Friday 22 June 2018

Planting Gardens in Graves II by r.h. Sin; Book Review

Planting Gardens in Graves II by r.h. Sin
Publication date: July 10th 2018
Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Genres: Poetry

r.h. Sin continues his bestselling series with Planting Gardens in Graves II, another powerful collection of poetry that hones in on the themes dearest to his readers. This series celebrates connection, mourns heartbreak, and above all, empowers its readers to seek the love they deserve.








My Thoughts
I went into this book hoping to be both moved and empowered by this book due to the hype there is around r. h. Sin’s work but unfortunately this book wasn’t my cup of tea.

This book is marketed as empowering but personally I think r. h. Sin didn’t quite get this across. It’s very hard to promote a feminist message and be a man. Male feminists are crucial if we want to change anything but I believe r. h. Sin may still need a bit more education. For the most part I think he only got his tone wrong however multiple times throughout the book he talks about how dating this one woman who lowering his standards and it is never acceptable to talk about someone like that.

r. h. Sin has an very beautiful writing style that would blow me away if I was reading a novel of his but in the style of poetry that he writes I felt the single sentence poems fell a bit flat.

In conclusion, I wouldn’t pick up another poetry collection by him though it may just be that I unfortunately picked up one of his weaker books. Hopefully r. h. Sin will continue on his journey with feminism and maybe his future works will reflect this but this poetry collection is not one to pick up if you want to feel empowered. If you are looking for a poetry book to empower you I would recommend The Witch Doesn’t Burn In This One by Amanda Lovelace, which is also published by Andrews McMeel Publishing and was published in March of this year. Disappointingly I’m going to give this book 1 star.

*This book was given to me for free by netgalley in return for an honest review, therefore this doesn't effect my opinion*

Friday 15 June 2018

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danford

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danford
Publication date: 3 August 2017
Published by: Penguin
Genres: Contemporary, YA, Coming of Age, LGBT+

When Cameron Post's parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they'll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.

But that relief doesn't last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and Cam becomes an expert at both.

Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship, one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to "fix" her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self-even if she's not quite sure who that is.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.


My Thoughts
I want to give the book 5 stars so bad but I just can't justify it. I'm going to start by talking about the negatives of this book. The main one being this book would benefit from being shorter, it dragged quite a bit in the beginning and lots of the build up could have been shortened. also this book was told in 1st person which really worked for most of the book but some of the things Cammie thought were insensitive and ignorant with a one point a mildly transphobic comment being made. While I feel like this was added in to show she was a teen who didn't have all the answers, it was unnecessary and might offend some people who want to read this book.

However, I think this book was amazing. it really impacted me but trigger warning for self harm, suicide attempt (maybe), sexual assault is mentioned but never is any details given and death. This book was brilliant at showing a more sympathetic view on the people who run institution like Promise. You're given the impression these people truly want to help and are doing what they think is best even if they're help is misinformed. For the first time ever I had to put a book down because of how harrowing and intense one of the scenes was, yet this is the only scene which is a struggle to get through and it's key to the story

In conclusion, this book was brilliant. I think it will be great for anyone no matter what sexuality. It's very eye opening book and I'm so glad I read it.

Sunday 10 June 2018

Audiobooks

Hi guys,

Audiobooks are really popular right now, so when I saw Half Bad on audible for about £3 I decided to give it a try. While I enjoy the audiobook, I felt it took away from the enjoyment I got from the characters and the plot. I think if a book I want to read comes up for less than the average book then I will get it but I think I'd rather reading a physical copy than an audiobook.

However I recently started listening to Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and I'm loving it. I'm a big fan of podcast so listening to non-fiction books just feels like a podcast and I'm loving it. I think I could  even enjoy the non-fiction books or memoir more through audiobooks because it will hopefully make them less dry if they are at any point.

Overall, I still prefer reading a book than listening to it but if I can get a book I've really been wanting to read cheaper through audiobook then I will do that. I'd love to hear your thoughts on way you do or don't love audiobooks.

Friday 8 June 2018

I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip by Alicia Cook: Book Review

I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip by Alicia Cook
Publication date: 5 June 2018
Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Genres: Poetry

Bestselling writer and activist Alicia Cook returns with I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip, a collection of poetry, prose, and song. The follow-up to Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately contains anthem-like poems about relationships, mental health, current social issues, and learning from loss, with the promise that recovery is possible.

The reader's experience with this unique collection is lifted from the page as Cook has collaborated with a number of up and coming musicians to transform some of her poetry into song. Like her debut book, this one is divided into two parts. Modeled after a vinyl record this time, the collection is separated into the EP record, holding Cook's shorter poetry, and the LP record, holding Cook's longer poetry, prose, and songwriting. Together, they form an inspiring collection for all those recovering from something.


My Thoughts
I have recently been neglecting my blog due to exams so I decided to write a couple of reviews to make sure I have a post for every week of the exam period. given reviews are my favourite posts to write I have a few lined up.

I've been wanting to read her other book for a while so when I saw this on netgalley I knew I wanted to read it and I think this is the best poetry book I've read this year. I was crying at some of them and while this book wasn't life changing, I definitely want to buy the finished copy of this. 

I liked how this book was semi-interactive with links to all the songs she included though personally I wasn't a fan of the songs as many of them were duets and this leads to confusion while reading them

In conclusion, this was a amazing poetry collection which will really speak to people and is a very safe choice if you want to buy someone a present. I'm going to give this 4 stars.

*This book was given to me for free by netgalley in return for an honest review, therefore this doesn't effect my opinion*

Friday 1 June 2018

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green: Book Review

The Smoke Thieves (The Smoke Thieves #1) by Sally Green
Publication date: 1 May 2018
Published by: Penguin
Genres: Fantasy, YA

A princess, a traitor, a hunter and a thief. Four teenagers with the fate of the world in their hands. Four nations destined for conflict.

In Brigant, Princess Catherine prepares for a loveless political marriage arranged by her brutal and ambitious father. In Calidor, downtrodden servant March seeks revenge on the prince who betrayed his people. In Pitoria, feckless Edyon steals cheap baubles for cheaper thrills as he drifts from town to town. And in the barren northern territories, thirteen-year-old Tash is running for her life as she plays bait for the gruff demon hunter Gravell.

As alliances shift and shatter, and old certainties are overturned, our four heroes find their past lives transformed and their futures inextricably linked by the unpredictable tides of magic and war. Who will rise and who will fall? And who will claim the ultimate prize?


My Thoughts
For those of you who don't know the Half Bad series by Sally Green is my favourite series and I was so excited for this book. I think part of the problem was that I had expected to love it as much as 'Half Bad' and that is a cruel unrealistic expectation. You shouldn't go into a book expecting it to be as good as your favourite. 

Anyway, I thought the pacing for this book was a bit unusual because you have lots and lots of perspective and you constantly go from one to the other and it could be really tense in one view then super slow in the other. I was also  way more invested in some points of view than others at times I even skip over chapters to read what happens next in a specific characters storyline, though I feel this issue will not occur in the next book.

I think that Sally Green's main talent is her characters and each one was brilliant. I never once got confused as to who was talking which is so impressive given that there were around 5 points of view. Also the slow burn romance or at least what I'm assuming will turn into a romance. There are a few which could potentially happen and I'm here for each of them, though one more than others.

In conclusion, it wasn't as good as her first series but it was only the first book and it's my favourite series of all time so it would have to have been so impressive to match or beat that. I will definitely read on in the series and I'm going to give the book 4 stars. You should definitely go read it.