So recently I discovered this new iPhone app, GottaFlo, which I think is set to become one of the biggest photo sharing apps available from the app store. You might be thinking that you've tried apps that are similar to this before but, trust me, GottaFlo is going to be different. Never has it been easier to find the content that you're looking for and find likeminded people. On GottaFlo's explore page, the most popular tags have already been laid out for you and you're just one touch away from all your favourite content. From #food to #fashion to #beauty to #ask to #selfie to #diy, it's got all your favourite searches ready at your fingertips. My favourite tab is probably the 'Latest' tab, because you can discover the randomest things that you probably would not have found otherwise.

Confessions of a Chelsea Boy by Spencer Matthews. 

Title: Confessions of a Chelsea Boy
Author: Spencer Matthews
Genre: Autobiography
Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson
Publication Date: 26th September 2013
Synopsis: Charming, funny, a good friend, a less than perfect boyfriend, Spencer Matthews is one of the most talked-about stars of E4's Made in Chelsea. But what lies behind his sometimes controversial behaviour? In Chelsea Boy, his honest and revealing autobiography, Spencer opens up about life before the cameras,including growing up on the beautiful island of St Barths where his parents own the exclusive Eden Rock hotel. He also writes movingly about the devastating loss of his brother on Everest, and the close family ties that ground him. Spencer describes his antics at Eton, where the masters declared they'd never met a boy like him before (this was not entirely a compliment), and introduces us to his friends Proudlock, Jamie, Hugo and Caggie. He takes us from his first kiss to his many romantic adventures (and misadventures) and describes the four loves of his life so far and why things didn't work out. From St Barths to St Tropez, from London to New York, Spencer also gives us glimpses into his world as he gambles with Hollywood stars, runs away from an enraged Middle-Eastern despot, and narrowly avoids death in a powerboat crash. Sensational, entertaining, full of laughter, this is the real Spenny as you've never seen him before.

{ Review }


Confessions of a Chelsea Boy is the autobiography of Made in Chelsea star, Spencer Matthews. As one of the most popular characters on the show, he is always at the centre of the drama, usually involving girls, and he is particularly known for cheating on his girlfriends. Whether or not you love or hate Spenny, watchers of MIC cannot deny that the show wouldn't be the same without him, and this book gives you a brief glimpse into his life up til now.

This book is written in chronological order and documents the key moments in Spencer's life from his birth until 2013. It documents what it was like moving from England to France to St Barths and then finally back to England with the creation of the famous Eden Rock hotel, owned by his father, on the Caribbean island, St Barthelemy, along the way. It includes anecdotes from his Eton days in terms of education and social life as well as his brief time at USC in America where he studied for a bachelor of arts degree in cinema and television. Of course, it includes lots of details about the parties he's thrown, the parties he's been invited to and the parties he's promoted, as well as how Made in Chelsea came into being. He talks about pretty much every relationship that he's ever been in right from his first kiss, to his relationship with Stephanie Pratt (yep, it's that up to date) including things about him and Funda, Louise and Lucy, fellow MIC stars. The one thing that I wish this book included more of, is his relationship with his MIC 'boys', Jamie, Proudlock and even Hugo. They are, of course, mentioned numerous times, but not as much as I would like.

One of the most common questions when it comes to reality TV shows, such as Made in Chelsea, is: is it real? Spencer's autobiography gives you a good look at what his life has been like both before and after the creation of Made in Chelsea and it allows you to understand his playboy character a lot better. According to Spencer, the action on the show is real, but I believe he once said in an interview that he 'plays to his dark side'. Having read Confessions of a Chelsea Boy, I feel that the Spencer on and off screen are pretty similar, but perhaps the MIC Spencer is slightly exaggerated. But what about those awkward silences, you ask? Well of course there are awkward silences, no one wants to air their dirty laundry out in public! At least not at first...

