Totally BZRK

BZRK (BZRK #1) by Michael Grant

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts

407 pages

Released: February 2012

Buy it @ book depository

"Set in the near future, BZRK is the story of a war for control of the human mind.  Charles and Benjamin Armstrong, conjoined twins and owners of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation, have a goal:  to turn the world into their vision of utopia.  No wars, no conflict, no hunger.  And no free will.  Opposing them is a guerrilla group of teens, code name BZRK, who are fighting to protect the right to be messed up, to be human.  This is no ordinary war, though.  Weapons are deployed on the nano-level. The battleground is the human brain.  And there are no stalemates here:  It’s victory . . . or madness.

BZRK unfolds with hurricane force around core themes of conspiracy and mystery, insanity and changing realities, engagement and empowerment, and the larger impact of personal choice. Which side would you choose?  How far would you go to win? "

Review

I had no idea what to expect from this book and I was thrown into it with a bang and a plane crash! The book is told from multiple points of view. Sadie, the tough rich girl who doesn't care that she's rich, Noah, the romantic, Bugman, the young badboy and Vincent the weird guy who can't experience any type of pleasure. Very different characters thrown together in this thrilling ride. Slightly dystopian and science fiction rolled into one, so for fans of both these genres should definitely put this book on their 'to-read' list.

Something I really liked about this book was the way Michael Grant described parts of the body in extreme close up, it was truly amazing. In one scene, he is describing what a biot (a microscopic biological robot) can see from it's point of view to find out it is sitting on a person's eyelash!

The villains or should I say villain in this story is truly evil and grotesque to boot. Enter the Armstrong twins Charles & Benjamin who are actually conjoined twins so I guess that kind of makes them one person. They share a leg so they have three legs but the middle one doesn't actually function properly and hangs there limp most of the time, EW! Their horrible looks aren't the only disgusting thing, it's also their mad vision for the human race...

I didn't really like how this ended though. Sometimes with Audiobooks I can, without knowing, drift off. I don't know if that's what I did at the end of this book. That seems bad because then that may mean the end was boring if I drifted off. It's been about 2 weeks since I finished it and I can't seem to bring back to memory what happened in the end! I guess that may be a good thing because there's no cliff hanger for me to pine over.

On the cover

I've seen this cover a few times before reading it and I didn't realise straight away that there's an robotic insect type thing inside the eye. That is a perfect depiction of what happens in the book. Little robotic insect like things crawl inside people's eyes which leads to their brains...

What I'm listening on Audio to next: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Hugo and his magical inventions.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Rating: 5 out of 5 hearts
525 pages
Released: April 2007
Buy it @ book depository

ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

Review 

This isn't just a book, it's an experience! The pictures and story are so absorbing, it transported me straight to Paris 1930's. I love when a book doesn't end when I finish it, it inspired me to want to know more about cinema during that era. At the end of the book in the credits & acknowledgements the author gives you websites where you can find more information. I had fun learning all about the first movies.

I saw 'Hugo' the movie and I adored it! I watched it before I read this which I think it would've been better if I had watched the movie after reading the book because I knew the mystery behind the mechanical automan and I would've loved to see the pictures come to life! I will definitely watch it again since I've read the book. 

Now that I have read this I would like to read 'Wonderstruck' to see what it's like. I loved how the illustrations told the story at times. One of my favourite instances was when Hugo was running from the station inspector through the walls of the train station. I really felt the tension and turned the pages so quickly to see whether he got away!

I recommend this to people of all ages. It's a story of finding yourself, overcoming loss, making friends & having your dreams come true! 

On the cover

Isn't it beautiful! The moon plays a part in this story and the cogs & gears look like a hot air balloon. The border reminds me of a theatre curtain like I'm getting ready to sit down and watch a show.

What I'm reading next: Amber House by Kelly Moore

Easter = Chocolate, bunnies & pastels

Easter is a fantastic time of the year! It doesn't feel as stressful as Christmas and the main attraction... chocolate! Easter is only a week away I thought I do a post with tons of Easter inspiration! Enjoy <3

The above nails are my Easter Egg Hunt nails. If you are wondering what is on my pointer, middle and little finger, it's meant to be Easter eggs hiding in grass. 

1. Cute Bunny Art

              2. Bunny Tails treats                                                               3. Bunny Joke

4. Very cool Easter craft idea

These are also on my pinterest page, why not follow me!

What have you got planned for Easter?

It sure was a bloody road

Blood Red Road (Dust Lands #1) by Moira Young

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts
459 pages
Released: June 2011
Buy it @ book depository

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Review 

"Saba: People with this name have a deep inner desire for love and companionship, and want to work with others to achieve peace and harmony." ~ I found this on the internet and thought it suited Saba fairly accurately.

This book took me on a truly epic adventure which I didn't expect at all. It sure was a long bloody road but boy was it awesome! If you're someone who likes fantasy books but doesn't like all the boring riding through the woods scenes but loves a good battle scene then this is the book for you. It's filled to the brim with fast paced action, characters you want to fight for and a dystopian backdrop to rival all others. 

I had no idea really what to expect from this, all I knew was that it was something very special because I've read many reviews from people beaming about this book. So of course it landed on my to read list and now that I've read it I can join all those other beaming reviewers. 

What I loved about this was the main character Saba - she is stubborn, fierce and very loyal to her brother. These qualities make her the perfect person to learn to love and loathe at the same time. While Saba is loyal and has lots of respect for her slightly older twin brother Lugh, she is a truly horrible person to her little sister Emmi. At times I found myself disgusted at how she would treat Emmi, but during their forced time together Saba slowly starts to redeem herself and realise the hatred she has for her sister is really from another cause. I must admit though that Saba got a lot of help from Jack in learning how to see people in a different light.

Now Jack is another story. Enter the love interest, the one and only love interest. No love triangles in this book (unless you count the love Saba has for her brother but that's plain weird and doesn't count). Jack is brave, caring and a leader, oh and how can I forget those moonlight coloured eyes. It takes a while for us to meet Jack and a long while for Saba to get to grips with her true feelings for him. The romance is sweet and steamy at the same time, at some moments I was like "awww" and other moments I was like "phew down boy!" haha. 

Something that really bugged me though was the language and grammar used through out the book. It took me a while to get used to it and after that I found it to be one of the things I loved about the story. BUT at one stage Saba was telling everyone that she was sorry for her behaviour and how she was acting, one of the words she used to describe herself was: cantankersome.... now I had no idea whether this word even existed and here Saba is - obviously never read a book in her life as she doesn't know what words were and described them as scribbles on a page - using a word like cantankersome to explain her actions! Feels a bit off to me.

I don't mind a cliffhanger at the end of a book because it leaves you wanting more but I really liked how this book ended. I was left feeling satisfied, this chapter has ended but I knew that there is going to be more adventures to come. I'm still very much looking forward to getting the next book in the series. Hopefully I can get it on Audiobook too.

On the cover

 

This isn't the normal cover people are probably used to seeing as Audiobooks seem to have the more unknown covers but I think it's cool. It looks like a piece of art that should be hanging up in some hip gallery by some super hipster artist. I do prefer the other covers more than this one though.

What I'm listening on Audio to next: BZRK by Michael Grant

12 Favourite books of 2012

I love reading about which books have captivated people, scared them out of their pants, made them laugh, made them cry or or even feel a bit swoony. Something that I know everyone loves doing is recommending a really great book or even bagging out a book they hated. I also love all these things and what a perfect way to showcase all of that is by sharing with you twelve of my favourite books for 2012. (I thought that it would be nifty to pick 12 as that's also the year's number) I plan on showcasing some books from 2012 that I didn't enjoy all that much in another post later on.

I know I'm really late in posting this but who cares! I'm going to list them from 12 to 1 so you have to scroll down to see my ultimate favourite. Although I have to mention I've cheated a little bit with the amount of books you will see because I have mentioned series, so technically there's more than twelve but oh well!

Number 12

Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Number 11

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Number 10

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Number 9

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

Number 8

Juliet by Anne Fortier

Number 7

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Number 6

Purity in Death by J.D Robb & others in the 'In Death' series

Number 5

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Number 4 

Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy

Number 3

Then by Morris Gleitzman

Number 2 

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Number 1

The Hunger Games & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

If you click on the title it will take you to my book review.

Did you have any favourite books from 2012? I'd love to know what you loved

 

Murder & Fire, good mix? I think yes...

FireProof (Maggie O'Dell #10) by Alex Kava

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts
320 pages
Released: May 2012
Buy it @ book depository

When a building bursts into flames on a cold winter night in D.C., investigators see a resemblance to a string of recent fires in the area. There is one difference, however: This one has a human casualty. The local team insists they're looking for a young white male, suffering from an uncontrollable impulse to act out his anger or sexual aggression. But when special agent Maggie O'Dell is called in, everything she sees leads her to believe that this is the work of a calculating and controlled criminal.

Jeffery Cole, a reporter looking for his big break, is also at the scene of the crime and decides to make Maggie part of his news piece, digging up aspects of her past that she would rather forget. Maggie's brother Patrick is also back in DC where he is working for a private firefighting company and is frequently called in as these fires continue to light up around the city.

As the acts of arson become more brazen, Maggie's professional and personal worlds begin to collide dangerously. The killer may be closer than she imagines.

Review

I love the Maggie O'Dell series, I can't remember why I decided to pick them up and read them from the beginning. I think a patron of the library recommended them to me, so because I can't read a series from the middle I had to start from the beginning. 

Since then there have been some that I've really enjoyed reading and then there's been others that have been very so so. This one is one of the better ones. I know a lot of people are complaining that Maggie O'Dell hasn't done much profiling in this one, but I didn't think that was an issue because I found the story to be intriguing and I love the characters. Yes I do feel like the writing style has changed slightly and there isn't much profiling going on (seen as though O'Dell is an FBI profiler) but most book series change in some way and I will still be happy to continue to read them.

I can't remember the murders in the previous books but they were very gruesome and very detail in this one. If you don't like to read about that sort of thing then you shouldn't read this. I read this in a day, I found it (like the others) to be very easy to read as the writing style flows nicely and the reader is kept interested. Like for example; every now and again there will be a short chapter from the 'killers' point of view, I like that we get a taste of being inside their head but still not knowing who it is. I don't know if other murder mystery books are like this but I had never read something like that.

Something else to mention that I found interesting is that the ending felt like it will lead straight into the next book. From memory I don't think any of the previous books have done this. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

On the cover

The cover is quite boring but it depicts what you can expect from the book. I also find it interesting that the author's name is bigger than the title, I'm assuming the publishing company thinks you will pick up the book because of the author not because of the cover or even the title...

What I'm reading next: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Converse shoes nails

I have wanted to try out the Converse shoes nail art design for ages and I've finally gotten around to doing them.

I'm loving Pastel colours at the moment so that's what I decided my shoes would be, pretty pastels.

I found this design to be easy except for the shoelaces part, I think it was because the weather was hot and my white polish kept drying too quickly grr!! Because of this my shoelaces didn't turn out as smooth and straight as I had hoped.

Below are some pictures and a step by step how to tutorial.

Step 1. Start with a base colour of your choice.
Step 2. Using your white nail polish brush a thick white strip at the tip of your nail.
Step 3. Using a dotting tool to spot 3 dots on one side and 3 on the other side of your nail
Step 4. Next is the shoes laces. I used a thin brush to do this.
Step 5. Using a smaller dotting tool to put black dots inside the first 6 dots.
Step 6. Using the same thin brush as before dip it in black and swipe a curved line to finish off your shoe.

Have you tried this design before? Send me your link in the comments and i'll check it out