Girl In The Woods by Aspen Matis: Book Review

Girl in the Woods is Aspen Matis's exhilarating true-life adventure of hiking from Mexico to Canada—a coming of age story, a survival story, and a triumphant story of overcoming emotional devastation. On her second night of college, Aspen was raped by a fellow student. Overprotected by her parents who discouraged her from telling of the attack, Aspen was confused and ashamed. Dealing with a problem that has sadly become all too common on college campuses around the country, she stumbled through her first semester—a challenging time made even harder by the coldness of her college's "conflict mediation" process. Her desperation growing, she made a bold decision: She would seek healing in the freedom of the wild, on the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail leading from Mexico to Canada.

In this inspiring memoir, Aspen chronicles her journey, a five-month trek that was ambitious, dangerous, and transformative. A nineteen-year-old girl alone and lost, she conquered desolate mountain passes and met rattlesnakes, bears, and fellow desert pilgrims. Exhausted after each thirty-mile day, at times on the verge of starvation, Aspen was forced to confront her numbness, coming to terms with the sexual assault and her parents' disappointing reaction. On the trail and on her own, she found that survival is predicated on persistent self-reliance. She found her strength. After a thousand miles of solitude, she found a man who helped her learn to love and trust again—and heal.

Told with elegance and suspense, Girl in the Woods is a beautifully rendered story of eroding emotional and physical boundaries to reveal the truths that lie beyond the edges of the map.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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If there were any way to present a memoir in a way which would inspire thousands then Aspen Matis has done it. Here in this beautiful written book lies a story of agony and betrayal turned inspiration and courage. In my time of reading books and watching movies, there has never been anything so delicate and bold at the same time, in my opinion. Matis has brought writing a real life story to a whole new level and unfortunately she had to be the bearer of this burden-turned-blessing. In this memoir, Matis described how the terrible moment of being date raped broke her confidence and trust in everyone around her, including her family, which ends up leading her to make a bold decision to walk the entire Pacific Crest Trail - basically walking the entire trail from Mexico to Canada - in order to find herself again. From the young Debby Parker to Aspen Matis, a young, shattered soul walks through 2,650 miles of desert and mountains in order to transform herself into the strong, successful woman that she is today.

Like I have said in past reviews of memoirs, I hate the idea of completely criticising it because it is a real life story. To say this was a well-written book is a complete understatement. I thoroughly devoured this within a couple of weeks, just because I was busy and couldn't read as much. I did however spend almost a whole night finishing the last 200 pages and I would do it over and over again if I could. Diving in to such a highly acclaimed book made me feel fresh and renewed as I have never read anything so dense and wild - it had me hooked from the start. Matis has a profound way of using words to descriptively visualize the setting in your mind. I feel like most fictional stories don't have enough of this which shows that she really knows her stuff - plus she has an amazing and vivid memory which she manages to print on to the page flawlessly. Her determination to start and finish this five month journey with or without help from other trekkers is totally inspiring for all girls and woman alike - a true example of a leader and heroine. The fact that she also managed to deal with the majority of the hikers being men, especially knowing how she was raped by one at her college in Colorado, she finds the will to accomplish more than anyone else by making peace with these strangers and even hiking for a few days and nights with a few. Not only does Matis retell her story in full retrospect, but she vividly details the beautiful chemistry between herself and another hiker whom seems to respect her for who she is and sees the truth in her eyes. From trail magic to trail angels, this journey is one hell of a ride that you will want to be on.

Things I LOVE about Girl In The Woods:

* She had her name changed from Debby Parker to Aspen Matis! The basic idea of her decision to do this was the fact that she felt it discerned her from the person she used to be. After the hike she feels she has learnt a lot and transformed herself through a journey of nature and beauty, why else would you want to change your name? I feel like it fits her, especially seeing as she mentions the name, Aspen many times throughout the book.

* The beauty of the trail seems unimaginable unless you actually do it yourself! As much as Aspen managed to describe the beauty of this trail, from dusty badlands to treacherous mountain tops, I still feel like this walk would not be fully imagined until you actually go there yourself. Now I'm not saying that anyone should just take Aspen's advice and do this trail just because of anything. She had her reasons to do the trail but there is also another main point that I picked up while reading; taking walks in nature is purifying and beautiful and you can do it anywhere. Personally I love nature and being around trees and lakes so I would do this anyday I had the chance. It's just a shame there weren't as many photos of the trail as I would have expected!

* From Debby to Aspen: The story of a girl who became a woman! Coming of age stories are one of my many favourites and I would have to say that reading about Aspen's transformation made me feel empowered and invincible. The fact that she walked this trail at 19 years of age, which is how old I am at this exact moment, makes me feel personally like I could attempt the same and come out a better person too. It is inspiring to me just as much as it would inspire anyone else and though I respect Aspen for taking such a dangerous journey to find herself, I would not be so bold unless I had something to push me that far too. I think I'll just stick to day walks for now!

* Aspen is such a beautiful person and she is my hero! From what I have read so far about Aspen, not from her book but from interviews, reviews and praises, I feel like Aspen has proved to us females that we are just as tough as males and just because we are expected to sit tight, be polite and do whatever is expected of us, it's not what we have to do. We can go out and choose to trek crazy trails like this. We can choose to make a living on our own and be independent without a man to support us. We can be ourselves and not have to expect people to like us. Girls have a right to be heard and be important and powerful just as much as guys. Aspen makes me feel like I have a voice that will be heard because she proved to me that even though something precious was taken from her, she can survive and become stronger because of it. She won't let anything break her and because of that, neither will I.

Overall I have given this book a 5 out of 5 stars. This book was inspiring, beautiful, courageous, infectious and delightful. I couldn't have read anything more amazing and I just hope that one day I will be able to read her next book and by that time, her voice will be heard by millions.

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

Go add Girl In The Woods to your Goodreads list HERE

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

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Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford: Book Review

A truly original debut novel from an extraordinarily talented new voice in children’s books. Laugh, cry and wonder at this race-against-time story of a boy who travels back to 1984 to prevent a go-kart accident, and save his father’s life…

“My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty nine and again four years later when he was twelve.

The first time had nothing to do with me. The second time definitely did, but I would never even have been there if it hadn’t been for his ‘time machine’…”

When Al Chaudhury discovers his late dad’s time machine, he finds that going back to the 1980s requires daring and imagination. It also requires lies, theft, burglary, and setting his school on fire. All without losing his pet hamster, Alan Shearer…

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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To be fully honest I wasn't totally sure about this book when I first received it in the mail from HarperCollins New Zealand. The main reasons were because: a) It is a middle-grade book and I usually don't like anything too plain like these unless it's by the exception of Stacy Gregg in which I will happily accept anyone of her books to read and keep. b) Because of the name and the cover. Yes I know that is a quick and harsh judgement but I mean come on, I'm not the biggest fan of cheesy titles and kiddy-ish looking books unless it has anything to do with horses or spiritual stuff. Basically I'm a really fussy reader (which is really strange because I'm not that fussy with other things but there are probably a million different foods I wouldn't eat even if you offered me a million dollars. Okay in that case, I wouldn't be that fussy. I need a new laptop anyway and the money would come in handy. I'll shut-up about that now). The cover is honestly the type of image that I would have seen as a kid and head off running in the opposite direction. It brings back the memories of being the weird kid that didn't read because all the books I found in my opinion sucked and my attention span was the length of my pinky toe. Depite the obvious and the fact that I do judge a book by its cover (the literal term) I do have a completely different opinion about the actual story.