What's good about this book is that Spencer doesn't preach about what he has learnt in life, instead he tells you straight up what happened and how it affected him. He's had a hell of a lot of life experiences considering how young he is, a lot of them involving him making some not-so-clever decisions, but I admire that Spencer takes full credit for his own actions. The other good thing is that he doesn't try to glamorise his life. He doesn't really encourage the life that he leads, acknowledging that it's not for everyone and it's certainly not normal, but nor does he discourage it. Spencer's writing is really informal and it feels like you're just having a chat as he tells you his life story. Some details are really quite personal which makes you feel like you're getting a bit closer to the real Spencer Matthews as who he is behind the mask of reality television.

So, if you're a fan of Made in Chelsea and you want to know things like how Spencer met Caggie, Hugo, Jamie, Proudlock and the rest of the MIC cast as well as lots of amusing (well, some not so amusing), anecdotes about his youth and what made him the man he is today - then this is the book for you. I'd highly recommend this to fans of MIC and Spencer Matthews because this book is full of interesting and surprising things about his life that I never knew and that you can't find out by stalking him on the internet. He has actually led a far more interesting life that you would imagine and if you want a concise and fascinating insight into his life then this book is what you need. If you don't watch Made in Chelsea you'll probably have very little interest in this book, in which case, the first thing you need to do, is start watching MIC - because, trust me, it's good. The second the you need to do, is buy this book - because, trust me, it's good.

Made in Chelsea returns to our television screens on Monday the 14th Oct 2013 - don't miss it.

Inception.


I cannot believe it has taken me this long to get round to watching Inception I finally succumbed to the hype and can confirm that it was 100% deserved. Inception is a cleverly crafted film that will blow you away with its star studded (and very talented) cast, stunning CGI and mind boggling plot.


A whole host of famous actors star in Inception from Leonardo do Caprio to Tom Hardy to Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Ellen Page. I don't think I can fault a single move or sound that came from these actors who all gave flawless performances. I cannot pinpoint which character or actor stood out the most to me because they were all equally brilliant. Leonardo di Caprio is probably the actor who got to show the greatest spread of emotion and showcase different sides to his acting as his character is involved in a love story. This story permeates throughout the entire film, though rather strangely, few other characters are involved in it at all. This addition to the story just gave the film a little extra something and added an emotional level to this cool-as-a-cucumber film.


I do not think I have ever seen a film with such stunning CGI effects. Hats off to whoever was in control of the effects because they were truly brilliant and breathtaking at times. Inception deals with dreams within dreams (sometimes dreams within dreams within dreams!), in which the subconscious is allowed to create whatever world it desires and the cities created in this film were simply amazing whether it be a modern Western city, a Japanese city or even a ski slope. If only it were possible to fold a city in half with roads replacing the sky. It was not only the CGI used to create the scenery that was impressive, but also the effects used during the action sequences. There were plenty of fights during this movie, most, but not all, involving gunfire and the fluidity of the on screen action was astounding. This is not ordinary action though, in one case there was even a fight when the gravity had been switched off and ceiling became floor and vice versa multiple times. It was just so ... cool! James Bond has nothing on these guys.


Alongside the brilliant CGI effects there was really great cinematography. Now I don't really know anything about filming or the technical side of film-making but it's impossible not to notice the fluidity between shots and the capturing of perfect angles. There's also a really great soundtrack which just gives this film that extra umpf and makes everything more dramatic and tense. This film will not only play with your mind, but also your senses as you're assaulting by an array of brilliant sights and sounds.


All in all, Inception is undoubtedly one of the best films of the decade and I don't think I can fault it in anyway. I rarely give 5 star ratings, but Inception truly deserves it. This is a must see film for everyone that will keep you entertained for every second.

What did you think of this film? Let me know in the comments below!

GIVEAWAY TIME!


Soo I'm off to University next weekend and I'm not sure how much posting/reading/watching I'll be able to do in the first term as I try to settle down and get used to everything. As mini sorry-in-advance, I'm holding a little giveaway for all you lovely people! Win a book of your choice worth up to £8 or $12 from TBD! It can be ANY book you like - woohoo! Anyone else heading to Uni this year? Most people have already left but my uni starts later than most (double woohoo).

