Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium (Delirium #1)
by Lauren Oliver

They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. 
And I've always believed them. 
Until now.
Now everything has changed.
Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.
Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

OK, so I finished this book at 5am this morning and I'm definitely glad I stayed up reading it. It was beautiful, heartbreaking and breathtaking. I was hooked from the very first line - "It's been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected the cure" - and I just didn't want to put it down. I had to keep reading.

Lena was such a fantastic main character. She was just a normal girl, and I felt an instant connection with her because of that. It was nice to have a main character in a dystopian who is normal, it was different. I enjoyed learning about Lena through her memories of her past, what her life was like and how she's ended up who she is today. I completely understood Lena's perspective on the change to start with because of what happened, but as the book went on and I got to see how people who have had the change act, I started to realise how awful the change sounded. Not being able to love and act in any kind of loving way towards any human being just seems brutal. The whole concept of love being a disease was fantastic. I loved hearing about the stupid stories that the government has been feeding everyone and they're eating them up, not even questioning it.

I really loved Hana as well. I also felt an instant connection with her. Hana & Lena's friendship was beautiful. They were so close and I just loved reading about them together. Hana was hilarious and confident and I feel that she helped bring out a different side of Lena.

I also really adored Alex. I mean, who wouldn't? He's such a likable, interesting and friendly character. Right away, I knew that there was going to be an attraction between Lena and Alex. I loved their relationship. I loved seeing it grow throughout the book. Although it might slightly be considered a case of insta-love, it's kind of hard to measure in a book where love is considered a disease. But the development of their relationship was great, I love them as a couple.

I'm really intrigued by Grace. She's a strange character and I'm hoping that she'll be a part of the rest of the series. She was so sweet and kind.

So there were quite a few major twists in this book that I kind of saw coming, but I still felt really shocked when they were revealed in the book. I think I'd convinced myself that I was wrong and that's why I still felt so shocked when I found out what I thought was going to happen, did happen. I loved the world building in this book. Seeing how everyone is after the change and the lengths some people will go to prevent the change was interesting. I also enjoyed seeing Lena uncover secrets about the government and see them for what they really are.

The ending of this book was a massive cliffhanger. I had tears in my eyes at the end. I couldn't believe it! After everything that happened throughout the book and Oliver leaves me with that ending? WHY!?

This book was just freakin' awesome! Seriously, it's one of the best dystopian novels I've ever read which is why I gave it:

Thankfully, I already ordered Pandemonium when I started Delirium and the minute I get it I'll definitely be reading it! I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the rest of the series!

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #1)
by Veronica Rossi

Aria has struggled to build a life for herself outside Reverie. It hasn't be easy adjusting to life in the wilderness but that struggle has been worth it with Perry by her side. 
But Perry has other challenges. His people are looking to him for answers. Answers about what happened to his nephew and what's happening to their world. And they don't trust the priviledged Aria, one of the enemy, in their midst. 
Soon he'll be forced to chose between the tribe that looks to him for leadership and the girl that looks to him for love.

So I started reading this book like 10 minutes after I finished Under the Never Sky. I was debating whether or not I should buy it, or just read something I already own, but I'd grown so attached to the characters in this book that I just couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. I'm so glad that I decided to pick this up right after Under the Never Sky because it was just as fantastic as the first book.

I loved Aria's character even more in this book. Right away she showed that she was a strong, independant character. Aria does everything she can to protect the people she loves in this book, and I really love that about her.

Perry was fantastic in this book as well. I loved seeing him as the Blood Lord, although I really felt for him because he was going through a lot after what he had to do to become Blood Lord. Perry has to try and do what's right for his people and step up and be a man.

Roar was just... brilliant. He was just as hilarious as ever. I really felt for Roar in this book though, because of the events that happened. He seemed so vulnerable and depressed and I really just wanted to give him a hug and tell him that everything was going to be OK.

I'm really glad we got to meet Liv in this book. I'd been really curious about her and she wasn't what I was expecting, but I grew to really like her. I was rooting for Roar and Liv because they just seemed so perfect together.

I also really liked seeing Cinder's character develop. He grew an attachment to some of the people in Perry's tribe and it was really nice to see him come out of his shell.

I hated Kirra from the second she turned up with her army. I knew she was going to start causing trouble and messing with Perry and I wanted to punch her in the face and tell her to BACK OFF! She really irritated me. And then, when the tribe left, I hated her even more because of what they did.

