The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Title: The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Author: Richard Flanagan
Pages: 448
Genre: Historical
Book Description:
A novel of the cruelty of war, and tenuousness of life and the impossibility of love.
Richard Flanagan's story — of Dorrigo Evans, an Australian doctor haunted by a love affair with his uncle's wife — journeys from the caves of Tasmanian trappers in the early twentieth century to a crumbling pre-war beachside hotel, from a Thai jungle prison to a Japanese snow festival, from the Changi gallows to a chance meeting of lovers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Taking its title from 17th-century haiku poet Basho's travel journal, The Narrow Road To The Deep North is about the impossibility of love. At its heart is one day in a Japanese slave labour camp in August 1943. As the day builds to its horrific climax, Dorrigo Evans battles and fails in his quest to save the lives of his fellow POWs, a man is killed for no reason, and a love story unfolds.

Get it here | Good reads

My Opinion:
My English teacher recommended this book to me and I'm so glad he did! I have rather mixed feelings about it but aside from easily changeable structural factors, it was amazing! Set during the 17th century, we follow the life of Dorrigo, seeing his life as an Australia war surgeon as well as his adventures in a Japanese death camp on the Burma railway.

Because the writing in this novel is so deep and thought provoking, I found that in order to understand it, I needed to stop and then continue. The writing was phenomenal. I loved how the perspectives of the characters switched so we got to hear everyone else's experiences/feelings, not just the main protagonists.
Although I found it difficult to get into at the beginning, things began to pick up quickly and after that it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

There were a few things I disliked however. I've encountered this in very few books but when the characters speak to one another, that author hasn't used speech marks or indentations. You only know they're spoken if it follows with 'he said' which took me a while to get used to because I'm not a fan of this type of structure.

Overall, this book was a fantastic read and rightly deserved to be the winner of the Man Booker Prize of 2014. The writing is beautiful and I felt I could really connect with the characters! Plus, there were so many meaningful and wonderful quotes that really made me think about life. I'd certainly recommend this to any one that is looking for a deep read or enjoys historical fiction like myself.


Favourite Quotes:

There are words and words and none mean anything. And then one sentence means everything

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A good book, he had concluded, leaves you wanting to reread the book. A great book compels you to reread your own soul

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He believed books had an aura that protected him, that without one beside him he would die. He happily slept without women. He never slept without a book

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Virtue was vanity dressed up and waiting for applause

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Tis not too late to seek a newer world

Rating ★★★★

4 out of 5 stars

Next book I'm going to review:
More Than This by Patrick Ness

I'm Back!

Hello everyone,

I'm awfully sorry that I haven't been active these last months. I'm still in college at the moment so I've had many exams to revise for. I'm in my last year at college now, so although I still have exams in June to study for, I feel that I have more time to read and review books! Besides, I haven't stopped reading so I have many pre-written reviews to publish, meaning I'll hopefully still be posting content despite not having enough time to read later in the year!

Book blogging is a hobby of mine however I found that trying to write and post weekly reviews, reading and studying for 4 subjects was becoming a lot of effort and this started to get stressful. I decided to take a break but now I feel like I have the time! I hope you understand.

If any of you are still around and following me, I really appreciate your faith. I'm going to be posting reviews weekly from now on! Please share and remind people that I'm still alive;)

Thanks again, see you next week with a new review!

Jennie

Phoenix Rising by Bryony Pearce | Blog Tour

Title: Phoenix Rising

Author: Bryony Pearce

Pages: 368

Genre: Dystopian, Science-Fiction, Young Adult

Book Description:

In a future world where fossil fuels have run out and democracy has collapsed, an outlawed pirate crew fight for survival on their ship, the Phoenix, kept afloat by whatever they can salvage or scavenge on the debris-filled seas. Toby has never known anything other than life onboard the Phoenix and he's desperate for adventure. But when trouble comes hunting the Phoenix down, Toby realizes that what you wish for isn't always what you want. He meets beautiful Ayla from the Banshee, a rival pirate ship and sworn enemy of the Phoenix, and his world is thrown into disorder. How can he know who to trust and what to believe? The future rests on him making an impossible choice...

Get it here | Good reads 

I received a physical copy of this novel from the author and the wonderful people at Little Tiger Press (Stripes publishing) in return for an honest review! I'd like to say a special thanks to them for allowing me to be a part of the tour!

My Opinion:

Phoenix Rising is the first novel in a new series for young adults and I have to say I really enjoyed it! It takes place in an honest and predictable future where society is experiencing political collapse due to the exploitation of fossil fuels.

