings them closer together over the course of the novel. Basing their story in Christchurch, New Zealand helped me related to Alex as a young teenager going through her first relationship and learning to juggle her personal life with someone else who is going through a different kind of sickness. In Alex’s mind it is harder for her to understand why Jamie claims to struggle so much with his mental illness when she feels she is closer to the brink of possible death.

I said, 'I wish this moment could be forever.''We are forever.' Jamie raised his head, and kissed me on the lips. 'Neither alive nor dead.'

Merriman has created a perfectly realistic and relatable story that many New Zealand teenagers, and possibly others overseas, can feel emotionally moved by Alex and Jamie’s relationship going through the ringer and back. Much of the factual content had been researched by the author’s connections and written with some of her own knowledge as a nurse. Her writing is beautifully simplistic along with the use of the Norwegian language through Jamie’s family, which adds diversity that Eileen has been known for from her debut novel, Pieces of You.

A photo I posted to my Instagram account. Click on the photo to see more

I would recommend this to anyone above the age of thirteen that has experienced the trials of a first love, and anyone who is just looking to find something that can re-invent it perfectly in a 300-page novel. It has been one of the most eye-opening stories I’ve come across throughout my time as an avid reader and I am positive that this will open the doorway for many more writers who feel like they have powerful stories of their own to tell. I've given this novel a 4.5 stars out of 5!

What are some of your favourite novels that deal with life-threatening illnesses or mental health issues? Are there any other New Zealand based novels that you can recommend? Let me know in the comments below!

Check out my Spotify playlist for

Catch Me When You Fall

* A few of these songs are actually mentioned in the book, others I have curated for the playlist on my own accord. I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you Penguin Random House NZ for the review copy!

Like and follow their links here:

Official Website: http://penguin.co.nz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenguinBooks_NZ

Go add Catch Me When You Fall to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find it on the Penguin Random House NZ website HERE

Find more out about me at:

Website: wordsofeuphoricnostalgia.blogspot.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Twitter: ellabellabellz

Instagram: FeathersandFaith

Snapchat: FeathersnFaith

Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau: Book Review

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Testing trilogy comes a sweeping new fantasy series, perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sarah J. Maas.

Twins Carys and Andreus were never destined to rule Eden. With their older brother next in line to inherit the throne, the future of the kingdom was secure.

But appearances—and rivals—can be deceiving. When Eden’s king and crown prince are killed by assassins, Eden desperately needs a monarch, but the line of succession is no longer clear. With a ruling council scheming to gain power, Carys and Andreus are faced with only one option—to take part in a Trial of Succession that will determine which one of them is worthy of ruling the kingdom.

As sister and brother, Carys and Andreus have always kept each other safe—from their secrets, from the court, and from the monsters lurking in the mountains beyond the kingdom’s wall. But the Trial of Succession will test the bonds of trust and family.

With their country and their hearts divided, Carys and Andreus will discover exactly what each will do to win the crown. How long before suspicion takes hold and the thirst for power leads to the ultimate betrayal?

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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The reading slump I have been in for a few months now has possibly been absolutely eradicated thanks to this beauty of a novel. I have found myself reeling and craving more after finishing Dividing Eden and as always with great books I am counting down the days, through my Goodreads account, to when Eden Conquered releases next year on the 12th of June. This is definitely a great read for anyone who thoroughly enjoyed Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas or Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. You may be wondering where the magical elements might be hiding within the story - well just take my word and WAIT FOR IT... Read on and be bedazzled!

I think this is the first time I've read a book with twins as the protagonists. Carys is very strong willed, able to use a knife with apt skill, and is very protective of her twin brother. Andreus is a sweet talker of the ladies, an all round lovely guy who saved a young boy from the streets, and loves to help with the windmills and Masters of Light to keep the city safe from vicious monsters hiding in the deathly shadows of Eden. Together they are an unstoppable force who would die for one another, but then their father and older brother, King and Crown Prince of Eden, are assassinated and their mother is driven mad by grief. Thanks to the help of the Seer, Lady Imogen, the council are prevented from immediately handing the throne to the next eligible head and are forced to start a series of trials in which Carys and Andreus are divided to compete against one another to determine their capability of handling the title of King or Queen of Eden.

Strange, is it not, that a book you might pick up will seem like it is foreseeable. That's what I felt like in the first half of the book until I was blown away by so many changes and twists that made me wonder why I did not pick it up earlier. I mean, how could I have known! It was such a wonderful change with reading about two twins who are close and dedicated to protecting one another from ever-lurking evils behind every corridor and under every stone, soon pitted against one another to test their loyalties to their people and the seven virtues that their city was built upon long before their existence.

✨ THINGS I LOVED ABOUT DIVIDING EDEN!✨

• Carys and Andreus are considered EQUAL! There is no sexism or prejudism over what they are except that no one but the Queen, who was supposedly too mad to be trusted, knew who was older than the other. In so many stories, movies, or TV shows, I see how the male will always get the throne no matter what. To have this story break out of that trope is a nice change.

• Carys and her friend, Larkin, have such a close bond, no matter the fact that Larkin is a commoner and Carys is a princess. They have never let that change anything between them and to be honest, I totally root them together. Better than setting Carys up with a guy she barely knows, not when she knows Larkin inside out and they're already so close.

• The tension was ablaze through the whole book and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There was always something going wrong and I know how frustrating that is in real life, but it's hellishly entertaining in books. Let's have more shit go wrong in novels please!

• Magic and divination is in the book, no matter how little, and it is AWESOME! It's there and I'm happy. Not too much, not too little. Just enough to make you go hell yeah and run the streets praising the Gods for Joelle to bring a brand new fiery couple of protagonists in to root for!

• It got me out of my reading slump. NEED I SAY MORE?

I have rated this book a 4.75 out of 5 stars because the last half of the book was the real turning point for me. I have to be honest, I felt like the first half was a little slow for me but that could just be the reading slump talking. I truly enjoyed this book and I'm so happy to have found yet another awesome fantasy with strong characters that prove that not everything in fantasy has to be a certain way. Do I really have to wait until June 2018 to read Eden Conquered though?

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy of Dividing Eden! Go check out their links here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz

Website: http://www.harpercollins.co.nz/

Go add Dividing Eden to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find it on the HarperCollins NZ website HERE

My Spotify Playlist for

Dividing Eden

Find more out about me at:

Website: http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Twitter: ellabellabellz

Instagram: FeathersandFaith

Snapchat: FeathersnFaith

Pieces of You by Eileen Merriman: Book Review

Wise, tough, heart-breaking, funny, this compulsive love story is about facing your demons.

Fifteen-year-old Rebecca McQuilten moves with her parents to a new city. Lonely but trying to fit in, she goes to a party, but that’s when things really fall apart. 

I couldn’t tell anyone what had happened. Especially since I was the new girl in town. Who would want to believe me?

Things look up when she meets gregarious sixteen-year-old Cory Marshall.

‘You’re funny, Becs,’ Cory said.

‘You have no idea,’ I said, and clearly he didn’t, but I was smiling anyway.

And after that, he was all I could think about.

Cory helps Rebecca believe in herself and piece her life back together; but that’s before he shatters it all over again . . .

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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I was lucky enough to be one of the few people who received an early copy of Pieces of You along with a box filled with related goodies inside, all thanks to Penguin Random House New Zealand. I was so excited that I took a bunch of photos of everything and posted them on Snapchat. This book was nothing but a brilliant piece of young adult literature and I am so glad that I was able to have the chance to read something that brought a fraction of my teenage reality to life. I've never come across a novel that has been able to pin point specific issues that teenagers struggle with every day and has been able to resolve it in a way that doesn't leave you feeling frustrated and ripped off. I'd like to personally award Eileen Merriman for writing the most accurate and unbelievably heartfelt young adult debut EVER!

Pieces of You has to be one of the most important young adult novels ever written because it shines a light on depression, self harm, rape, and grief - a few of the many things that can bring a person to their death if not dealt with sooner than later, and that's exactly what this book entails. Rebecca 'Becs' McQuilten is a fifteen-year-old girl who is forced to move to Auckland from her South Island hometown of Dunedin where she struggles to fit in with her peers. Like many young girls, Becs feels self-conscious about her appearance and struggles with adjusting to her new life where winters are unbearably cold with no snow and being the new girl in a big city is just as bad as moving to a tiny one. I absolutely loved this book with a passion, despite having to put it down many times because of university work. Much of the content reminded me of personal matters I had to deal with during my teenage years, including depression and self-harm, although I used the nail-digging method rather than a blade but I had friends who did and felt exactly the same as Becs. This became almost too much at times because it reminded me of the countless nights where I would worry for hours, staying up texting, trying to make sure my friend wouldn't take their own life. In a way, Becs is the beacon of light that many teenagers might need to relate to and I am so grateful for that. My only worry is that this book may be somewhat of a trigger to those who have cut themselves and I firmly suggest preparing yourselves for a few hard-to-cope-with scenes - I personally had to put the book down during the very top of page 166 because it had hit me a little too hard with the imagery. It hasn't triggered me to self-harm again but it might for others so please be careful.

Here are a list of pages that may be triggering: 22, 35, 44, 94, 165 & 166.

"Nothing compares to kissing the boy you've fallen in love with. Nothing."

One thing I loved was that there were so many times that actual places in New Zealand were mentioned and Maori language was used as well. The Marshall's beach house in Cooper's Beach, Kaitaia, and the Four Square (a mini supermarket which is placed in almost every city and small town of NZ). Being quite connected with the rest of the world and having knowledge about Maori words and traditions, I realised that the book did not have a glossary at the back for those that may not know what some of the words were. I personally was so excited to see them included but I realised that my friends around the world who will probably want to read this book might need a little help with the language so I've taken it upon myself to write a small glossary here so that everyone can refer to it when they read it.

Maori translated to English:

Kia ora: Hello, thank you

Kia kaha: Be strong

Hongi: A Maori tradition where two individuals will press their noses and foreheads together as a greeting (this word was not mentioned but I noticed this happened on page 238 - your welcome!)

Ngai Takoto: A Maori iwi from Northland, New Zealand

Iwi: Tribe

I think the most beautiful thing about Pieces of You is how real and intense the relationship that Becs had with Cory Marshall. Despite having many inner demons, she opens up to him through their mutual love of literature. Their relationship isn't forced like many in other YA novels, it falls together piece by piece and is glued tight with trust and hope. Cory is the type of male that every girl wishes she'd find - a guy who loves reading and writes poems to illustrate the beauty and darkness of the life around him. Without giving too much away, Pieces of You does an amazing job of showing how someone can struggle so much with their own problems that sometimes it blinds them to the suffering of others. I love that this book did not end on a sour note or made out to be a perfectly happy ending, because real life doesn't work that way and depression and grief needs to be tended to over time, not just fixed with a magical pill or potion.

I have chosen to give this book a 5 out of 5 stars for it's ice-breaking reality and beautifully told story that might help inspire many teenagers around the world to see that there is so much more on the other side of the blinding mountain. It is well deserved and I think that this is probably the only book I've read that has really shown what it is like to live as a modern day teenager in the suburbs of Auckland (damn the fact that we don't get snow!). I would recommend to everyone because this is a story that the world needs to read, no matter the location - this is the story that will hopefully help change lives. We all need more heroines like Rebecca McQuilten!

Thank you Penguin Random House NZ for the review copy!

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Are you suffering with a mental illness such as depression or anxiety? Here are some helpful links from BetterHelp that you can check out and find tips on how to live a happier life:

BetterHelp Advice - Anxiety
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How To Deal with Depression: Tips, Techniques And Finding the Right Treatment

How Do I Find A Therapist Near Me?

10 Depression Quotes That May Change Your Life

Go add Pieces of You to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find it on the Penguin Random House NZ website HERE

Find more out about me at:

Website: wordsofeuphoricnostalgia.blogspot.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Twitter: ellabellabellz

Instagram: FeathersandFaith

Snapchat: FeathersnFaith

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige: Book Review

First kisses sometimes wake slumbering princesses, undo spells, and spark happily ever afters.

Mine broke Bale.

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric—but she isn’t crazy. And that’s not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but innocent…when Bale, her only love, turns violent.