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. It was mostly focused on finding the Still Blue, rescuing Talon and finding Liv and I enjoyed all the different parts of the storyline. Especially the Still Blue part becausse I'm extremely curious to know more about the Still Blue and I'm hoping that Aria & Perry will be able to get Perry's people there in the next book so that they can live a normal life without fearing the aether (but it doesn't look promising after what happened). 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was just as fantastic as the first book which is why I gave it:

I can't wait for Into the Still Blue! I think it's going to be amazing! Hurry up 2014!

Review: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith

This Is What Happy Looks Like
by Jennifer E Smith
Release Date: 2nd April 2013

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs? 

I received a proof copy of this book from Headline Publishing thanks to Jess from Jess Hearts Books!

I completely fell in love with this book! It was such a sweet, cute contemporary with some complications that kept the story line going.

This was such an intriguing book because something like that could actually happen. You could email someone by accident and then start to build a relationship. So that's one of the reasons I fell in love with this book.

The other reason was the characters.

I loved Ellie. She was a down to earth, normal girl with a secret past. She was funny, kind, helpful, and I just absolutely loved her character.

Graham was also an amazing character. He was so normal for a movie star and I think that's why I loved him. He was funny, sweet, caring & protective, and he was just the perfect character.

The whole story behind why Ellie wants to avoid the spotlight was fantastic. I loved hearing about who she is and what her past was like. I also found myself thinking that her mum was kind of selfish for trying to stop Ellie being with Graham because of the media. So what if the truth came out? Is keeping your past a secret more important than your daughters happiness?

Graham and Ellie's relationship was fantastic and I love how there was a background to it with all the emails and it wasn't just: Girl meets Boy and falls in love, there was already a connection there.

I loved their emails and how they continued throughout the book and the emails at the start just built their relationship and I couldn't wait to see what would happen when they met.

The ending was so cute! This whole book was cute, and I absolutely loved it!

I gave this book:

I will definitely be buying a finished copy of this book to have on my bookcase because I absolutely loved it! If you're a fan of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, you won't be let down by this because it's just as amazing!

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1)
by Veronica Rossi

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.
DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

So this was the YABBC choice for March, and I'm so glad that it was. I'd been dying to read this book for ages and I'm so happy that I got around to reading it! I tried my hardest to read this slowly and try to pace myself throughout the month, but it didn't really work and I finished it within the first week of March because I got so sucked into the story that I didn't want to stop reading.

OK, so this series is now one of my favourites! The world, the writing & the characters were all fantastic and I just loved it.

I really enjoyed how the story kept flipping between Aria and Perry because it allowed me to gain an understanding of both sides of the world in this book - the people in reverie and the people who live on the outside - and I liked seeing the differences between the people and how they live.

I had an instant connection with Aria right from the first chapter. She was likable, smart but she was very naive to start with. She grew and developed throughout the book and became a strong, independent character who knew exactly what she was doing. She adapted extremely quickly to her situation and made the most of it.

Perry was just, urgh! I'm in love with him. He was just so perfect! Being an outsider meant that Perry was strong and tough, he also had to learn to take care of people which was such an amazing quality. He was so invested in saving his family and looking after his nephew Talon and I just loved seeing that side of him.

So Perry and Aria annoyed me throughout this book because I was determined that they were going to get together. They hated each other so much, but there was definite chemistry between them and I found myself shouting 'JUST KISS ALREADY!' quite a lot! 

Roar was another one of my favourite characters. He was sarcastic, funny and just so kind and sweet. He always found a way to throw some sly little comment in that would irritate Perry or say something that was just absolutely hilarious. He had me smiling all the time.

I'm really curious about Cinder's character. I'm not sure what to think of him yet, he seems to be really dangerous, shy and unpredictable. Hopefully he'll be in the second book and I'll get to see some development with his character.

I'm also really curious about Lumina - Aria's mother - and I'm really looking forward to finding out more about her.

I found the fact that a lot of the outsiders had a power very intriguing. Like, some of them were Audibles - which meant that their hearing was fantastic, or Scires - can smell peoples tempers, there were a few other powers and I'm sure that there are ones that haven't been described yet but I'm looking forward to finding out more about them!

There was a slight twist in this book that involved Aria that I'd never even considered and it was superb. I never saw it coming, but when I found out, I realised that it made sense and I found myself wondering why I had never thought about it.

I loved getting to discover both of the different places in this world - Reverie & the outside. Reverie was created when the world started being subjected to cosmic storms that destroyed the Earth, and Reverie was created as an escape for humans to allow them to live. In Reverie, the babies that are born are genetically enhanced and allows the parents to make their children how they want them. In Reverie, people wear eye devices that allow them to travel to different realms which were created to allow people to choose any place they want and be able to go there - like virtual reality. 
However, on the outside, there are groups of people battling to save their land against the Aether (cosmic storm) which threatens to destroy the Earth. They have to constantly find a way to get more food because the food supply is running low and they keep having to re-build their territories as the Aether destroys them. 

Everything about this book was fantastic and beautifully written that I just instantly fell in love with it, which is why I gave this book:

I started reading Through the Ever Night straight after this book because I just didn't want to stop reading about these characters! My review for the second book will be up tomorrow! I highly recommend starting this series if you haven't already because it was just absolutely fantastic!

Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)
by Cassandra Clare


If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?

The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.

Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment.














Wow. I haven't cried this much at a book since I read The Deathly Hallows. I had so many different emotions throughout this book, it was just fantastically perfect and it was more than I could have ever hoped for.
I was at a loss for words when I finished this book. I just couldn't believe that the story of these characters was over. I've grown to love the characters in this series and I didn't want to let them go. I was also slightly in shock from the ending of this book. I just couldn't believe how perfect it was. It was nothing like what I expected, but it was the most perfect ending I could have ever hoped for. 

I love every single character in this series. I also grew to love some new characters in this book, like Gideon & Gabriel Lightwood and Cecily Herondale.

Tessa is one of my favourite characters. She's determined, strong and extremely kind hearted. She's so easy to connect with. She's changed throughout the series and turned into such a strong character. She's been through a hell of a lot (definitely more than nearly anyone else in this book) and she's always managed to stay strong and be herself.

Will and Jem are just, fantastic characters. I love them both. All the way throughout Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince I was Team Will. But in this book, I just couldn't bare the thought of Tessa and Jem not being together. I grew to love both of these characters (like Tessa did) and I loved them for different reasons. Will is headstrong, but he has such a kind heart and he's always determined to protect the people he loves - even at the cost of his own happiness.
Jem on the other hand, is more collected and calm but he's also willing to protect the people he loves, he's just not as rash as Will. Both of these characters compliment each other and they're so close to each other they're basically brothers. I've loved seeing the development in their relationship throughout the series.

Charlotte and Henry were fantastic characters. They're complete opposites, but they're just so perfect for each other. And after everything that happened in this book, their relationship is stronger than ever.

Gideon and Gabriel Lightwood are two characters I never thought I would love, but after reading Clockwork Princess, I realised that I'd never actually seen the real Lightwoods. I was so happy I got the chance to see what they're really like (even if something horrible had to happen to them for them to change), but I enjoyed seeing them become their own people instead of being led by their father. Clockwork Princess wouldn't have been the same without them.

Cecily was just fantastic as well. She was badass and I just absolutely loved her!

I loved seeing more of Magnus as well. Seeing him in the Infernal Devices explains a lot about who he is in The Mortal Instruments. 

From the second I started reading this book, I was hooked. This was definitely the best book of the series. I cried a lot at this book. There were so many heartbreaking moments and so many moments of pure joy that I just couldn't hold back my tears.
The action in this book was spectacular. The Infernal Devices were savage in this book and the fight scenes that involved them were brilliant.
The whole story line with Charlotte and the Consul was brilliant as well. Gideon and Gabriel played their parts perfectly and I'm so glad he got what was coming to him at the end.
There were two massive twists for me in this book that I never saw coming: One that involved Tessa and one that involved Jem. The one with Jem was the one that shocked me the most. I just didn't ever consider it until it happened, and then the pieces just started to fit together. 

The epilogue was the hardest part of the book for me. I cried from the beginning of it to the end (sad and happy tears). There was so much that happened and I'm tearing up again just thinking about it. The ending was perfect, more than I could have ever hoped for. I'm so distraught at saying goodbye to these characters that it's taken me about 2 hours to write this review. 
Even though I only started this series last year, it's my favourite series of all time now. All of these characters as close to my heart and I know they always will be. 

I wanted to say a lot more about the story line of this book book, but anything else I wrote had a whole load of spoilers in it, and I didnn't want to put spoilers in this review. I just have so many feelings about this book that I really need someone to talk to about this book! If you've read Clockwork Princess, please email me (samanthathebookworm@hotmail.com) or tweet me (@SamanthasBooks) because I desperately need to talk to someone!

If you haven't read this series, I cannot recommend it more. It's the best series I have ever read and I will definitely read it over and over again.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm away to go and cry some more.

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?


Is there a cuter book out there? I think not. I can't believe I waited so long to pick this up!! I fell in love with this book from the very first chapter and it lived up to everything I've heard about it. 

Anna was a superb main character. I knew I was going to love her the minute I read this line:

“The only French word I know is oui, which means “yes,” and only recently did I learn it’s spelled o-​u-​i and not w-​e-​e.” 

Anna was such a refreshing character. I've been reading a lot of dystopian novels recently so this whole book was like a breath of fresh air. I was sucked in and I never wanted it to finish. Anna was absolutely hilarious and she had me laughing a lot throughout this book. She was friendly and sweet, but she was also slightly naive which I really liked about her character.

And then we have Étienne St.Clair *fans self*. Wow. I have never been more in love with a character than I am with Étienne. He was such a funny, charming and lovable character that it was hard not to fall head over heels in love with him - as Anna found out. He had me cracking up and smiling throughout this whole book. He was just so perfect and hilarious and did I mention I'm in love with him? Fo' Shiz.

Josh, Rashmi and Meredith were brilliant characters as well. They were all so friendly and accepted Anna as soon as she arrived. They were brilliant together.

I never really liked Ellie at all. She just seemed so up herself and had this heir of superiority about her that I could never like her. 

I'm completely in love with this whole story. Who wouldn't be? It's a spectacular romance novel set in Paris with one of the hottest characters ever. I loved the whole boarding school aspect of this book as well. I loved seeing Anna adapt to Paris and start to discover new things.

I moan with pleasure.

"Did you just have a foodgasm?" he asks, wiping ricotta from his lips.

"Where have you been all my life?" I ask the beautiful panini.

I also loved her there were some touchy subjects addressed in this book as well. Both Anna and St.Clair's fathers weren't huge role models and what happened with St.Clair's mum. This book was everything I was hoping for and more. I could go on and on forever about how much I love this book, because it was fantastic. It's now my favourite book of all time.

So in case you haven't already guessed, I gave this book: 

I'm desperate to get my hands on Lola now, I need more romance! Stephanie Perkins will probably now be one of my favourite authors. Even though I've only read one book by her, I know the others will be just as amazing.

“Boys turns girls into such idiots.” 

Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed (Matched #2)
by Ally Condie

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

I was really looking forward to reading this book because I fell in love with Matched and I was so excited to see what was going to happen next. This book really let me down, it was just average. There wasn't anything exciting happening or anything that made it stand out.

I still really like Cassia's character though. Even though she was naive and slightly annoying in this book, I still like reading about her. She's independent, determined and stubborn, and they're the qualities I love about her because they make her the person that she is. The kind of person who would do anything to save someone they loved.

Ky was kind of a mystery in this book. He was closed off and reserved and I knew that he was keeping a lot of secrets. He was a different person in this book than he was in Matched, and I didn't like the Ky in this book. He wasn't the character I fell in love with in Matched.

Unfortunately, Xander was hardly in this book. Which was a shame because I really like Xander, so I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to see a lot of him. But it sounds like he's going to be a major part of the 3rd book so that kind of makes up for it. We also found out that Xander has a secret that he's been hiding from everyone - and Ky is the only person who knows. I never guessed what his secret was, but it wasn't much of a shock when it was revealed.

We also met a couple of new characters: Indi, Vic, Eli and Hunter. 
Indi and Vic were my favourite new characters. Indi was cunning and stubborn and just such an amazing character. Although, there were moments when I had my doubts about her - just like Cassia - and I wasn't sure if I could trust her. But most of the time, I really liked her. Vic was a fantastic character as well. He was one of those characters that just had a certain power about him and I really liked his character.
I don't really have much to say about Eli and Hunter. Although these characters were important to the story, there wasn't much development so I didn't form an attachment to them.

The story line in this book was average. The characters were wandering about in The Carving for most of the story and I started to get really bored. Nothing major or exciting happened. There were a couple of parts that I didn't see coming, but they weren't anything special. To be honest, I actually just really wanted to get this book finished so that I could pick up something better.

So because I thought the story was pretty average, I gave this book:

I'll probably still read Reached since it's the last book in the series and I'm curious to find out what's going to happen in The Society.