So, You Wanna be a Writer? by Vicki Hambleton and Cathleen Greenwood

Title: So, You Wanna be a Writer?

Subtitle: How to Write, Get Published, and maybe even make it big!

Author: Vicki Hambleton and Cathleen Greenwood

Target Audience: Young Adult

Pages: 143

Chapters: 12

Genre: Non-fiction - Writing

Rating: 10/10

Blurb (quoted):

“You have the ideas and the creativity to be a writer. You’re missing only one thing… this book!

Do you long to see your name in print? Do you dream of captivating people with your stories, poems, or movies? If so, this is your chance! So, You Wanna Be a Writer? gives all the information you need to become a published author. Learn the secrets behind:

·         Finding the right genre to best express yourself.

·         Creating cool story lines and fascinating characters.

·         Starting your own reading and writing groups.

·         Overcoming the dreaded writer’s block.

·         Selling your stories and getting them published.

·         Promoting your work through signings, TV and more!

Read exclusive interviews with famous writers like Michael Crichton, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, and Wendelin Van Draanen. Plus, meet ten real kid authors who share their best writing tips and advice!”

Judgement:

This book honestly covers everything – that is the first thing I have to say. It takes you through the entire writing and publishing process, explaining everything along the way.

Although it doesn’t say so anywhere on the cover, this book is for young writers hoping to get their name into print. It includes a dozen or so interviews with young writers from ages of about 8 to around 16, with information about how they write and why, and their publishing experiences.

The writing style is fun and enjoyable; unlike a lot of fiction books, it made this one fun to read. The information is helpful to those who are just starting out in the writing world or have already been researching and participating in it for years.

There are so many helpful resources, with websites and contacts for where to get published, including contests, magazines, publishers, and where to find more information on writing. It also includes some information about different careers for writers, types of writing, and tips about editing and writers block.

This book, as I’ve already said, covers everything, and anything it misses can be found in one of the resources listed.

I really enjoyed reading this book and found a lot of useful information in it. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for information on anything from writing to editing to publishing.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Genre: Mystery / Romance

Target Audience: Young Adult

Pages: 452

Chapters: 59

Rating: 9/10

Person: First

Tense: Past

Blurb (Quoted):

“When Mara Dyer wakes up in hospital with no memory of how she got there, or any explanation as to why the bizarre accident that caused the deaths of her boyfriend and two best friends left her mysteriously unharmed, her doctors suggest she start over in a new city, at a new school, and just hope her memories gradually come back.

But Mara’s new start is anything but comforting. She sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere and now she’s started to see other people’s deaths before they happen. Is she going crazy? As if dealing with all this isn’t enough, Noah Shaw, the most beautiful boy she’s ever seen, can’t seem to leave her alone. But does he have her best interests at heart, or another agenda altogether?”

My Summary:

After Mara is left unharmed from an accident that she can’t seem to remember which killed her boyfriend and two friends, she and her family move to Miami, Florida for a new start. But Mara, suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is haunted by her friends’ faces.

When people start dying after Mara imagines it, she’s positive she’s crazy and struggles to discern hallucinations from reality.

To complicate things more, Noah Shaw, the boy with a reputation, won’t leave Mara alone and she’s swept along in a current she can’t control. But when crazy gets dangerous, Mara discovers a shocking truth.

Judgement:

The story line (coming out of an accident / coma and life being different forever) seems to be becoming pretty main-stream and common – but to say that this book is ordinary would be a lie.

First, I loved this book because not only was it addictive, but it kept me grinning the whole way through – and I’m not just saying that, I seriously had a grin plastered on my face for almost every page.

It’s witty, sarcastic, teasing, even embarrassing… Everything to spark interest and keep you page-turning. I wish I could say this book was a comedy for how much I laughed, but it really isn’t in any way – which doesn’t even make much sense. Point is, I was hooked and found myself up late as well as pulling it out at school.

I have to say, it has quite a twist towards the end and just the last few chapters of the book completely changes the story line. It sort of threw me and that made me a little irritated, but didn’t make it any less enjoyable.

There are a lot of questions to be asked throughout this novel: who was that? Was that real? What does it mean? What’s going to happen next? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? All of which are answered in due time – well, almost all.

The ending leaves it open for a sequel, though it doesn’t actually hint at one (if that even makes sense?) so there could be another, but I can’t see the storyline for it.

I found this quite an enjoyable read, and I applaud the author as this is her debut novel.

Persistence of Memory, by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Title: Persistence of Memory

Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Target Audience: Young Adult

Pages: 356

Rating: 6.7/10

Genre: Adventure

Person: Third

Tense: Past

Blurb (quoted):

(None)

Summary:

Erin Misrahe isn’t your average sixteen year-old high school student. Having spent most of her life checking in and out of mental institutions, she is in constant fear that her violent alter-ego, Shevaun, will pay her body a visit after almost two years of being symptom-free.

But as it turns out, Erin isn’t the only one with a wacky story – she soon discovers that not only is her new best friend Marissa, and best-friend-from-the-institution Sassy, are shapeshifters – and that maybe Shevaun doesn’t exist only inside her schizophrenic mind, but is actually a vampire who is none too happy to have a human attached to her mind.

Now her life is more of a mess than ever and Erin finds she doesn’t know who to trust – only that whoever she believes, it shouldn’t be herself.

Join Erin in a topsy turvey word of secrets and lies that is no place for a girl who doesn’t know what’s real from what’s not.

Judgement:

The first thing I have to say about this book, is that this was the second or third time I’ve read it – I say this because, I think it just goes to show how good it is, to have me coming back over and over.

Secondly, I think it’s very original – and I know I’ve been saying that in a lot of reviews, but I’ve honestly never read or heard of anything remotely similar to this one.

It’s multi-POV, which means it has parts written from the point of view of a range of characters; I thought this was effective for the plot because it meant the reader was able to have a lot more information that some of the characters, which meant I wasn’t in the dark about half the things that were going on and I had most of the puzzle pieces.

It has interesting ideas, like different clans for different types of shapeshifters, and it also has this sort of idea of… imprinting on the mind – and I know that I probably made no sense just now, but I have no idea how else to explain it without extreme spoilers.

I liked the characters in this novel; the main characters all had severely different personalities which made conflict as well as spiking interest. They were somewhat developed, though there were holes in a few of their personalities but the great thing is that with the writing style and the way it was done made it so you just didn’t need or even think about the extra information – you only had what was vital to the story, which I suppose can be both bad and good in different ways.

I do however think that it… average. The original ideas weren’t really enough to make it WOW and even though it did hold my attention and put me in the moment, it just doesn’t stand-above-the-rest, it doesn’t stick in your mind like a sore thumb, and it didn’t get my heart racing.

Even so, it was an entertaining read, and good to curl up with on the weekend.

I also found the length was just right; it didn’t drag on, and it’s good for those who like a long read or just a short one – it slips right in the middle.

Fracture, by Megan Miranda

Title: Fracture

Author: Megan Miranda

Target Audience: Young Adult

Pages: 264

Chapters: 20

Rating: 9/10

Genre: Romance / Drama

Person: First

Tense: Past

Blurb (quoted):

“A lot can happen in eleven minutes. Decker can run two miles easily in eleven minutes. I once wrote an English essay in ten. No lie. And God knows Carson Levine can talk a girl out of her clothes in half that time.

Eleven minutes might as well be an eternity underwater. It only takes three minutes without air for loss of consciousness. Permanent brain damage begins at four minutes. And then, when the oxygen runs out, full cardiac arrest occurs. Death is possible at five minutes. Probable at seven. Definite at ten.

Decker pulled me out at eleven.

By the time Delaney Maxwell was pulled from a Maine lake’s icy waters by her best friend, Decker Phillips, her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead.

But somehow Delaney survived – despite the brain scans that show irreparable damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be fine, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney now finds herself drawn to the dying, and when she meets Troy Varga, a boy who recently emerged from a coma with the same abilities, she is relieved to share this strange new existence. Unsure if her altered brain is predicting death or causing it, Delaney must figure out if their gift is a miracle, a freak of nature – or something else much more frightening.”

Summary:

Delaney Maxwell was under the ice for eleven minutes. She was dead… or at least, she should have been. But when she emerges from a week long coma with no signs of brain damage despite brain scans claiming she should be ‘damaged’, she returns to her same old life – only everything is different now.

Everyone she knows is treating her differently, including parents and best friend, but only she knows that something really is wrong with her. After being drawn to strangers and friends who had later died, Delaney is forced to ask some hard questions: is she sensing death, or causing it?

When she discovers Troy Varga, a boy who emerged from a coma with the same ability, she’s relieved to feel less alien – but is the mystery man with a temper really to be trusted? Delaney begins to wonder what kind of friend she’d made after countless suspicious occurrences.

But most troubling is Delaney’s best-friend-since-childhood, Decker Phillips, is suddenly showing interest in another girl and Delaney doesn’t have a clue why that bothers her so much.

Judgement:

I’m not sure if it was because I had a lot of time on my hands, or if I was addicted to this book, but I found myself picking it up repeatedly over two to three days until I turned the last page.

The story line and plot is one I haven’t actually come across before (which is rare, considering the amount of books out there), which was great for a fresh spin on things. The characters had individual personalities and habits, which is always a must-have for me – I don’t want to be reading about a group of clones!

At first I found the length a little intimidating – not because I don’t normally read large books, but because I wanted to finish it before school went back (two days later), but I honestly flew through it. Also, I like that it was a book you really want to pick up and read, but it’s not going to keep you up all night or distract you from other tasks.

I enjoyed the setting (I live somewhere without snow, so the book being set in a snowy-winter was great). It really draws you into the setting, putting a stream of images through your mind.

However, I have to say the first few chapters were… they weren’t bad, but it wasn’t and instant hook that had you page-turning. The writing style didn’t get on my nerves either, which does happen with some authors, so I was glad when I found I was able to settle down into it.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable read and I recommend (though not HIGHLY) it to others.

About the Author:

Megan Miranda was a scientist and high school teacher before writing Fracture, which came out of her fascination with scientific mysteries – especially those associated with the brain. Megan has a BS in biology from MIT and spent her post-college years either rocking a lab coat or reading books. She lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, where she volunteers as an MIT Educational Counsellor. Fracture is her first novel.

Our Fake Relationship, by Belle

Title: Our Fake Relationship

Author: Belle

Target Audience: Mature Teenagers

Chapters: 50

Genre: Romance

Person: First

Tense: Past

Opinion: 7/10

Link: http://www.booksie.com/xxbellexx

Blurb (quoted):

“Olivia and Zane are just normal teenagers with normal relationships. But they hate each other. When Olivia's boyfriend breaks up with her and Zane's girlfriend breaks up with him, what will happened when they both want revenage and they decide to get into a fake relationship to get their lovers back? But what if Zane and Olivia accidently fall in love in that time? This story is of two teenagers who hate each other and don't get along but things start to heat up between them and their past relationships won't matter, will they?”

My Summary:

Olivia had a good life: trustworthy best friend, amazing boyfriend, rich parents. But when she finds out the love of her life is dumping her for her best friend, Kendra, who he’s been cheating with, everything falls apart.

As if her life hadn’t just become enough of a struggle, Kendra’s now-ex-boyfriend is the biggest pain in the ass she’s ever known – but he wants his girlfriend back and Olivia wants her boyfriend back. That’s when the two enemies cook up a scheme to make their ex’s jealous enough to take them back: they’d have a fake relationship.

But when things start heating up for reasons other than anger, Olivia begins to question who her heart actually belongs to…

Judgment:

I found this book on the website Booksie and fell in love with it; Booksie is a site where aspiring authors can group together, post their work and read other people’s work.

Personally, I would have altered the way some of the scenes were written. I’m not saying I didn’t thoroughly enjoy reading this, because I honestly did, but it’s not the most polished piece of writing – but I whole-heartedly believe this could be a published novel.

It has everything from drama, to romance, to comedy – the number of laughs from this is heart-lightening, but it can just as easily bring tears. The story line goes up and down with twists and turns, just like a REAL romance does. There is at least one scene that requires a mature mind, so don’t say I haven’t given fair warning.

The fact that the two main characters are practically bipolar opposites gives it a spark and I love how the storyline is all nicely linked together – everything is explained well. The characters have depth and strong personalities, which only makes the clashing more enjoyable.

It’s unlike any romance I’ve read before in that it doesn’t have the typical dates and events, but rather ends up so far outside the square you’d never have guessed!

I think it’s one of those pieces I could read again and again, and is well worth your time – if you can stand cheesy lines and gooey scenes.

Hmmm, and she maybe uses a few too many rhetorical questions in the blurb, but I adore the name – the title was what originally caught my attention.

This book is published online at Booksie and I had permission to review her work. You can read it at this web address: http://www.booksie.com/romance/novel/xxbellexx/our-fake-relationship

Let Me In

Title: Let Me In

Genre: Thriller

Rating: R16

Opinion: 7/10

Running Time: 116 minutes

Directed by: Matt Reeves

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Richard Jenkins

Blurb (quoted): “From the director of Cloverfield comes Let Me In, a darkly haunting and provocative thriller. Abbey (Chloe Moretz – Kick Ass) is a mysterious 12 year old who moves next door to Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Road), a social outcast who is viciously bullied at school. In his loneliness, Owen forms a profound bond with his new neighbour but he can’t help noticing that Abbey is like no one he has met before. As a string of grisly murders grips his wintry New Mexico town, Owen has to confront the reality that this seemingly innocent girl is hiding a dark secret.”

Quotes: “The best American horror film in the last 20 years” – Stephen King. “A macabre love story… sinks its teeth into you and doesn’t let go” – Nick Dent

My Summary: Owen, a bullied 12 year old boy, has no friends – that is, until Abbey, a similarly lonely and oddly mysterious girl of the same age, moves in next door. Soon after her arrival in town, bodies begin to turn up.

Despite Abbey’s warning that they can’t be friends, Owen pursues a friendship with Abbey and ends up falling in love with her. But once the police start knocking on her door, Abbey knows she must leave town; that she must leave Owen.

But the story doesn’t end there. In a final plan of revenge, Owen is half drowned by four bullies, but thanks to a visit from a certain friend, Owen ends up with a new plan for his future.

Opinion: A great late night movie for those who are looking for a thrill but not a scream.

Review: Having previously read the book ‘Let the Right One In’, I was interested in this movie from the moment I realised it was based on the book, and it sure didn’t disappoint.

Unlike most movie versions of a novel, Let Me In was delightfully similar to the book, not skipping chunks of the novel that are some of the best parts. I could relate just about everything back to the book, and that might just be my favourite thing about the movie.

To be honest, despite the unrealistically fake blood, the special effects in this movie were really awesome and the movie was well-cast, and definitely well planned out.

Thankfully, the movie follows the line of traditional vampires, with nothing appealing or sexy about them – if that’s how you like your vamps, nice and gory and original then this is a movie for you!

The romance thread was quite interesting as well, considering all the events in the movie. If I’m being totally honest, I think the main character, Owen, is… messed up in the head to say the least. It’s actually a slightly twisted story, but definitely enjoyable.

Die for Me, by Amy Plum

Title: Die For Me

Author: Amy Plum

Target Audience: Young Adult

Pages: 341

Chapters: 40

Judgement: 9/10

Genre: Romance / Fantasy

Person: first

Tense: past

Blurb (quoted): “My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister Georgia and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with our grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies… immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all his kind.

While I’m fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart – as well as my life and my family’s – in jeopardy for a chance at love?”

Summary:

Kate’s parents have just died in a car accident and now she’s struggling to live something that passes for ‘having a life’ in Paris with her sister Georgia and her grandparents. Everything is as you would expect: depressive, at least until a mysterious stranger steps into her life.

Vincent is not what he seems – in fact, he has a dark secret that no one is allowed to know. Of course, this doesn’t stop him from pursuing Kate as a romantic interest, and who can resist a dark, sexy, mystery man?

But when Kate finds that Vincent is in fact not human, it’s an internal emotional struggle on what to do – not to mention she’s still scared to love and lose. Add to the equation mortal danger – or rather, immortal danger, and this Kate’s life becomes a roller coaster.

Could love possibly beat the odds?

Judgement:  First of all, I have to say that I don’t think the blurb on the book portrays the book very well, because I was not expecting what I found printed on the pages. Never the less, that didn’t stop me loving this book! Yes, it’s another great read I’ve managed to find. Not a bad length either.

On the other hand, it was a bit cheesy and… unlikely? For example, Kate tends to go “Oh, Vincent!” a lot, and it sort of got on my nerves. But hey, if you’re into cheesy romance, this is for you! Also quite sappy, and not a book for anyone opposed to swooning teenagers.

It was well written and the ideas were well conveyed. The imagery is amazing, half the time after reading it I wondered if it was book or movie!

A range of personalities, from the stubborn party-girl Georgia, to the stern and strict ‘Jean-Baptiste’ (J.B.); the book is highly believable.

I recommend for swooning romantics!

Oh, and another note: I love the cover of this book! I didn’t even read the blurb after plucking it off the shelf, I was sold instantly just by the cover and I was not disappointed.

Sahara

Title: Sahara (Based on the novel by Clive Cussler)

Genre: Adventure

Rating: M

Opinion: 6/10

Running Time: 119 minutes

Directed by: Breck Eisner

Starring: Steve Zahn, Matthew McConaughey, Penelope Cruz

Blurb (quoted): “'There is a legend of a treasure that claims all who seek it…'

Scouring the ocean depths for treasure-laden shipwrecks is business as usual for a thrill-seeking underwater adventurer (Matthew McConaughey), and his wisecracking buddy (Steve Zahn). But when these two cross paths with a beautiful doctor (Penelope Cruz), they find themselves on the ultimate treasure hunt. Soon the three are in for the ride of their lives as they cross the blistering North African terrain, pitting their skills against ruthless enemies bent on world destruction.

In a race against time, this trio of unlikely heros must unravel the clues, solve the mystery and save the world in ‘… a delirious escape into adventure-serial heaven’ the whole family can enjoy.”

Quotes: Superb entertainment, thrilling!” – Daily Mirror. “Cracking adventure!” – Daily Star.

My Summary: Dirk Pitt’s everyday life is treasure hunting, so when he convinces the Admiral to let him borrow a yacht to go in search of the ultimate lost treasure in North Africa (a supposedly rare coin to be found on an ancient ship), he isn’t expecting a whole lot of guns, shooting, kidnapping, and law-breaking to happen – but that’s exactly what he and his mate Al get. Along the way, Dirk and Al meet the beautiful Eva Rojas, a doctor investigating a ‘plague’, and soon all three of them are in it together to stop a mad man from poisoning the entire ocean.

Opinion: An exciting film, worthy of its category, Sahara will keep your eyes glued to the screen.  Well filmed, though with some unbelievable stunts, it’s an almost-realistic movie that’s fun to sit and watch with the family.

Review: Well, I must first point out right here and now, that I had very little idea what exactly the film was about due to the altogether cruddy blurb on the case. It doesn’t really tell you anything at all about the movie, which really got on my nerves. Watching it anyway, I found myself drawn into the film – so much that I got in trouble for not realising someone was talking to me! There’s a mountain of drama, action, and adventure packed into this film, definitely one to watch if you‘ve seen and liked National Treasure or Fool’s Gold.

Despite a few confusing moments, I found the film highly enjoyable, worth watching again, and humorous at times. All in all, a good movie.

Sabriel, by Garth Nix

Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
Target Audience: Young Adult
Pages: 496
Opinion: 10/10
Genre: Fantasy
Type: Fiction
Number: First in the series
Series: 1-Sabriel, 2-Lirael, 3-Abhorsen
Person: Second
Tense: Past



Blurb (quoted): "Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Abhorsen, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, Sabriel travels deep into the Old Kingdom. There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life and comes face to face with her own hidden destiny."
Summary: Sabriel is only a teenage girl, but her heritage and untimely events force the girl to travel ‘across the wall’ from Ancelstiere into The Old Kingdom, a world of magical creatures and ‘the charter’, which makes up all that is. Sabriel is the daughter of the Abhorsen, and upon her father’s disappearance must take his place. The abhosren is a necromancer (someone who may walk in death and return to life at will) who uses the charter (magic) to keep The Old Kingdom safe from evil creatures.

Sabriel finds her father’s house and his talking cat: Mogget, a forced-servant of all abhorsen’s, who helps her to try find her missing father. Along the way, Sabriel comes to learn how to use her new bandolier of bells (magic bells to control the dead) and the danger her life is now in, for The Old Kindom is basically run by the dead! She also happens upon and saves the last remaining descendant of the royal blood line (therefore, the heir to the throne): Touchstone.

She soon finds herself facing a great evil: one of the greater dead, Kerrigor, who happens to be the enemy of Touchstone.

Sabriel, Mogget and Touchstone are forced to face an army of dead – with the help of her dead-but-temporarily-brought-back-to-life father.

“Does the walker choose the path, or does the path choose the walker?”

Judgement:  Well-written and enticing, Sabriel is a great read for all fantasy lovers. Definitely one of my favourite books now, it kept me glued the whole way through and left me desperate for the next book in the series.

The only thing I can complain about is that it has so much detail and factors that it’s incredibly hard to sum up and I don’t like the summary I’ve written. Despite this, the book is incredibly easy to read, remember, and follow – except – for me at least – when it comes to the seven names and uses of ‘the bells’, which I found hard to remember. And I’m very grateful for the map in the front of the books; it is the first novel with a map where I’ve actually used it and found it interesting to follow the characters journey.

It’s a truly magical book that, despite the danger, makes any reader want to visit! The story seems almost real and the writing pulls you into the moment, and the real world around you just seems to fade away.

My favourite aspect would have to be how magic is restricted to The Old Kingdom, and ‘across the wall’, in Ancelstiere and further it is a normal, perfectly average world.

Some may think it’s quite a long book, but believe me, if it were any shorter then it just wouldn’t be as good; there is no way to shorten it and I wouldn’t want to! I wished it would go on and on.

Definitely a favourite book, and one I highly recommend!

Characters: deep, well developed characters are what make a story, and Sabriel sure has it! With a range of personalities, conflicts, dramas, and friendships, it’s a great story. There weren’t too many characters, there weren’t too many details; they were well described and definitely evolved through the story, though perhaps it could have used another character continuously present to antagonize?

Effect: If you want to be emotionless and not get attached, this isn’t for you. The characters seem to become your friends and the storyline lifts and crushes your heart with the ups and downs of the storyline – it’s impossible to remain indifferent.

NOTE: Sabriel MAY be coming soon in movie form!

A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove, by James Moloney

Title: A bridge to Wiseman's Cove
Author: James Moloney
Type: Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Opinion: 7 / 10
Blurb:
Carl was afraid to breathe. The weight of the bird and it's predatory gaze was enough to freeze him here forever.
'Now Carl set it free.'

Carl Matt hasn't got much. There's just his younger brother Harley and the old red barge to Wiseman's Cove. And nothing's going to take those away from him.

He's an awkward, limp fifteen year old.
Not the Hero type. Yet Carl has become one of the most memorable characters in Australian literature.

Response: This is a really sad novel. I found it... well, enjoyable isn't the right word considering the morbid theme, but it is definitly a good book and a great read.
I normally wouldn't have read this book, because I prefer dark, mysterious, romance... But I'm glad I did - I can thank my english teacher for that (thanks Mrs Valentine!). It takes a lot for a book to keep me interested, but I was surprised to find that I struggled to put the book down.
The book has a sad theme all the way through, with emotion and everything to make you cry. I didn't like the ending, because it was probably the sadest part of all but it was a good ending.