Stolen my heart and brain

Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

Rating: 5 out of 5 hearts
301 pages
Released: May 2009
Buy it @ book depository

It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him.

This is my story.

A letter from nowhere. 

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? 

The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

Review

How can I write a review when I feel as confused as the character. This isn't a simple kidnapping story, it has so many layers and feelings you won't know what to think when you finish.

Gemma took me along with her through her ordeal and I was completely stolen by this book. It stole my whole day and I didn't want to let it go.

The backdrop of the Australian outback was perfect in setting the feeling of isolation, the power of silence and showing us it's utter beauty and danger. 

You want to think of Ty as this wild psychopathic murderer but he shows compassion and charm, he blurs the image you hold in your head.

"And it's hard to hate someone once you understand them"

I wanted so badly for there to be a happy ending for Gemma and Ty, but because of the circumstances there was no way that could happen. Lucy Christopher chose the perfect way to end it, even though it left me feeling a little empty. 

This book is meant to be experienced, I think people need to experience this for themselves as it is hard to explain in words what to feel or what really happened. It shared the wearing down of two helpless souls, showing us how Stockholm Syndrome is something that happens over time, without the sufferer from even knowing. I feel like I have shared in Gemma's disorientation.

There are so many moments to remember, which I will be thinking about for a long time. It truly amazes me how an author can write so exquisitely and simply, to take me away and leave me feeling this way.

"You've kidnapped me, put my life in danger...but I loved you too. Or thought I did. None of it made sense"

On the cover

What can't be seen in this picture is the butterfly shimmers. I'm immediately drawn to this cover because of the butterfly. I love butterflies and with the black cover it helps make it pop! 

What I'm reading next: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Holding Every Breath

Every Breath (Every #1) by Ellie Marney

Rating: 5 out of 5 hearts
335 pages
Released: September 2013
Buy it @ Angus & Robertson

Rachel Watts is an unwilling new arrival to Melbourne from the country. James Mycroft is her neighbour, an intriguingly troubled seventeen-year-old genius with a passion for forensics. Despite her misgivings, Rachel finds herself unable to resist Mycroft when he wants her help investigating a murder. And when Watts and Mycroft follow a trail to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion's den - literally.

A night at the zoo will never have quite the same meaning again...

Review

Such a captivating story with a modern twist to that detective everyone loves so much. I was sucked in from the first few pages. Ellie Marney has a fantastic way of capturing Melbourne so that I could picture every detail in my mind so clearly. 

Rachel Watts is a fresh, new type of character who I liked straight away! A country girl trying to fit in while in the big city. The romance between Mycroft and Watts was something, after hearing reviews, that I was looking forward to and boy was I happy with what I got. It slowly crept up on me, it happened so quickly and all of a sudden I was left feeling all warm and gooey inside. 

There was also a lot of depth to both Mycroft and Watts. Their friendship is something I savoured and enjoyed. I was learning things about them that they were finding out for themselves and because of this I could really connect with them. 

The grisly murder that kick starts Mycroft and Watts into a duo detective team was developed perfectly. Little tastes of what may have happened were ever so slowly revealed until the most unlikely character is found out. I liked how the whole story seemed real, I didn't think while reading that certain things they were doing seemed too ridiculous. I believed that two teenagers can solve a murder. Although there is quite a unique and frightening escape made by Mycroft and Watts at the end which I found to be a bit unbelievable, but I can let that slide because it was so quirky. (there are others books in the series so I'm not giving any spoilers away by telling you they lived!)

I have heard even better things about "Every Word", so I'll have my magnifying glass ready. I fell into this book head first hoping and wishing for it to be wonderful, and I got that and SO much more! The game's afoot and I never want it to end!

On the cover

It's so awesome to see a local landmark on a book!! It's Flinders street station from Melbourne in the background. Both people on the front look very alike what I imagine the main characters to look like. It's a shame though that the girl on the cover is the same girl on the cover of "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher.

What I'm reading next: Stolen by Lucy Christopher

The reluctant reviewer

The Reluctant Hallelujah by Gabrielle Williams

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts
264 pages
Released: February 2012
Buy it @ angus & robertson

But there I go, getting ahead of myself. Skipping straight to the part where I was front-page news and they were calling me Dorothy, instead of starting at the beginning...

When Dodie's parents go missing just as final year exams are about to start, she convinces herself they're fine. But when the least likely boy in class holds the key – quite literally – to the huge secret her parents have been hiding all these years, it's up to Dodie, her sister, the guy from school, and two guys she's never met before, to take on the challenge of a lifetime. So now Dodie's driving – unlicensed –to Sydney, and being chased by bad guys, the police, and one very handsome good guy.

