Gilded Cage by Vic James

Rating: 7/10
Published: 26/01/17
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 405
Synopsis from Goodreads: NOT ALL ARE FREE. NOT ALL ARE EQUAL. NOT ALL WILL BE SAVED. 

Our world belongs to the Equals—aristocrats with magical gifts—and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England's grandest estate lies a power that could break the world. 

A girl thirsts for love and knowledge.

Abi is a servant to England's most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of the noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family's secrets might win her liberty, but will her heart pay the price? 

A boy dreams of revolution.

Abi's brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution. 

And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts.

He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate—or destroy?

Gilded Cage is the first book of the Dark Gifts trilogy.

I received a copy of this from my book club, which has in no way affected my review, these opinions are very much my own.

Set in modern day England in a world where Skilled Equals rule and force the common people to give away ten years of their life as slave, Gilded Cage focuses around the Hadley family as they serve their slave days under one of the most influential Equal families. This book is a really interesting twist on young adult fantasy, that in many ways seems very relevant to the modern world as we know it!

I feel as though I've read several books of a very similar style to this - Red Queen and The Hunger Games to name a couple. Gilded Cage has a really beautiful setting and is an original spin on the magical rich vs poor-style universe and I loved that it's set in modern day England rather than a fictional location. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of that kind of fantasy book as it's definitely not one to be missed! It has a lot of really interesting characters and some twists that will shock you - some of which I was speculating about thinking to myself "nah that won't happen" and they turned out to be true (always the best feeling, right?!).

Although I enjoyed this book a lot I struggled with the romance between Abi and Jenner, it seemed quite forced and felt like, in several instances, this bright and wonderful female character was reduced to just being in love with a boy. However I'm aware that as this is part of a series it may well develop a lot more in the following books. Abi's a really wonderful character and I hope that she'll be able to bloom in herself in the future and become the badass lady I know she could be.

The only other thing I wasn't sure about was the synopsis, which I found somewhat misleading. I don't feel that everything that was mentioned on the cover actually happened? Not to the extent to which it's described anyway, but maybe that's just me! That's not to say that you shouldn't pick it up though because I promise it's a good'un, I just feel as though Abi doesn't particularly face a "terrible choice", that I noticed at least.

Overall, Gilded Cage is a really interesting fantasy book with lots going on in a setting that seems very poignant in today's society. The ending left me with a lot of questions, and although it seemed a little bit rushed in some aspects it's definitely made me want to know more, so I'll almost certainly be picking up book two! I'll be interested to see where it all goes from here, Dark Gifts certainly has a lot of potential.

TBR - March 2017

This is my first ever TBR feature but I'd like to make it a regular thing, as we're already ploughing through March at an alarming speed I've only picked three books that I'd really like to get around to this month, but here's what they are and why I'd like to read them! 

All About Mia by Lisa Williamson
Well in case you haven't read my review of The Art of Being Normal I absolutely adored it, my favourite book of last year, if not ever! I just cannot wait to see what else Lisa Williamson can do. I've heard a lot of good things and I'm just all round super duper looking forward to it. I'm going to yell about it a lot I can already tell!

Ariadnis by Josh Martin
I picked this up out of sheer curiosity and I'm really intrigued as to what it's going to be like. It seems like it's going to feature some super strong females (it doesn't even mention a single guy in the synopsis so that's unusual!)
and maybe even some f/f romance, who knows?

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley
I'm super excited for this, it seems so rich in diversity and I've not yet read a book with a bisexual character (let alone two!) so I'm really looking forward to it. If it's anything like as good as Lies We Tell Ourselves then it won't disappoint!



What are you planning to read this month? Have you read any of these? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Unconventional by Maggie Harcourt

Rating: 9/10

Published: 1st February 2017
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Pages: 464
Synopsis from Goodreads: Lexi Angelo has grown up helping her dad with his events business. She likes to stay behind the scenes, planning and organizing...until author Aidan Green - messy haired and annoyingly arrogant - arrives unannounced at the first event of the year. Then Lexi's life is thrown into disarray.

In a flurry of late-night conversations, mixed messages and butterflies, Lexi discovers that some things can't be planned. Things like falling in love...

I received a proof copy of this from my book club, which has in no way affected my review, these opinions are very much my own!

My first thoughts going into this were that it sounded like good fun, I was buzzing for a story at a convention but I'll admit that I was somewhat apprehensive that I wouldn't enjoy it because I'm not always the biggest fan of contemporaries that centre around romance (I think it's something to do with my potential aromanticism but that's besides the point!). I honestly loved this book so SO much!!

Set at across a number of conventions run by the company Lexi's dad owns, Unconventional is a ridiculously slow burn that's set over a number of months, in various locations. It's just such an enjoyable read and let me tell you, there's something magical about reading a book that's about books and authors and sci-fi-related nerd things!

Unconventional features some truly beautiful characters, all of whom you read and can immediately picture or think to yourself "yep I definitely know somebody like them!" which is something I always look for in a good contemporary. I fell in love with Aidan absolutely and completely which very rarely happens to me and I was left with such a book hangover it's actually quite embarrassing...

As you may have noticed if you've read any of my previous reviews (or if you've ever seen my tweets) I'm a fiend for a good diverse set of characters which I really think that Unconventional delivered on! Especially with the casual mention (I don't think it's really a spoiler?!) that her mum has a girlfriend now! I just loved that it slipped in an LGBT+ mention like it was nothing, like it was -woah hold up one second- normal??? It shouldn't be something that I should have to keep mentioning when I review books because it shouldn't be something that's unusual but I'm seeing more and more casual mention of LGBT+ characters and I love it! 

Anyway overall Unconventional was a super fun, easy and thoroughly enjoyable read with relatable characters who you will definitely love! Check it out because it's wonderful (and leave me a wee comment if you feel the same or otherwise)!

P.s. thanks to Liverpool One Waterstones YA book club for getting us copies of this beauty! 

Wing Jones by Katherine Webber

Rating: 7/10
Published: 5th January 2017
Publisher: Walker Books
Pages: 384
Synopsis from Goodreads: Jandy Nelson meets Friday Night Lights: a sweeping story about love and family from an exceptional new voice in YA. With a grandmother from China and another from Ghana, fifteen-year-old Wing Jones is often caught between worlds. But when tragedy strikes, Wing discovers a talent for running she never knew she had. Wing's speed could bring her family everything it needs. It could also stop Wing getting the one thing she wants.

Set in 1990s Atlanta, Wing Jones struggles to come to terms with the humongous amounts of heartbreak that life has dealt her and as a result of her latest blow she starts to run in the middle of the night to clear her head and low and behold she's absolutely fantastic at it!
Wing Jones is so diverse it is amazing! There are so many characters of colour (as Wing has both Chinese and Ghanaian heritage), more so than I think I have ever read in a book before which is truly wonderful! And on top of this there's an LGBT+ couple featured, which as you know if you have me on social media is something I am always keen on!

The book features so many different plots and experiences which all weave together beautifully, like, there's so much going on in Wing's life with her family, school, relationships, running etc. etc. and yet it all fits in a completely unconfusing and fulfilling way.

I'm certain I'm not alone in saying that Wing's grannies completely stole the show for me throughout this book. Their constant bickering and yet obvious reliance on each other and their importance at the centre of their family was both hilarious and beautiful. The huge focus on family and supporting one another through tragedy is something that, I think, makes Wing Jones so special.

Further to the heartbreak and general toughness in Wing's everyday life, she also develops a relationship with her brother's best friend, her first ever relationship. Considering the difficult times that they were both going through I believe that their relationship developed well and as naturally as I suppose it could given their situation (shan't disclose because spoilers!). The balance of this romance within the book was perfect, there was enough focus on it for you to feel warm and fuzzy while you're reading it but it didn't become the main focus of the plot which was really great. It had romance but it didn't make it become a romance.

Unfortunately I did have one problem with this book which was such a shame as I really did enjoy it a huge amount. I just found the ending to be so abrupt like there were about 50 pages missing. I haven't read another review where people have expressed feeling the same way but I was left with about a hundred questions and not in a good way? I felt like I had to let go of Wing and her life before I really felt like I was ready to, which frustrated me because I had become so invested! I'm not trying to say that there were plot holes or anything like that, just that I would have loved to have a little bit more to really get a sense that her and her family are getting on alright now, they're muddling through and things are looking up. In my imagination that's certainly what happened anyway! Although I suppose it could be seen as a good thing that we can draw from it what we want for her?

Anyway, overall the was a phenomenally diverse and beautiful story which I'd definitely recommend that you check out! And if you have any similar (or completely different!) opinions to me please pop them in a comment below I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

Rating: 8/10
Published: 25th February 2016
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Pages: 322
Synopsis from Goodreads: 

I was brave

She was reckless

We were trouble 

Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie – confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realises, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own.

Beautiful Broken Things is another one of those books which has been on my TBR for way too long, but I finally got around to it, having heard many good things and I was by no means disappointed!!
It has a beautiful storyline focusing on the importance of strong friendships as well as demonstrating the lengths people will go to for someone who is dear to them.

I'll admit that I found the main character Caddy annoying at times and noticed myself yelling at her "Come on!! What are you doing you plonker!!!???" but honestly I think that it was mostly in a good way. I understood where she was coming from and the reason that she made the choices which she did, even if they did make me cross! It's in this way that I think Sara Barnard really captures such realistic and relatable characters which makes this book so special. I can remember, back when I was 16/17, being in the same position as Rosie at some points, watching someone I care about a lot being swept up and making terrible decisions and saying to them "yes but you get that this is silly right?" but knowing they'll most certainly go and do it anyway!

One of the things I enjoyed the most about Beautiful Broken Things is that it deals with some really serious issues (I shan't disclose for spoiler reasons but ask me if you want to know them for your own safety etc.) in a way that is completely honest and believable. The emotions and reactions that the characters showed to finding out these things were very realistic, from my experience, and it was refreshing to see responses that were so truthful, because let's be honest people rarely understand and are able to say exactly the right things at the right times in real life!

The other thing that I enjoyed about this book is that it isn't all about boys, of course they featured because Caddie is set on getting a boyfriend and losing her virginity - which really frustrated me, I am just so unlike her in this way and there are so many more important things in life!! But the strong friendships between these girls were at the heart of this book and were what made it so enjoyable. There was no real romance, which I know a lot of people appreciate, but for me it was nice to read something where the main character didn't suddenly fall in love and live happily ever after, or spend pages and pages rambling on about how dreamy this boy is (ew no thanks)!

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's focus on strong females and accurate representations of teenagers making stupid choices was honest and I really loved it. I did have issues purely because I clashed in character with Caddy in some ways, but this is by no means a fault of the book I think it just happens sometimes! I can't wait to read A Quiet Kind of Thunder soon and see what more Sara Barnard has for us in the future. If you haven't already, read Beautiful Broken Things - I'm sure you'll really enjoy it.

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Rating: 9/10
Published: 3rd October 2014
Publisher: Mira Ink
Pages: 368
Synopsis from Goodreads: It's 1959. The battle for civil rights is raging. And it's Sarah Dunbar's first day of school, as one of the first black students at the previously all-white Jefferson High. No one wants Sarah there. Not the Governor. Not the teachers. And certainly not the students – especially Linda Hairston, daughter of the town’s most ardent segregationist. Sarah and Linda have every reason to despise each other. But as a school project forces them to spend time together, the less their differences seem to matter. And Sarah and Linda start to feel something they've never felt before. Something they're both determined ignore. Because it's one thing to be frightened by the world around you - and another thing altogether when you're terrified of what you feel inside.

Before even starting this book I knew it would be wonderful, it came highly recommended and every single time I mentioned it someone would say "Ah it's amazing!!" which is always a good sign. Also, I know you aren't meant judge a book by it's cover or whatever but when said cover has the quote "Even though she's a girl, even though she's coloured, I want to keep kissing Sarah forever." on it I reckon you're allowed to, right? I certainly did anyway, and I judged correctly because it was everything that I have ever needed from a book ever.

It follows the story of two girls in high school in America during the late 1950s, Sarah is one of the first black students to integrate into a previously all-white school whilst Linda is the daughter of a powerful man who is fighting to maintain segregation. Neither of them want to have anything to do with each other and they would both much rather things went back to the way they were before, despite the conditions of Sarah's previous school being much worse, the aggression that she and her friends must face everyday makes her wish she could go back, but she knows how important their perseverance is for all of their community.
Somehow Linda and Sarah end up working on a school project together, spending more time with each other than they would like, they spend their afternoons arguing about pretty much everything but gradually they both begin to change. Linda in particular starts to see that things aren't quite a clear-cut as her father has been telling her for her whole life and it's interesting to read her side of things - she has so many ideas about the way life "should" be and the way she makes excuses for how Sarah is "different to all the other black people" simply because she is intelligent is just, well, shocking really. Everything that Linda has been brought up and brainwashed into thinking about people of colour is truly irrational and ridiculous and it made me so so angry! Particularly so because whilst reading this you know that this isn't just a story, this happened and is continuing to happen to a certain extent to this day.

The way in which Lies We Tell Ourselves deals with the harsh reality of the racial issues whilst combining this with the story of two girls developing feelings for each other and realising they're not "normal" by their societies' terms is truly brilliant. Without spoiling completely, I just want to also express how much I loved that this wasn't all about coming out and being welcomed by your family or anything, it's somehow more subtle than that and it dealt with sexuality in a different way to most of the books that I've read before which I found quite refreshing.

Lies We Tell Ourselves was a wonderfully honest and diverse novel that I truly loved.

2016 : My year in books

So, here we are at the end of 2016, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster hasn't it! I'm pretending I'm okay with how quickly December 31st has come around!

In April of this year I started this blog and began my adventure into the bookish community. Although I've not posted as much as perhaps I would have liked to, coming into this community and being welcomed and supported by so many amazing people has been wonderful and I want to say a big thank you to everyone who's spoken to me in the last few months. Here's a big internet hug to all of you bookish pals.

So anyway, here's my wrap up for this year, my first year in books!

My five favourite reads this year

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - Dealing with gender, this has 100% taken my heart and the top spot as my favourite read of this year!! I can't put into to words how much I adored it but it was heart wrenching, educational and just so so beautiful! Please read it!!

When We Collided by Emery Lord - A fab book about loss and mental illness with a beautiful cover. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read with wonderful character's who you'll definitely fall in love with.

Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall - An honest account about agoraphobia, an illness I knew little about before reading this. This book has an amazing storyline, fabulous characters as well as raising awareness about mental illness which is something (obviously) very close to my heart.

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley - Woah f/f relationship in 1950s America between one of the first black girls in a previously all white school and the daughter of a man who is fighting integration!? This book is all I was looking for and more I absolutely adored it! A great book if you're looking for something with diversity.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - If somehow you've managed to miss all of the excitement about this book in the last few months let me tell you right now that you have got read it!! I can't even begin to describe what makes this book so amazing but it is art.

A book that's been on my TBR since January and I still haven't read

Dracula by Bram Stoker - To be quiet honest it's been on my TBR for years now, but hopefully in the new year I'll finally start it! It's a classic and having read so many vamp books when I was about 13 it seems only right that I should read the original!

A book I didn't enjoy as much as everyone else

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella - read my review for more but this book does not do justice to the issues faced by people with anxiety and in case you weren't already aware mental illness is not magically fixed by meeting a boy!!! I'm a bit apprehensive that people may read it and think that anxiety is as simple as that and a super quick fix when it isn't, but hopefully that won't be the case.

A book I wish I'd had chance to read

Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel - The concept of this story (which is about a girl who receives a face transplant) intrigues me and I'm hoping all be able to get around to it quite quickly in the new year.

Books I'm looking forward to the most in 2017

Honestly I think this year is going to be so good for reading! A couple that I'm particularly excited about are It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I'm aiming to read lots and lots of books that are as diverse as possible, and there seem to be more and more being published so I'm really excited for what the next year is going to bring!

So there it is, my year in books! Thank you for reading and to everyone who's made me feel so welcome this year- here's to another great year of reading next year!