This novel begins with a fantastic start! I was immediately hooked and full of anticipation. As expected, this remained throughout the novel, with a fast paced action and constant thrill. I really enjoyed this factor.
The ending was amazing and I particularly loved the cliff hanger. Luckily the sequel to this is being published soon so I don't have long to wait to find out what happened to the characters and join them on another adventure, that I'm sure is going to be equally intriguing!

The characters were awesomely written, full of bravery and independence. I felt easily connected to them and really enjoyed seeing how they all developed and changed. Despite it being predictable, I did like the romance featured, which provides something for everyone, not only thrilling action and fighting!
The unexpected twists in the story line kept me on my toes as I was constantly wondering which characters could be trusted!
My favourite had to be Hiko because he was so adorable and strong. He takes on his role very well and reminds me of someones little brother!

Overall, this is a really well-written novel with a strong message about the future of our planet! Being a lover of pirate films, I found this read very enjoyable and it's so good to see pirate novels being written as these are awfully rare! I'd definitely recommend this to young teenagers as it's definitely something I'd have enjoyed at a younger age.
I can't wait for the next novel in the series, released in March 2016!

P.S I'm part of the Banshee Crew; I'd love to know which team you're part of so let me know in the comments!

Favourite Quotes:

If you want some kind of simpering damsel in distress, you're looking the wrong direction

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  Rating ★★★★

4 out of 5 stars 

 Next book I'm going to review:
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton

Title: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories
Author: Tim Burton
Pages: 128
Genre:
Book Description:
From breathtaking stop-action animation to bittersweet modern fairy tales, filmmaker Tim Burton has become known for his unique visual brilliance – witty and macabre at once. Now he gives birth to a cast of gruesomely sympathetic children – misunderstood outcasts who struggle to find love and belonging in their cruel, cruel worlds. His lovingly lurid illustrations evoke both the sweetness and the tragedy of these dark yet simple beings – hopeful, hapless heroes who appeal to the ugly outsider in all of us, and let us laugh at a world we have long left behind (mostly anyway)


Get it here | Good reads




My Opinion:
I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton's films so when I came across this I knew I had to pick it up. It's a collection of short poems along with doodles drawn by the author himself.

It's such an awesome collection of poems/stories. If you love his films (my favourites are The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands) then you'll love this. It's creepy and depressing but very funny and unique!

I loved how each character was different and had their own unfortunate events occur and although the stories aren't much longer than a page or two, they're cute and disturbing and I just really enjoyed reading it.

I don't have much to say other than that I wish the book had been longer because it was a quick and enjoyable read!
I would recommend this to anyone that likes creepy things, poetry and short stories or just simply enjoys Tim Burton's work.

Rating ★★★★★

5 out of 5 stars

Next book I'm going to review:
Phoenix Rising by Bryony Pearce (Blog Tour)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Pages: 490
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery
Book Description:
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called "Le Cirque des Reves," and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway--a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love - a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

Get it here | Good reads

My Opinion:

I have mixed opinions about this book. I did really enjoy it but I didn't manage to get into the plot and characters as quickly as I was hoping. I heard a lot about it and saw many 5 star reviews so I picked it up but I don't think it was as good as everyone said.

So, to get the bad things out of the way, I found it a little slow. I got into it straight away at the beginning and I sped through the ending but the middle, I found, was quite boring. Not much happened and I think it took a while to get down to business with everything.
Secondly, I think I would have enjoyed this if I had read it when I was younger. It's probably aimed at more of a younger audience (12-15year olds probably) and I found a lot of the stuff to not interest me as much. Although I really love fantasy, this didn't meet my expectations.

Anyway, onto the better parts. I really liked the creativity that went into this novel. The details about the circus were really believable and I loved the style of writing. All the characters were really well designed and the overall plot was fantastic.
My favourite part was probably the ending. It had a nice twist to it and it matched the fairy-take-esk genre of the novel with everyone living happily ever after. I also liked how it came back around in a full circle. It was really well written by the author.

Overall I think I would have enjoyed this more if the pace during the middle of the novel was quicker and if I had been younger. I'm late to the party but I'm glad I have read it because it was a really good book, just personally not my style anymore:)

Favourite Quotes:

'We cannot feel the bars unless we push against them'

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'People see what they wish to see. And in most cases, what they are told that they see'

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'The finest of pleasures are always the unexpected ones'

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'Most maidens are perfectly capable of rescuing themselves in my experience, at least the ones worth something'

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'But dreams have ways of turning into nightmares'

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'The most difficult thing to read is time. Maybe because it changes so many things'

Rating ★★★

3.5 out of 5 stars

Next Book I'm going to Review:
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton