The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

Title: The Time Keeper
Author: Mitch Albom
Pages: 224
Genre: Philosophical, Fantasy, Contemporary, Magical Realism
Book Description:
The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world - now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began - and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

Get it here | Good reads

My Opinion:
This novel follows the stories of 3 separate characters that all end up coming together for one reason. Time. We have Sarah, your average teenage nerd who has a huge crush on one of the popular boys in school, Victor who is dying of cancer and Father Time, the man who invented the concept himself.

These characters were the first reason I enjoyed this book so much. They were incredibly well written with vast imagination and I felt so connected to them through out. it was lovely to see them all come together with no intention of meeting just to share their stories and discover the world in a new light.
The only fault I have about the characters is with Sarah. I found her to be very predictable, following closely to the stereotype of nerd in school falls in love with the popular boy. We all know how that goes down.

This novel has a very philosophical concept and many moments in the book I felt myself having to stop and think about what had just been said because it was so abstract and real at the same time. It really has a way of bringing you back to earth and throwing huge themes in your face to remind you of things we do everyday as humans but seem to forget and take for granted, I loved this as I've never read anything following this style nor had such a deep understanding with words on a page.

The story line and the way this was written was insanely good. I enjoyed how the perspectives of the characters switched aimlessly with no pattern, yet it was still clear with speaker was narrating due to the bold font and spaces. At first the story line seemed to follow no order and jumped around between time zones and characters, but soon after a climax occurred after the first 50 pages, everything came together wonderfully. I thought the meeting of the characters was really well crafted and the ending left slightly ambiguously for the reader to decide what happens after.

Overall this was a wonderful novel about unusual concepts and important morals that humans, including myself, take for granted every day. It brought me back to earth with a new insight to time and the world, something not many modern novels offer. Despite Sarah's predictability, the characters were transparent and imaginative, easily connectable and really brought everything amazing from the story together. I would highly recommend this to all readers!

Also, thanks to Jacqui for giving me this book for my birthday. It was insane and I'm so happy to be able to share my love for it with someone who has loved it long before myself!

Favourite Quotes:
(This book is full of thought-provoking quotes so it was so hard to choose a few!)

We all yearn for what we have lost. But sometimes, we forget what we have.

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With endless time, nothing is special. With no loss or sacrifice, we can’t appreciate what we have.

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“Just tell me …” Her voice cracked. “When does it stop hurting?”

“Sometimes never.”

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Knowing something and understanding it were not the same thing.

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A heart weighs more when it splits in two; it crashes in the chest like a broken plane.

Rating ★★★★★

5 out of 5 stars 

 Next book I'm going to review:
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Title: A Clockwork Orange

Author: Anthony Burgess

Pages: 192

Genre: Classic, Dystopian, Science Fiction

Book Description:

A vicious fifteen-year-old "droog" is the central character of this 1963 classic, whose stark terror was captured in Stanley Kubrick's magnificent film of the same title.

In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex—to "redeem" him—the novel asks, "At what cost?"

Get it here | Good reads

My Opinion:
Based in a dystopian world, we follow the life of a teenage rebel who goes a little too far with his violence and finds himself inside a human laboratory. This is a fantastic view into the future with many thought provoking scenes and a strong message.

When I first began reading this, I did struggle to get into the modern world. There was a completely different language with new names and descriptions so although this was understandable, I found that it took a while for me to get used to this therefore causing the start to feel a little slow.

Despite finding it hard to get into the novel at first, it really picked up when the protagonist was sent to jail and tested on. I really enjoyed this feature as I was constantly unaware of what to expect and in anticipation.

The ending was equally gripping and I really liked the realisation that the main character came to. It was quite a short read which was good as I read it quickly and felt like everything was covered and ended happily.

Another factor I really was the recurring message of 'what's it gonna be then?' This question was often asked throughout and I feel like it was a center that we as readers kept returning to. I liked the effect it had as encouraging thought and bringing the novel back into a circle.

Although this was a really good, I doubt I'd read it again. I do recommend it to all readers as it's a well known classic and is quite short so won't take much time. Despite it's slow start, it became really promising so definitely persevere with it!

Favourite Quotes:

Is it better for a man to have chosen evil than to have good imposed upon him?

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We can destroy what we have written, but we cannot unwrite it

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It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen

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What's it going to be then, eh?