Review

 

I have been waiting SO long to read this. I've heard all sorts of really amazing things about it and couldn't wait to find out what was in the basement. Unfortunately for me, the big secret of what was in the basement was spoiled by someone opening their BIG mouth! It would've been awesome not knowing and finding out through reading the story. I would never have guessed what was down there. ::grumble grumble::

Anywho, What I want to talk about is the actual book now. It was such a strange, but simple story. I wonder where the author got the idea from. (If anyone follows her or has read anything about it, please leave a comment, thanks!)

Now that I've read it, I don't think it's as awesome as I thought. Maybe I hyped it up too much or it could be that the mystery surrounding the book had been revealed to me. Either could be true, I still really enjoyed reading it and it was a nice short book with under 300 pages. Something else that let the book down a bit was the ending. I'm a little disappointed, it felt like what happened with Jones (people who have read this may know what I'm talking about) was a way to wrap up the story quickly and didn't need a lot of explaining. There was a good amount of romance and intrigue to keep me going, but not enough to get 5 stars.

Overall, a pleasant story with likable characters and an interesting twist. Worth the 4 stars and I will definitely try something else written by Gabrielle Williams

On the cover 

 

Now that I've read the book I can understand what that sparkly cross means. Why sparklers though? I guess because they are used during special occasions, and this journey will always be remembered in the characters hearts? All I know is that I think it's an awesome cover and I'm drawn to it!

What I'm reading next: Just One Year by Gayle Forman

 

Will Finnikin reclaim his land?

Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina Marchetta

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts

416 pages

Released: September 2008

Buy it @ book depository

Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.

Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.

But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.

Review

Finnikin of the Rock is brave, loyal and a true warrior. His beloved land of Lumatere is taken over by an imposter king and all who live outside the walls of his land are exiled and known as exiles.

I decided to finally give this book a go because I've always loved the front cover and I am drawn to a lovely front cover. Also, because a friend of mine finished the last one in this series last year and raved about it. So, as with other books I may find difficult to get into by reading I thought I'd give it a go on Audiobook seen as though it was sitting there on the shelf at the library.

This is one of those books that all fantasty lovers should read. It has such strong voices and characters along with a landscape filled with all sorts of sights and smells that seemed to jump off the page. Melina Marchetta worked her magic and took me by the hand into her marvelous world. I loved the idea of weaving different voices through out the book. Finnikin's voice was the main one but every now and again we hear from a few different characters points of view, which I thought was clever and helped with the pace of the story.

Something else I adored was the different languages used for each of the different places. As there weren't any different types of races of beings ie. dwarves or elves like in Lord of the rings, instead each place had their own native tongue. None of these languages were ever spoken (it was all in english) but I could still imagine what each of them may have sounded like.

There were a few moments of tingling feelings of romance, which were all the more exciting because the pacing was so slow and I believed that maybe nothing would ever happen - spoiler alert! - it did. Yay!
 

There's a twist towards the end, which I didn't see coming at all! We as readers were lead to believe something, along with Finnikin, and not once did I have any inkling of what was really the truth. I decided to give this only 4 stars instead of 5 because it took me a long while to get into the book and at times I found myself daydreaming, but mostly I loved this book and really recommend it. Looking forward to listening to number two and all other Melina Marchetta books I can get!

On the cover

This cover is so cool and I was always drawn to it. Blue is my favourite colour so I was drawn to it for that reason and I also like the flower and tree design.

What I'm listening on Audio to next: The Name of the star by Maureen Johnson

Embracing Angel books

Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters #1) by Jessica Shirvington

Rating: 3 out of 5 hearts
382 pages
Released: October 2010
Buy it @ book depository

It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

Review 

I'm not a huge fan of angel books mainly because I hate how they sometimes push God & religion onto me but I didn't find that with this book. There were quotes at the beginning of every chapter and sometimes those chapters were from the bible but no matter where it was from it gave you a sense of what you are to expect from that chapter. 

The main reason I decided to read this was because it was recommended to me and I thought I'd get it on Audio and see what it was like. I was pleasantly surprised. The story wasn't all that bad, the only issue I have is when Violet 'embraces' her guardian angel duties. I'm so used to reading books that have an epic quest before the main character is awarded their 'prize', in this case it's Violet proving herself to become a guardian angel. Well Violet's quest felt easy and anticlimactic. A simple jump off a cliff and walk through a desert to become someone who will guide over the human race...hmm ok!

Now we come to the love interests, Phoenix & Lincoln (yes another love triangle). Phoenix is your stereotypical bad guy, an exiled angel with opal coloured hair... while Linc on the other hand is the nice guy. Violet has awesome chemistry with Lincoln and he is also VERY cute! I usually swoon over the nice guy, I'm always rooting for them because most of the time "nice guys finish last" and I hate that! But don't let that make you think that Lincoln finishes last because maybe he doesn't...(I'm giving nothing away!) Something that bugged me a lot was how easily Violet gave her virginity away (which I also won't tell you who to). It did become part of revealing something really important later on in the book but I simply didn't like, my opinion.

I feel like all I've done is complain but I did enjoy this. I liked the idea of someone being a guardian angel, the author did a good job at making the idea more believable and easier to digest than other angel books. I plan on reading the next one in the series on Audio, hopefully the story will get a bit better instead of getting worse. On a side note: I had no idea this was written by an Australian, I like it when I know it's written in Australia because it makes me get all patriotic and want to love it even more.

On the cover

I love this cover! I think it's the purple and the smoky wings, they are so cool! Although Violet never actually gets wings and neither do any of the angels.

What I'm listening on Audio to next: Finnikin of the rock by Melina Marchetta

Face Of Australia - Glitterati Nail Enamel Swatch

Face Of Australia have released their new Glitterati Nail Enamel and in this post I will show you two of those polishes. The polishes from left to right in the above picture are: L-R Dancing Queen, Studio 54, Saturday Night Fever, Lookin' For Some Hot Stuff, Disco Inferno, Boogie Wonderland, Heart Of Glass and Funky Town.

The two polishes I will be showing are Heart Of Glass & Boogie Wonderland as pictured below.

In Australia it's hard to purchase Franken Polishes because most of the best Franken polishes are made in the U.S. and they don't ship overseas. While I was shopping in my local Priceline store I saw this gorgeous collection of nail polishes. It was so hard to pick which ones I liked the best but I finally decided on theses two. But with a price of only $4.95 you could almost buy them all!

This is 'Boogie Wonderland' and as you can see it's jam packed with all sort of glitters. With only one coat I noticed how much glitter came out with one stroke. This polish is a milky lavender base with long white & green glitter, big white hex glitter and orange, purple, dark blue and pink circle glitter. This is with three coats of the polish and I love it, it's so much fun! My only problem with this polish is the long green glitter sticks up, they're scratchy and get caught on things.

This is 'Heart Of Glass' and is so beautiful. I was lucky enough to pull out a heart glitter on my middle finger, very cute! This is another milky polish with a baby pink base and so many different types and colours of glitters. There's small silver round glitter, small purple square glitter, small pink glitter, medium silver stripe glitter, large red square glitter, large pink hex glitter, large purple hex glitter and large red hearts. Phew that's a lot! This is also three coats and looks gorgeous.

Which one do you like best? 

In love with Graffiti

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Rating: 5 out of 5 hearts
264 pages
Released: August 2012
Buy it @ book depository

"Let me make it in time. Let me meet Shadow. The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers."

"It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes."

Review

Does it have to end?! This is another Australian book that has completely blown me away! Cath Crowley knows how to write about a character and make them feel so real. The book is told from Lucy & Ed's point of views, it goes back and forwards between them and every now and again there will be a poem from "Poet" (which also tells another side to the story).

I had heard many good things about this book, so I thought it's definitely time to give it a go. I am so glad I finally did because it was amazing and inspiring! In such a short amount of time I was drawn into the story and managed to fall head over heels in love with these weird band of characters. They had me swooning, laughing out loud and heartwarming me all over.

This is one of those extraordianry books that is all about the characters and you feel like the story is weaved in amoung them. I love it when a character can jump off the page and that's how I felt about each and every one of them. What I also noticed was not only did the characters bring this book to life, but the art seemed to bring colour and life to it also. So many of the characters get their inspiration for their art from life experiences and at times the art almost felt like it's own character.

It all seemed to zoom by and I almost feel like I have to read it again to really take everything in.
This is my first Cath Crowley book and after reading this I plan to read as many of her other books that I can find. I recommend everyone read this book!

On the cover

This is so cool! The vibrant yellow on a black background is screaming to be noticed. I love the way the words come spraying out of the can and the title text is awesome, I just love love this cover.

What I'm listening on Audio to next: Eve & Adam by Michael Grant

Truly happy and positive refugee

The Happiest Refugee: A Memoir by Anh Do
Rating: 5 out of 5 hearts
229 pages
Released: September 2012
Buy it @ Angus & Robertson

"Anh Do nearly didn't make it to Australia. His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. But nothing -- not murderous pirates, nor the imminent threat of death by hunger, disease or dehydration as they drifted for days -- could quench their desire to make a better life in the country they had dreamed about.

Life in Australia was hard, an endless succession of back-breaking work, crowded rooms, ruthless landlords and make-do everything. But there was a loving extended family, and always friends and play and something to laugh about for Anh, his brother Khoa and their sister Tram. Things got harder when their father left home when Anh was thirteen -- they felt his loss very deeply and their mother struggled to support the family on her own. His mother's sacrifice was an inspiration to Anh and he worked hard during his teenage years to help her make ends meet, also managing to graduate high school and then university.

Another inspiration was the comedian Anh met when he was about to sign on for a 60-hour a week corporate job. Anh asked how many hours he worked. 'Four,' the answer came back, and that was it. He was going to be a comedian! The Happiest Refugee tells the incredible, uplifting and inspiring life story of one of our favourite personalities. Tragedy, humour, heartache and unswerving determination -- a big life with big dreams. Anh's story will move and amuse all who read it."

Review

I am so glad I finally got to read this because it was a wonderful book, I enjoyed every bit of it! I don't normally read biographys, I've read the popular ones "Marley & Me" and "Mao's Last Dancer" and I really enjoyed those as well.

Throughout reading I kept thinking to myself how positive Anh and his family are after all their continued bad luck. I think anyone who thinks there life is tough should read this and see that things may not be so bad and you must always look on the bright side of things.

There wasn't always bad luck in his life, Anh experienced some really good luck moments which were very uplifting. I've never seen Anh live on stage, but I would love to now because some of his stories in this are really funny. I loved re-telling them to friends & family so I could share a good laugh with them.

The editing of the book made it even more enjoyable. The chapters were at times quite long but there were lots of small stories within them that made you want to keep reading. Something else I really liked was all the Australian references throughout the book. Anh gave our beautiful country justice and made me appreciate how lucky I am to have grown up here. Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!

On the cover

How can that smile not make you want to pick up this book and read all about the happiest refugee. It's not the prettiest cover I must admit but it will always bring back good memories whenever I see it. 

What I'm reading next: Pushing the limits by Katie McGarry

Inspiring Crafters

As a fellow crafter I have many people that I admire. I wanted to show off these talented people and their wonderful creations. And to top it off all of these people are Australians! Go Aussies!

{All pictures taken from their respective webpages - click on their names to go to their webpages}

Hungry Designs

This is a gorgeous Day of the Dead - Ariel Princess brooch.

I love Ariel so much and this is so cool because you can wear art on your clothing!

Whiskers Lane

A candle in a tea cup, how cute is that?

I love the idea of having a beautiful tea cup sitting on the table setting the mood 

and leaving your house smelling delicious.

That Vintage

That Vintage features Tasmanian Myrtle Wood Jewellery & other accessories.

I love the little birds & rabbits that are often shown on pieces.

Dark and Light creations

Too bad this isn't edible. 

Dark and light creations are funky and that little bit different.

Art Of Indigo

This is the candle I purchased from the talented Art Of Indigo.

Their candles are masterpieces and too good to burn.

Who inspires you?

The end to a series or is it??

Now by Morris Gleitzman

Rating: 3 out of 5

Set in the current day, this is the final book in the series that began with Once, continued with Then and is... Now. Felix is a grandfather. He has achieved much in his life and is widely admired. He has mostly buried the painful memories of his childhood, but they resurface when his granddaughter Zelda comes to stay with him. Together they face a cataclysmic event armed only with their gusto and love – an event that helps them achieve salvation from the past, but also brings the possibility of destruction.

Review: This isn't the end of this series, there is a fourth book which has just been released called "After" which I'm really looking forward to reading as it continues Felix's story when he defeats the Nazis. So instead of the final book being voiced through Felix, it's all from Felix's grand-daughter Zelda's point of view. I liked this book but not as much as the other two, mainly because I liked Felix as a character and didn't have that same feeling for Zelda. I also think it's because there was so much more I wanted to read about Felix's story and I didn't feel like it was over yet (but now I know there's more, that makes me happy). Zelda is living with her grandfather because her parents are doctors working overseas and during her stay with her grandfather we get glimpses of how Felix (which is what she calls him in the book, not pop or grand-father etc) has changed since the war and how he moved to Australia. The "event" that happens in this is also based on truth, it really did happen in Australia and that's what makes these books feel so real. The ending was really sweet and a little bit sad, but in a good way if there can be...

On the cover: The cover depicts a scene that happens in the book. Other than that I think this cover isn't all that exciting. I would probably walk straight past it if I hadn't already read the first two in the series.

What I'm listening on Audio to next: House Rules by Jodi Picoult