Enter via Rafflecopter below :)


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United We Spy (Gallagher Girls #6) by Ally Carter.

Title: United We Spy
Author: Ally Carter
Genre: Young Adult, Spy
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: 5th September 2013
Goodreads Summary: Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

{ Review }

NB. This review may contain spoilers for those that have not read the previous five books in this series. You can find my reviews of those books here:

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You
Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
Only the Good Spy Young
Out of Sight Out of Time

It's finally here. The finale to the Gallagher Girls series and I'm very sad to see it go. Each book in this series has been better than the last so I expected big things from United We Spy and Ally Carter did not disappoint. To briefly summarise what has happened in this series already: Cammie Morgan and her friends attend Gallagher Academy, an elite school for teenage, female spies. They are the best of the best, the creme de la creme, and despite the fact that they're 'just children', they've managed to outsmart Interpol, the CIA, the FBI etc. countless times during their story. Cammie, this story's protagonist, finds out that the Circle of Cavan, an ancient terrorist organisation is after her because when she was a young girl, her father (who was also a spy), gave her a list of all the names of the leaders of the 'inner circle' of this organisation to keep safe. Being so young at the time, Cammie has absolutely no recollection of this list or the names on it but this doesn't stop the Circle. Cammie decides to leave Gallagher Acamedy to protect her friends and family but she gets caught by Catherine, the psychotic mother of her boyfriend, Zach, who tortures her for an entire summer trying to get the names on that list out of Cammie so that she herself can hunt down the members of the circle and kill them. Catherine is unsuccessful and Cammie manages to escape from her grasp; however, by the time she is rescued and brought back to Gallagher Academy, she has forgotten everything that happened to her that summer. As Cammie and her friends try to retrace her steps that summer, things become clearer and clearer and then it becomes a race to beat Catherine to the secret hiding place where the list really is. Unfortunately, they don't arrive in time and Catherine manages to get hold of the list. The only good thing about this is that The Circle no longer want Cammie dead and she's not technically a threat to them anymore. This is when book six begins. Cammie returns for her final semester at Gallagher Academy but things still aren't right with the world. The Circle is planning something. Something big. As the Circle have moles everywhere, Cammie doesn't trust the CIA, the FBI or Interpol to do their job and track down the circle members so she and her friends go on the run and try to figure out what the Circle is planning and how to stop them. The stakes are much higher on this mission, not just for themselves, but for the rest of the world.

United We Spy got off to a bit of a slow start, but once it did get going, man, it was explosive. The plot for this book was really interesting and everything in it was somehow connected to something that we'd found out in the previous books which was fascinating. I didn't think that the mission itself that the girls went on was as good as it could've been but the thought and planning behind it and different plot strands that fed into was really interesting. It's almost impossible to tell what's going to happen next in this novel and there were several plot twists along the way.

The great thing about the Gallagher Girl books is that even though it's a book about teenagers, for teenagers, the characters don't seem like teenagers so you never question the fact that they're teenage spies who are much smarter than the average adult. This book doesn't feature so many gadgets or fancy technology which was great because it meant that so much more of this book was about really clever thinking which is much more interesting to read about.

The great thing about this book is that pretty much every character that we've met in the previous books is included in this novel and is somehow part of the plot. Although some characters play much bigger roles than others, no one is forgotten and it was nice just to see a name that hadn't perhaps cropped up in a while. What makes me feel kinda sad is how much Cammie has changed over the course of this series. She has been dragged through hell and back but that same fire is still raging inside of her. I love Cammie because she's still a very real character. She still gets scared, I mean, who wouldn't be if the most powerful terrorist organisation was after you, but she is brave and self-sacrificing; she's the best friend you'd want to have in real life.

Of course, there was some Zach and Cammie action which brought a smile to my face. The good thing about the romance in this series is that it talked about so much that it overpowers the main plot. This story gets darker and more serious with each book but little snippets of Zach and Cammie's romance stops the book from becoming too heavy. I was glad that there was still an element of humour in this novel as well, something that we'd seen less and less of as the series went on but the flashes of romance and humour helps to keep this book grounded in the YA category and stops it from becoming a complete action/thriller/spy novel.

My one criticism of this book would be that I felt like occasionally the plot would jump forwards in time, be it ten minutes, an hour, or a day, without little indication that it had done so meaning that my brain had to a bit more work than usual in order to fill in the gaps. This was a little confusing at times, though, I would prefer this, than having to read lots of useless waffle.

If you're a fan of the Gallagher Girls series then you need to get your hands on this book. This is a brilliant finale to a brilliant series with each and every lose end tied up leaving you completely satisfied, a feeling I rarely get at the end of a series. This book doesn't really wind down in any way (that's not the Gallagher way), it's fast paced right until the end and I guarantee you'll be flipping pages like crazy.



P.S. It's giveaway time again!!! Since I'm heading off to University soon and I'm guessing I won't be able to blog as much during the first term, I'm holding a giveaway as a mini sorry-in-advance. Win a book of your choice worth up to £8/$12 from TBD as long as they ship to your country. Enter via Rafflecopter below! a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Waiting on Wednesday #22. 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a paperback copy of Earth Star by Janet Edwards! See review HERE. 

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The 100 by Kass Morgan.

Title: The 100
Author: Kass Morgan
Genre: Young Adult, Post-apocalyptic, Sci-fi
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication Date: 29th August 2013
Goodreads Summary: In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.


{ Review }

This story is told from the alternating perspective of four teenagers: Clarke, Wells, Bellamy and Glass. Clarke and Glass are both delinquents and so are automatically part of the group to be sent to Earth. Wells, the son of the Chancellor, is in love with Clarke and upon hearing that she will be sent to Earth, he deliberately commits a crime giving him the status of 'delinquent' as well. Bellamy on the other hand, isn't a deliquent, but his sister is. Determined to protect her, he manages to jump into the pod leaving for Earth just moments before it departs. Taking advantage of the commotion caused by Bellamy, Glass manages to escape from the pod and remains on the spaceship.

I usually hate stories that have too many alternating perspectives because there usually isn't enough depth or connection between characters but because these four stories are subtly intertwined, the story rolls seamlessly on through all four perspectives. I have to say I didn't like all of the characters in this novel but I loved reading about each and every one of them. Each character has a different personality and as you learn more and more about their pasts and what shaped them, you understand each character's decisions. There's no sort of introduction to any of the characters or the history of Earth, the reader is thrown in at the deep end and you've just gotta learn to swim. In just about every chapter there's a flashback to some past moment that helps to explain the present and although this means quite a lot of jumping back and forth, both the past and the present are woven together seamlessly so that this is barely noticeable.

I can see why The CW has created a TV adaption based on this book because there are just so many things that you could do with this story. This is not just a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi novel, but also a story of romance, friendship, family, action and humanity. This book held my attention for its entirety but for the most part I was thinking 'this is book is good, but not great'. Then, I got to the closing few chapters where I met plot twist after plot twist and it turns out that each and every character has a secret and the stories of all four characters are intrinsically linked. There are a few clues along the way which hint at the ending but there's no way that you could predict how all these little snippets and these four stories come together. There is also an even bigger plot twist which doesn't relate directly to the four characters but it has consequences for the entire human race and it changes pretty much everything about this mission to Earth and I simply cannot wait to see what happens next!

This novel is perhaps a little slow at getting started, but when it does, it is brilliant. It is the ending of this book that you will really remember as it is fast-paced and there are new plot twists being thrown at you left, right and centre. This was a great introductory novel that has paved the way for a brilliant new series with interesting characters, plot and setting. This is also quite a short read, but so much has been packed into this novel. I would highly recommend reading this book prior to watching the television series (due to air late 2013) because I don't think its plotline will stick to that of the book very well. All in all, I highly recommend this book!!

Bracco's waist trimmer.

Looking for a way to trim your waist without ANY extra effort? Then look no further!



I've always thought that products like this waist trimmer were just a way of conning people desperate for a better body out of their money, but having tried Bracco's waist trimmer and seeing the benefits, I have changed my mind. This waist trimmer is designed to give you a 'slimmer image' by making you sweat any excess water from your abdominal area. The tight neoprene material keeps in your body heat and insulates the area that it covers thereby making you sweat in just those areas.

The belt is about a metre long and the whole thing fit around me one and a half times (I'm around a size 10/12). You use velcro to secure the belt so you can make it tighter/looser and make yourself really comfortable. This also means that this belt is suitable for people of all shapes and sizes. The velcro is really strong so there's no risk of the belt coming undone or becoming looser when you're wearing it. The neoprene material reminds me of the material that yoga mats are made from but much thinner and more flexible.

It fits very snugly around your middle area and within a few minutes of wearing it you will start to feel noticeably warmer around your waist. As neoprene is a form of rubber I expected it to feel cold on my skin for a while, but it immediately started to absorb my body's warmth and insulate my stomach area. When I first received the belt I wore it under my clothes just as I was going about my day to day business at home and although I wasn't doing that much moving around, there was a fine layer of sweat underneath the belt when I removed it.

I wore this belt under my clothes when I went to an hour long zumba class which is where I really saw what this belt can do. As I was wearing this belt around my waist there was a little strip of skin between the belt and the top of my trousers that wasn't covered by any sort of sweat-absorbing sports gear and you could tell. There was a strip around the bottom of my tshirt that was completely drenched in sweat by the end of my class (disgusting, I know). The outside of the trimmer was completely dry as the sweat cannot permeate the neoprene material but when I took it off and saw the inside I was really shocked. My stomach area that was under the waist trimmer was covered in little beads of sweat, as was the belt and since I'm not a very sweaty person usually I can confirm that this was all the belt's work. Despite this, I still wasn't convinced that this would 'trim' my waist, but I woke up the following morning and waist was noticeably thinner. Given that I had eaten a pretty large amount of food the previous evening I was seriously impressed with this belt.

All in all, I would highly recommend this waist trimmer for anyone who's looking for a more streamlined middle without any effort and little cost. You can wear this belt whilst doing any form of exercise, be it yoga, sit ups, zumba, running and you barely notice that you're wearing it. The material is very flexible and will bend and stretch with your body without getting any looser so you don't have to worry about it falling off mid-exercising or anything embarrassing like that. However, I wouldn't particularly recommend wearing the waist trimmer under tight clothing, unless you like looking a bit square. I was amazed that this belt works even when you're just sitting around and not actually exercising, but it really does. I think I will wear this belt all the time when I'm at home and when I go to the gym - this is my new sporting must-have!

Find this belt on Amazon HERE.


Bracco's knee support.



Being a very active person, my knees occasionally give me a bit of trouble, especially if I do a lot of running. I've never really bothered with any sort of support because I've always assumed that they'll be useless and won't actually be able to support my knee. Knees are very complicated and it's quite hard to figure where exactly the problem is with them, hence, finding a solution or suitable support is very difficult, but the Bracco knee support actually seems to do the job.

This knee support is great because it doesn't hinder your running in any way which was one of my top concerns. It fits snugly just underneath your knee cap and it's the thick layer of padding around the front that supports your knee. The velcro sticks to the blue outer material so you can adjust the support to make it as tight/loose as you want making this perfect for people of any size. The velcro did not come off or become any looser during my run, nor did the support slip down my leg and it was stuck firmly in place for the duration of my exercise. The support is made from a water absorbent material so it works just the same, rain or shine (or if you have sweaty kneees?).