Despite Snow knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away—dashing her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home. With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a kingdom that’s hers for the taking—if only she can find her way past the iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.

Beyond the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named Kai, the charming thief Jagger, and a prophecy that Snow will save them all.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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In all honesty, I have to say that this book was not up to the exact level of excitement I thought it might be. But that aside I will admit that I definitely thought this book was an awesome retelling of "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen. I didn't actually read the original story until just after I had finished the book but I could definitely see the similarities and how Danielle managed to weave many of the same elements into her own little fantasy story. This review may be filled with mixed emotions about multiple parts of the book as I felt like there were some things about it that I thought could have been better or slightly different to enhance the overall opinions from many readers including myself - though I do feel like I enjoyed the themes that lay within the fantastical world filled with snow-covered cities and beauty amongst the darkness of an evil king who had ruled Algid for many years before Snow's arrival.

The protagonist of the story is a young girl who is introduced as Snow and resides, much to her dismay, in a mental asylum in New York where she is monitored on a daily basis by her orderly, Verne, takes pills that she named after the seven dwarves, and lives for the moments when she gets to see Bale - which is almost never since he broke her wrist after their first kiss - and all of that because she tried to walk to a mirror as a young girl and cut herself badly by accident. I personally felt like I could resonate with Snow as she is described to have issues controlling her anger and I feel like that is something that many people struggle with but there is so much stigma around the idea because it can be a scary thing for those that don't want to know about it or be around people who have the potential to blow up for any particular reason. Her issues trusting her mother and feeling hardly any love for her because of the mirror incident is something that I feel is believable and true for those where their family won't support or help them when they feel like they need it the most. Snow goes through many instances where her loyalties are tested and ties are torn in ways that are brutal, and in that way I felt for her because she never knew her family like she thought she did. The friendships she gains along her journey to fulfilling the prophecy are of deep importance and show Snow what real life, despite having entered a fantasy world, can be for her if she decides to choose to stay and help Algid defeat their curse. Unfortunately a bit of the plot seemed slightly off track and went in directions that didn't quite add up - I was thinking that maybe the manuscript could have been edited up to be a little better prepared for publication.

I know that this would have been a book that I would have said five stars to right away when I was only a young teenager starting out with young adult novels like The Twilight Saga and the Vampire Academy series, but sensibly with time I have come to a state of mind where every thought seems to be critical in the best and worst ways sometimes. I definitely did enjoy Stealing Snow but I just feel like it wasn't written the best way it could have been. Many people I know have mentioned their distaste for the love triangle and I totally get that. But it didn't bother me as much as I thought it might so I'm sure many others can feel the same way I do! I'm thinking that the next book will follow things up in terms of the spread-out plot so it could impress a lot of the readers that may not have liked this one. I'm just hoping that we get to see more badass magic, snow-tornados, and Gerde and Kai because their scenes just weren't enough and I loved them specifically to bits! Snow's anger issue didn't exactly have much development and a clear resolution or point of importance in my opinion. There were a few other things that should have been cleared up as well but I guess I could be wrong with my assumptions and they might all be answered with absolute detail and serve a better purpose for the second novel. But I guess we won't know until it comes out!

I have decided to give Stealing Snow a 3 stars out of 5 because it would appeal more to a younger audience that may not have many issues with the simplistic style of writing and feel too overwhelmed by the direction of the plot line. I do think many people will love reading this story for the awesome fact that it's almost like envisioning Elsa from the Disney movie, Frozen, as Snow with her magical flurry of ice powers. It just lacked in major character development, a clear vision of the story, and better sentence structure, which might have really given this book a kick of enthusiasm. However, I am still looking forward to reading Danielle's other series, Dorothy Must Die, as I heard it is a great series and is a retelling of The Wizard of Oz which is absolutely awesome considering it being such a classic oldie! 

Thank you Allen and Unwin NZ for the review copy!

Check out their links here:

Official Website: http://www.allenandunwin.co.nz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AllenAndUnwinNZ

 

  Go add Stealing Snow to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find it on the Allen and Unwin website HERE

Find more out about me at:

Website: http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Twitter: ellabellabellz

Instagram: FeathersandFaith

Snapchat: FeathersnFaith