Rating ★★★

3 out of 5 stars 

 Next book I'm going to review:

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 544
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Book Description:

What if a single revelation – like a single choice – changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered – fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature – and of herself – while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love.

Get it here | Good reads

My Opinion:
After the fantastic cliffhanger left in Insurgent (check out my review here) I couldn't wait to read on. And with the final film coming out just this week, I've been eager to complete to trilogy so that I cansee it! In the final novel, we follow our favourite characters on another action-packd journey as they escape beyond the fence that has been keeping them trapped their entire lives.

The first thing I noticed was the change in perspectives. In the first two novels, we only heard Tris' voice, however in this last one the narrative has changed so that we hear Tobias' opinions as well. Although I like hearing his point of view as well as Tris's, I feel like consistency would've been more effective, for instance, having the same narrative or switching between characters the entire way through the trilogy. This change wasn't something I expected nor do I think it worked as well as it could have.
However upon reaching the end of this novel, I realised why the author chose to separate the personalities and I can see how this worked. It's still a shame that this realisiation only occurred at the ending since I'd have liked to have enjoyed the split in narrative earlier on.

I found the ending to be one of the strongest points of the novel. It was packed with emotion and there was quite an unexpected twist that I was unprepared for. At this point I felt like I finally reconnected with the characters again, because throughout this novel this wasn't as strong in comparison to the previous two in the series.

What I did enjoy about all 3 books in the trilogy were the messages. These were important, thought-provoking themes that really stood out for me in the novels. They weren't just about romance and strength but more to do with independence, trust, bravery and honesty, which is something everyone needs to learn and remember.

Overall this trilogy was fantastic. I throughly enjoyed Divergent and would definitely read it again. Insurgent was especially good for character development and the twists in the plot line, along with the insane cliffhanger at the end. Allegiant was my least favourite and I felt like the plot and characters were not as strong, however I felt that the ending was successful in rounding up all three books and bringing us back to the start. As a whole I'd say these books are definitely worth the read for all ages!

Favourite Quotes:

I suppose a fire that burns that bright is not meant to last

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I wonder if fears ever really go away, or if they just lose their power over us

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I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me

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You don’t believe things because they make your life better, you believe them because they’re true

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The first step to loving someone else is to recognize the evil in ourselves, so we can forgive them

Rating ★★★

3 out of 5 stars 

 Next book I'm going to review:
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 525
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Book Description:

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

Get it here | Good reads

My Opinion:
As soon as I finished reading the first novel (Divergent; check out the review here) I started the second one! I was hooked and couldn't wait to follow some fantastic characters on another mission. In this sequel we follow Tris as she tries to take down the faction that destroyed her home.

This book was just as gripping as the first. I was hooked the entire way through and it only took me 2 days to complete. It was fast paced with so many twists that I kept finding myself asking who can be trusted. One character would turn out to be helpful and loyal and then suddenly they were actually on the other side!

Linking to this, the characters were just as realistic as they were in the first novel. We saw more sides to the characters we've known, like Tris and Caleb, but we also meet new characters and see their multi-layered nature, such as Jeanine and Peter.

I also really enjoyed the romance. I'm not a huge fan of romances however I found this one interesting because it didn't just show the happy times and passionate love, it showed the couple's arguments and difficulties in trusting each other which happens in all relationships. It was really nice to see this side of their relationship and see that despite their flaws, they love one another so strongly that they'll still stand together.

Finally, the ending. This was insane! We finally discovered the secret that had been forshadowed the entire way through this novel and it did not disappoint. I was so shocked because I had no idea what to expect but this was better and left me wanting to read on immediately! This is one of the strongest cliffhangers I think I've ever come across.

Overall this was a really intriguing sequel. It was strong and illustrated many new sides to the characters as well as involving multiple twists and turns. I would definitely recommend Divergent and Insurgent to anyone who needs an action-packed, page turner to read next!

Favourite Quotes:

Cruelty does not make a person dishonest, the same way bravery does not make a person kind.

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We both have war inside us. Sometimes it keeps us alive. Sometimes it threatens to destroy us.

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Grief is not as heavy as guilt, but it takes more away from you.

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I have done bad things. I can't take them back, and they are part of who I am. Most of the time, they seem like the only thing I am.

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I think we cry to release the animal parts of us without losing our humanity.

Rating ★★★★

4 out of 5 stars 

 Next book I'm going to review:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth