The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger. She wakes from a coma in hospital with no memory of how she got there or of the bizarre accident that caused the deaths of her best friends and her boyfriend, yet left her mysteriously unharmed. The doctors suggest that starting over in a new city, a new school, would be good for her and just to let the memories gradually come back on their own. But Mara's new start is anything but comforting. She sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere, and when she suddenly begins to see other people's deaths right before they happen, Mara wonders whether she's going crazy! And if dealing with all this wasn't enough, Noah Shaw, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen can't seem to leave her alone… but as her life unravels around her, Mara can't help but wonder if Noah has another agenda altogether…

This book starts off with Mara, her best friend Rachel and Claire all at Rachel's birthday party. Claire bought her an Ouija board and from then on the mysteries unfold...

Rachel asks the question 'How will I die?' to the Ouija board and it spells out Mara's name. Of course they are all stunned by what had just happened but they carried on enjoying Rachel's party. However, six months later Rachel and Claire were dead.

Mara wakes up in hospital to her parents concerned faces asking her what she remembers from the accident. But she can't remember a thing, she can't remember going to an abandoned building in the middle of the night with her friends and boyfriend (Jude)  or what happened to Claire or Jude even more so Rachel.

Mara then starts to have blackouts due to out of control PTSD and her parents talk about institutionalization which is not what Mara wants. She convinces them that a change of scenery would do her the world of good so they decide to move to Florida. 

She obviously starts a new school but doesn't seem to get on very well as on the first day she had more flashbacks. But when she meets heartthrob Noah Shaw little does she know her life will change forever...

I absolutely loved this book and have only one thing to say... NEXT BOOK PLEASE!!! I have to buy/read this as soon as possible! 

5/5 stars

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time- Mark Haddon

Christopher is an intelligent youth who lives in the functional hinterland of autism--every day is an investigation for him because of all the aspects of human life that he does not quite get. When the dog next door is killed with a garden fork, Christopher becomes quietly persistent in his desire to find out what has happened and tugs away at the world around him until a lot of secrets unravel messily.

Our main character Christopher Boone is a 15 year old boy who suffers from aspergers syndrome, a form of autism. He knows quite a lot about maths but not so much about human beings. He loves having a timetable to plan the things he has to do everyday and has a pet rat named Toby.

He absolutely hates being touched and the colours yellow and brown. On the way to school on the bus if he passes 4 red cars in a row he knows it'll be a 'good day', however if he passes 4 yellow cars in a row he knows that it will be a 'black day'.

Christopher has never been further than the end of the road to the shops on his own before, but this all changes when he finds a neighbours dog murdered.  He sets out on a journey to find the mystery murderer and encounters things he's not used to on the way.

I really enjoyed the story and the writing style. However, I did find it to be slightly annoying when the characters were having a conversation, It was repetitive as it kept going back and forth 'And I said' 'And he said' 'And she said'. I found this quite irritating at times. I liked the fact that pictures were included on some pages and everything was described really well. 

It isn't one of the best books I've ever read but I did enjoy it. I'd say it was predictable as to what was going to happen regarding the death of Wellington (the dog) and it was pretty obvious who the culprit was. 

At first I wasn't really enjoying it as much as I did towards the middle because I felt it was a little slow starting. I am glad I stuck with it though as the story picked up during the middle when Christopher found the letters from his mother.

3/5 stars

Requiem- Lauren Oliver

Delirium left me on a cliffhanger. Pandemonuim left me on an even bigger cliffhanger. I just had to read Requiem as soon as possible!

Requiem is told by two peoples perspective. One is obviously Lena and her life since the cliffhanger in pandemonium and the other is Hana (her best friend) now she's been cured. Through Hana's chapters we find that she is due to get married to the new mayor Fred, but all doesn't go to plan as she discovers things about him and his past finding herself in even more danger as the procedure may not have cured her after all.  This is the dystopian world so of course it isn't going to be plain sailing.

Whilst all of this is happening in Hana's story, Things between Lena and Alex still remain unsolved. Lena and Alex have the long awaited talk they need about what happened to Alex and how hardened he's become.  Along with the invalids Lena is planning a rebellion against the other side. There's explosions, gunshots, fighting and an unexpected reunion...

 When I first started reading Requiem I wasn't a massive fan of the book being from the two people's perspective it was but I soon overcome this and  enjoyed it. I enjoyed reading about life from the two sides and I loved the twists and turns that eventually bought the two characters together. However there were questions that were not answered and I wasn't a massive fan of this as I felt that the trilogy ended but sort of didn't end.

2.5/5 stars

Divergent- Veronica Roth

She turns to face the future in a world that’s falling apart.

For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead….

Divergent is based on a dystopian world and is divided into factions. Each faction and its members are different and are unique. Altogether there are five factions: 

• Abnegation- Selfless
• Amity- Kind
• Candor- Honest
• Erudite- Seekers of knowledge
• Dauntless- Brave

Tris, along with other 16 year olds are tested to determine which faction they belong to/ should choose. Most choose their own faction where in which they have spent their whole life but there are a select few that switch to other factions.

When Tris chooses to leave her family and old life in Abnegation behind she embarks in training sessions before they are chosen to be members of the certain faction. However, if they fail in the initiation sessions they will be made factionless living on the streets. 

She takes a shine to the character 'Four' who seems to protect her but at the same time she feels threatened by him. Two of Tris's friends become more than friends, Little do they know that Tris also has become more than friends with 'Four' who turns out to be someone she knows... 

Wow! What can I say about this book? I can't believe I've had this on my shelf for two years and only just read it! Loved the whole concept of choosing which faction the characters want to live in/live their lives. I really liked the relationship between Beatrice 'Tris' and Tobias 'Four' and can't wait to read Insurgent! 

5/5 stars

Warm Bodies- Issac Marion

This book follows the story of 'R' who is a zombie living in an airport.  He has no memories, no identity and no pulse. However, he is a little different from his fellow dead.

He meets a girl named Julie, at first she is his prisoner but then as his reluctant guest Julie is a blast of colour in 'R's grey world and something soon begins to bloom.

Unlike his other zombie friends 'R' does not want to eat her. Instead he wants to protect her , breathe again and he wants to live. However this does not happen without them having to fight the Boney's.


At first I really wasn't keen on the book but I stuck with it to see where it lead and if I'd enjoy it. It was an okay read but I wouldn't rate it more than 3 stars. I enjoyed the concept of the story but I wouldn't say it's one of the best books ever. I didn't really like the fact that it flicked from 'R' to the memories of other people in his head. I also didn't like how some chapters related to the one before and then just changed to something else.

Overall I would say this book was okay and enjoyable to a certain extent but still only a 3 star book for me.

3/5 stars

The Fault In Our Stars- John Green

The Fault In Our Stars follows the story of Hazel Lancaster who suffers from thyroid cancer and has to have  an oxygen tank at all times. She goes to a cancer kid support group where she makes friends with Isaac who has eye cancer.

One day when Hazel goes along to support group she meets Augustus Waters another cancer patient, They get to know each other really well. But when Augustus wants to take things further than just being friends Hazel is apprehensive as she sees herself as a 'grenade' and knows that heartbreak is inevitable. However Augustus doesn't care as he likes Hazel too much and to show her just how much she means to him he offers his one and only wish and they will embark on such a journey that will change things for the both of them.

John Green certainly captures both highs and lows of life with cancer and so well written. Their whole story will certainly take you through the motions.

I highly recommend reading this book to anybody no matter what age you are.

5/5 stars

Pandemonium- By Lauren Oliver

Did Delirium leave you on such a cliffhanger that you just needed to read Pandemonium?
It certainly did for me! 

This is the second book in the Delirium trilogy, It is written in alternate chapters of 'Now and Then'. 

In the 'Now' chapters we follow Lena working for the resistance, little does she know she's about to embark on her very first mission.

Through the 'Then' chapters it follows Lena's story through the Wilds and the ups and downs of life there. At times she wonders if she actually wants to survive as there is a shortage of food, medical supplies and sickness and death are a regular occurrence... 

I loved the suspense and action in this book I couldn't put it down! I just needed to know what was going to happen next. 

There is such a cliffhanger at the end of the book and I cannot wait for Requiem to be released. After reading Delirium and Pandemonium I just can't wait to find out what happens next! 

5/5 stars- One of the best books I've ever read! Highly recommend reading this trilogy!