 This book is about a kid named Al Chaudhury who is a quarter Indian and is basically best friends with his full Indian Grandfather, Grandpa Byron. His father died when he was eight from a piece of metal that was lodged up through his nose into his brain from a go-gart incident which eventually killed him and left Al to survive with his mother, and now at twelve years old, with a new step-father (or step-loser) called Steve and a step-sister (step-sister-from-hell) called Carly. Al has just celebrated his twelfth birthday with everyone and has finally received a very secretive letter that his father wrote to him before his untimely death. Al finds out that his father Pye was working on a time-machine project that involved his old Apple Mac laptop, a bunch of cords, and a zinc tub, all concealed in the safety of a cellar-turned-safehouse in his old house which is basically a while away from where he lives now. He has been instructed by his father to use this time-machine to go back to 1984, two days before the incident, and prevent this go-cart accident from happening and therefore saving his dad's life. Basically if the accident never happened, the metal that got shoved up his nose as a kid wouldn't be there as an adult to eventually kill him. Thanks to this, Al feels a responsibility to save his father and have a complete family once again. Not only does he need to attempt this in order to change history, he cannot tell anyone about it because they would either try stop him out of fear for his safety, or tell him that he is crazy and that it would never work. Despite everything, Al manages to find his way around but ends up finding a bunch of obstacles in his way and everything changing before his eyes in ways he could (almost) never explain, all while being accompanied by his pet hamster, Alan Shearer.

Things I LOVE about Time Travelling with a Hamster:

* Again like the memoir thing, I love the "10 Things I Know About. . ." list! It gives the book some personality and I've never really seen any author use a list in a fictional novel before so it's pretty cool. Plus it gives a lot of quick insight to the characters that he is referring to, such as his Grandpa Byron, Mum, Dad or Steve.

* How logical most things sounded but some confused me a little! I absolutely loved how the idea of time-travel and the fact that you couldn't travel to a time where you already existed. The way the time travelling worked using a computer and coding is so unique. The way his Dad explained the way it worked and experimented it. Though I noticed that some facts that were originally stated early in the book weren't thoroughly kept up with when Al was thinking of all the things he could do with time-travel, he mentioned going back a week to get a lottery ticket and winning it with the numbers he'd retrieved from that following week. But he wouldn't have been able to having been alive a week ago and he wouldn't have been able to travel to then due to that simple fact.

* The hamster was adorably cute and I think it helped make the story better! The fact that Al was galavanting around back and forth with time-travel with his hampster and having to look after it all the time was so cute. He worried about it constantly and lost it about twice but the fact that he made sure he always saved it was the cutest thing. Plus (believe it or not) we can't have hamsters here in New Zealand and so for some reason I imagine it to be the most adorable little critter ever and I had a rat once (it was an albino with red eyes so it wasn't ugly like some rats) so I totally get the little bond between owner and pet.

Overall I have given this book a three out of five stars. I won't lie, it was a little boring for me mainly because it wasn't really the type of thing I was interested in and there wasn't a romance therefore I was at a lost for words when I finished it. However it is a great book for kids who are just starting out reading in middle school/intermediate and may be interested in the concept of time travel and computers. For a debut novel I think the author did a great job with writing this book and it will be nice to see what he writes in the future.

RELEASES FEBRUARY 1ST 2016!

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

Go add Time Travelling with a Hamster to your Goodreads list HERE

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Destined for Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

The second book in the popular new Doon YA series that takes on a classic story, Brigadoon, and spins it in a new way to give readers a fresh, modern experience.

In this sequel to Doon, Kenna Reid realizes she made a horrible mistake-choosing to follow her dreams of Broadway instead of staying in the enchanted land of Doon. Worse, she's received proof she and Duncan are meant to be, along with torturous visions of the prince she left behind. So when Duncan shows up and informs Kenna that Doon needs her, she doesn't need to think twice. But even if Kenna can save the enchanted kingdom, her happily ever after may still be in peril.

The Doon novels are a part of Blink, HarperCollins Christian Publishing's new YA imprint that delivers empowering and heartening literature while maintaining a tradition of imaginative and impactful storytelling.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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So this was a book that I read in literally two days because I was so moved and interested by the first one. Having being resubmersed in the world of Doon with Veronica and Jamie was the most exhilerating thing because I had requested it at the library literally right after I finished the first. Who knew that I would be so interested in a novel set in Scotland which was basically all about a magical kingdom with royalty and a whole town of loyal citizens. Reading the reviews of the first and second books on Goodreads just gave me even more reason to sit down for hours both days just reading to my hearts content, despite the love for the series that I had already gathered through reading the first and anything that Sasha Alsberg had to say about it. It is truly going to stay on my list of my favourite books I have ever read (video to come on that too - I have like a whole list of videos that I haven't yet filmed so bear with me please!).

Destined for Doon follows the story of Veronica, now living as the Queen of Doon with Jamie McCrae as her husband-to-be, and MacKenna who has left Doon and realised too late that she has now had a "calling" where Duncan has appeared to her begging for her to return to Doon to him. Fortunately Duncan is asked to come back to retrieve MacKenna for Queen Veronica as Doon is yet again in danger and she needs her best friend to help her think straight. Travelling back to Doon is a mission for them, not only is the trip highly awkward, but they discover that the main entrance of Doon has been corrupted by a flesh-eating magical curse that has been left by one of the witches and they have to try and take the back way through. MacKennna and Duncan finally make it back to the castle in Doon and Veronica describes to her everything that has happened since her "departure" of Doon and states that it has only been two months since, though MacKenna says she has been away for at least a whole year (it is described in the first book - if you forgot - that the time passes differently between both worlds). Veronica and MacKenna work together along with the McCrae boys to figure out what is really causing the virus in Doon to spread before it completely consumes everything and Doon is lost forever.

Things I LOVE about Destined for Doon:

* MacKenna is starting to realise how much she cares for Duncan! As frustrating as she was in the first novel, MacKenna finds that coming back to Doon has made her realise how much she really cares about Duncan but has no idea whether or not he has had visions of her too. Still the undeniable bond begins to build and things finally start to look like they're working out for the two lovebirds. However it might take a lot more than destiny and visions of Duncan to prove that she really belongs here in Doon.

* Veronica is a Queen and I can't even contain myself with how cool that would be! Like seriously, who doesn't want to be a princess or a Queen? I always wanted to be one even though I was such a tomboy as a kid. It comes with responsibility but it also comes with power and respect. A position a person like me would clearly be accustomed to seeing as I like being my own boss and not being told what to do (hence wanting to be an author - no one will tell me how to write my stories. There will only be deadlines which I don't mind trying to keep up with). Everyone is destined for something and I feel that's one of the main messages that this book portrays. If I were born in Scotland and maybe a whole century earlier, I could have been on the throne right now *Subtly buys self a cool circlet crown thing that Veronica wears off of the internet to show my rightful status*.

* It's the sequel to Doon and I couldn't be any happier! When one tends to enjoy one book thoroughly, they tend to be pretty keen to get the next in the series. 'nuff said really.

Overall I have given this book a five out of five stars because it satisfied my Doon craving after suffering for a week. Yes, a week and it was horrible, okay. Now I'm gonna have to get the third one which I'm sure is called Shades of Doon because Sasha said she was going to read it while she was travelling Scotland which would have really set the mood I guess. Also, I'm gonna have to look into the play that inspired the authors Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon to write these books because when one gets a whiff of Doon, they don't go back. And I don't regret a thing.

Go add Destined for Doon 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 more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon: Book Review

Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months. 

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans. 

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for...or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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I first heard about this series through Sasha Alsberg who is also a Booktuber on YouTube as "abookutopia" for any of you that haven't read my previous posts - clearly I've mentioned her a few times before. She is literally obsessed with this series and is basically the reason she absolutely LOVES Scotland (aside from Outlander of course). Picking up Doon for the first time, I had a vague idea about what it was all about and the fact that, according to Sasha, it's quite similar to Outlander. In my own words it's like a teen version of Diana Gabaldon's highly acclaimed book series that has been made into a TV show. One of the major reasons it's quite similar to Outlander, despite the fact that they're both set in Scotland in a very similar setting, is that one of the princes that Veronica meets in the book is called Jamie. So practically since I have been totally hypnotised by everything Sasha has said and talked about with Outlander, for some strange reason I started to imagine the Jamie from the tv series as the Jamie McCrae in Doon. Fun stuff, don't you think? This is basically how I got hooked almost immediately.

Doon is about two best friends, Veronica and MacKenna, who decide to take a holiday trip to Scotland for two weeks to get away from the hassles of life and stay at MacKenna's aunty's house who passed away when she was just a young girl. Veronica mentions that after her break up, she starts seeing visions of a Scottish dude in a kilt that keeps calling out to her which at this time, MacKenna tries to shove the idea off as a post-break-up symptom and it's probably nothing out of the ordinary. The girls go for drinks with a new friend and end up hearing about the long-lost story about Doon. The next day cleaning out the attic, they find Mackenna's aunt's rings and journal which state that everything about Doon is true because she had spent the majority of her life there. Veronica believes it straight away but MacKenna is sceptical. She ends up chasing down Veronica who has run off to the Brig' o' Doon which her aunt Gracie describes in her journal and they find themselves both travelling through a magical misty portal to Doon in a matter of seconds. The story weaves through with them being accused of witchery, falling for the princes, Jamie (the guy Veronica was seeing in her visions) and Duncan McCrae - who of which have had to grieve their father who succumbed to sickness, making new friends and discovering that Doon was in more danger than they had ever thought possible. Veronica and MacKenna realise that they were meant to come to Doon in order to help it through it's crisis and save it before it's too late. Unfortunately MacKenna isn't as prone to believing in destiny as Veronica is.

Things I LOVE about Doon:

* The fact that it is set in Scotland! In terms of my own bloodlines, I am partially Maori and Scottish with a few other things but this book being set in Scotland made me so much more interested in the country that I really want to visit. Also because I am meant to have some sort of royalty through my family and my grandmother on my Dad's side was apparently meant to be eighteenth in line for the throne of some sort (I'm going to do a video elaborating on this so keep posted and subscribed to my YouTube channel if you would like to see that). I love feeling like I can submerse myself in a storybook world where this could have been my reality if my family had of stayed in Scotland. It makes the idea so magical and beautiful. Plus it's based in a castle in a country setting so it's pretty awesome considering.

* Veronica and Jamie are literally the most realistic and cutest almost-couple! When Veronica starts seeing Jamie as a vision and then realises that he was an actual person in Doon makes it so much more interesting and hooking to me because it was like it was destiny for them to meet (Spoiler alert but not really: It was destiny). When they start to interact it's not so much an instant connection for them or so they think. The realism in this grabbed me instantly and I was feeling more and more frustrated for Veronica but I like that when a book makes me feel like the character does. That's basically the point of a book, right?

* The "calling" is the most romantic thing and I wish that happened in real life! Basically a "calling" is when a person from the real world and a person from Doon starts having visions either in their dreams or in the day, it means that they're destined to be together and that the Protector of Doon is willing it to happen. The fact that it doesn't happen to MacKenna makes her feel real bummed out and is basically more reason for her to feel like she doesn't have to stay so she can get back to her studies at her dream college and become an actress. Personally MacKenna annoyed me a bit with this but there are different types of people with different wants and needs. Plus you can't expect every character to be like Veronica. There's gotta be someone who ruins the fun.

Overall I have given this book a five out of five stars because it is the type of book I would want to forget and then read with a fresh start to enjoy the way it made me feel all over again. Who wouldn't wish that to be honest? Something like The Winner's Curse and Swoon annoyed me and I probably wouldn't want to relive that again. This book I would want to jump right into now if I could and live there forever. Thanks to Sasha again for introducing me to such a wonderful book and reintroduced me to my own roots. I might one day find my destiny in Scotland just as Veronica did.

Go add Doon 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 more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings: Book Review

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Lindsay Cummings is yet another author with a book that I just happened to discover while watching an interview with her and Sasha Alsberg on YouTube. When I heard about her debut novel, The Murder Complex I instantly felt like I really wanted to read it. Probably because it was all about survival and strategy which is something I like reading about to learn just in case the world ends up being a similar type of "f**ked up" reality. I saw this at the library and without even reading the blurb I picked it up in an instant and added it to my already massive pile of books I'd have to sort through two hours later and decide which I was actually really wanting to take home - obviously The Murder Complex ended up being one of those "chosen ones". That, my friend, is the power of book reviewers if you think we don't really do or mean much to anyone. Though if I were to give a quick overall review on this book, I'd really just have to say that if a debut novel can make me question how they are over the age of twenty and basically have not been discovered by a few simple short stories at high school or something crazy like that then they are definitely doing their job. I'm just a little melancholic thinking about the fact that this is only a duology and I won't have that much time to delve into this world once I get my hands on the next book, The Death Code, as it will be the last one.

The Murder Complex is the story of a young girl called Meadow and a young boy named Zephr, who both live in a city where everything is cut off from the rest of the world by a massive gate surrounding it and cannot live without having to survive first. They are controlled by a government of people who watch their every move and make sure that they do not attempt to escape the perimeter of the city or the tiny pins in their arms will zap them dead. Meadow is coming up to her test which decides whether or not she can get a job and provide for her family. Zephr is one of those that collects the dead bodies of the unfortunate to live and survive with his older friend, Talan who he practically considers his only family even if they aren't related. Soon Meadow and Zephr end up meeting almost by fate and start discovering some weird and different things that they didn't expect to be true. Meadow ends up feeling responsible and regretful for the things she has done but soon finds her way with Zephr and they come up with a plan to do what no one sane has ever thought about doing before. Escape.

Things I LOVE about The Murder Complex:

* Meadow and Zephr are cute together and I ship them so much! If there was any couple cuter than Aelin and Rowan, I'd have to say that Meadow and Zephr are next in line. I don't know why but I think it's the way I notice them when they start to connect and realise how much they actually like each other. It's not a confusing or disorientating experience for them and I like that because I have kind of gotten sick of seeing relationships in books where they can't make up their damned minds and it's like, come on! What on Earth is stopping you two? Love each other already! You were meant to be!

* Survival is one of my favourite things to read about! You have to thing about one thing if our world becomes anything similar to The Murder Complex, Red Queen or The Hunger Games; Who are gonna be the ones to survive because they know what the hell they're doing? It'll be the readers and movie fanatics. We'll have watched and thoroughly subconsciously taken in everything we need to know about survival. I already know I'll be good with a bow and arrow thanks to a school camp and thanks to The Hunger Games, both book and movies, I know how to set a trap for an animal and how to sleep in a tree without falling out of it. You've got to think that even though book reviewers or book lovers in general may get crap for having a job in something "so basic" or not having a "real job", we will be the ones who have learnt to live in different types of realities and think more logically and sanely about it because we have thrust ourselves mentally into these worlds. You think we come out the same once we're done with a book like that? No my friend. I know myself I was very different once I had finished reading all three The Hunger Games novels. You come out a stronger person in a way and that's what I love about novels like this. Think I'm crazy and all but that's what I believe and good luck to you non-readers when you need to know how to live in the woods and survive and no one is there how to teach you.

* It's unique in its own way - new content is what every reader needs! Yeah it may be a 'survive or die' novel which is pretty similar to The Hunger Games but it isn't like any other novel I've read or heard before. New content and ideas are always attractive to the average reader so it's much more understandable that something like this novel would do pretty well. I applaude to the up and coming authors that have the guts to write about something that hasn't really ever been written before. I feel like that's the true art of being an author. You hook readers by being the one with fresh and new ideas. That's how you become a best selling author (think about every best-selling author you've read - is every one unique from the other? Yup, thought so).

Overall I have given this novel a four out of five stars. This book was so bloody and brutal so obviously it may not be the best for very squeamish or easily offended people (However I'm pretty squeamish so it didn't sicken me that much). It was highly descriptive and well thought through. I did absolutely love it and basic enough for me to feel hopeful about my own writing (This is literally what I think about everytime I read a novel). I can't wait to get into The Death Code but at the same time I'm already wishing it wouldn't end so soon. Fanfiction anyone?

Go add The Murder Complex 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 more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

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The Jewel by Amy Ewing: Book Review

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Being a debut novel of an author who once considered this story to be a "thesis project" made me really think about how much talent this author has. When I picked up this novel at the library, I did because I was continuing my infatuation with books about empires and princesses and all that jazz. Little did I know that when I would finish it, I would be completely pulled into the storyline and love interests that plagued the book. I found myself laughing at hilarious dialogue and literally almost crying at parts where Violet was being treated badly. The level of emotion and relatable moments was unbelievable and I don't think I've ever read such an emotional book since Breaking Dawn. I have to say well done to Amy for doing so well on her first YA fantasy series.

The main idea of the story intrigued me as so far I have never read anything about young girls in a kingdom who are born with a mutation that allows them to bear children which keep the royalty alive. They are taken away from their families living in the slums and are sent to a school that teaches them how to control their powers and acts accordingly in order to be presented to the royalty of the Jewel. The Jewel is the wealthiest area of the Kingdom being the very centre of a whole city which surrounds it in a circle, and each circle around it is a different type of reality and wealth. From the Jewel outwards it becomes a poorer and poorer state of life. Violet is from the very edge of the city where everyone is poor and is ripped from her family at the age of twelve to go stay at this school for four years before she is finally transferred to the Jewel to be prettied up for an auction and then bought off to the highest bidder as a surrogate to be their bearer of children.

Throughout the novel I constantly noticed Violent rebelling to certain things and feeling like she did not want to be controlled which is exactly how I would feel in that certain situation. Feeling like she was nothing but a tool to be used and then thrown away without feeling like she was even part of a family or to even have the chance to mother her own child. Knowing that her best friend, Raven, has to go through the same thing she does kills her inside - even more so knowing that she or her can't do anything about it. A forbidden love emerges too soon for her to even process it but she has to remind herself that in her position, she is not allowed to have any sort of relationship with anyone. The only friendship she has, and is really allowed, is the one with her mute servant, Annabelle. I feel a major pang of sympathy for Violet because she will never see her family again through this experience but she discovers some things and not everything as it seems. In terms of her powers she does better than others with growth which is why she was bought by the Duchess of the Lake. She wants to have a baby faster than any other so that it will be chosen and betrothed to the Electress' newborn baby son. All this seems so overwhelming to such a young girl at sixteen years old and I feel so bad for her being a mother myself and knowing that if I were in her situation, I would be going a little bit mental about the whole idea of it too.

Things I loved about The Jewel:

* Violet and Ash are a match made in heaven! These two were so obvious from the start. I absolutely loved every moment they managed together and the fact that they cared so much to even risk possibly being found out and executed. They're so cute and I can't wait to see how they develop in the second novel!

* The idea of the image, shape and growth powers is so unique and awesome! Considering the fact that most novels these days are writing about either the same "superpowers" or ones that just seem too typical, it's nice to see an author come up with something that's different and challenges the minds of the readers that have been buried in literature with every trope on the surface of the earth (a little dramatic but seriously though).

* I need a friend like Annabelle, although it would be nice if she could actually speak! She was the sweetest person to Violet the whole time she stayed at the Duchess of the Lake's house and always spent time with her when she had nothing to do. I loved that she was caring and was so amazing at dressing Violet up in clothes and makeup for any event she was expected to attend. I would probably cry if she ends up being killed off in the future.

* How unique and different the storyline and themes were! If every author managed to have an open mind like Amy then we'd have a hell of a lot more readers! I think some can get very bored of the same thing over and over like a love triangle or a rebellion rising and as much as I tend to love books like that, it's nice to read something that has never been written about before and it brings competition to the writing game. Readers want this to be fun and so that it's more challenging to choose who should win a book award.  We want fresh content and new names and places that are completely made up. We want stuff like this and that's why I loved it so much.

Overall I have given this book a four out of five stars for being such a dramatic change in the writing game. It has different themes and even Violet thinks a little differently from most protagonists which is what I really enjoyed. I can't wait to read the second one and find out what happens after that devastating ending which you'll have to read if you want to know what that is!

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