I've gone for a run several times this week to test this product out and so far so good! I have absolutely no knee ache, pain or strain. I'm definitely going to keep wearing this support when I do any strenuous or lengthy amounts of exercise because it seems to be doing it's job and either way, it's a psychological reassurance to have this on my knee.

The only real problem I see with this support is that after just a few uses, the material to which the velcro sticks has started to fray a bit. For the moment this hasn't caused any problems and the velcro still sticks just fine but I am a little worried that after further use, the velcro may not be able to grip as well as it does now which is what brought this product down from five to four stars.

At only £6.20, this is a very cheap product which does it's job well. I would highly recommend this to people who exercise a lot but experience knee pain as this will help give your knee the support it knee-ds (sorry, couldn't resist the pun!)

Find this support on Amazon  HERE.

**These products were provided by Comfytopia in exchange for an honest review.

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Earth Star (Earth Girl #2) by Janet Edwards.

Title: Earth Star
Author: Janet Edwards
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Publication Date: 15th August 2013
Goodreads Summary: Sequel to Earth Girl.

18-year-old Jarra has a lot to prove. After being awarded one of the military’s highest honours for her role in a daring rescue attempt, Jarra finds herself – and her Ape status – in the spotlight. Jarra is one of the unlucky few born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Derided as an ‘ape’ – a ‘throwback’ – by the rest of the universe, Jarra is on a mission to prove that Earth Girls are just as good as anyone else.

Except now the planet she loves is under threat by what could be humanity’s first ever alien contact. Jarra’s bravery – and specialist knowledge – will once again be at the centre of the maelstrom, but will the rest of the universe consider Earth worth fighting for?


{ Review }

Earth Star begins straight after the events of Earth Girl with Jarra being awarded the Artemis, the highest military honour, for her self-sacrificing help during a military rescue. Jarra is an 'ape', 'handicapped' because she cannot portal to other planets in the universe like the rest of the 'norms'. She is confined to Earth and many 'norms' are prejudiced against 'apes', believing them to be stupid and inferior. Jarra proved in Earth Girl that the handicapped are just as capable as norms but even though she's reached her own goals, things haven't settled down. A mysterious sphere has appeared in the Earth's atmosphere and it's intentions are unknown. It is clearly something alien, but whether hostile or friendly, noone knows. Jarra and her 'twoing' partner (i.e. boyfriend) Fian have been drafted into the military to use their knowledge of history to try and figure out where this sphere has come from, who sent it and what it wants but things aren't plain sailing because of Jarra's 'ape' status.

I was hoping that after the immense amount of time and detail dedicated to setting up this series in book one, that book two would have a much faster plot with a lot more things going on; however, this was not the case. An alien sphere is introduced at the beginning of the story and I expected many exciting things to happen but by the end of the book we still hadn't really found out anything about the sphere which was disappointing. Like in Earth Girl, there is a sort of continuous plot strand throughout the book but it moves at a steady, slow pace with no dips or bumps along the way. Small events were described in masses of detail that was really unnecessary, whilst major events were merely glanced over. The plot had much potential but unfortunately I don't think it really fulfilled it and I can't help but feel that this story could've been told with half the amount of the words.

Fian and Jarra's relationship doesn't particularly develop at all in Earth Star. The pair signed up for a 'twoing' contract in Earth Girl so I expected more romance in Earth Star, but really the pair just acted like an old married couple and I really fail to see the 'spark' in their relationship. I still don't really identify with the main character, Jarra, because her personality is hidden behind the fact that she doesn't 'do' emotions, but consequently this meant that I couldn't see in her what all the characters in the book could. Her narrative is quite interesting, but I don't particularly like her as a character or a narrator so I felt a little detached whilst reading this. Jarra was a lot sassier in Earth Girl and I quite enjoyed her snarky bitterness, but I don't think that part of her personality came with her to Earth Star which was a great shame.

The general setting of the book and the universe that these events take place in is fascinating. Janet Edwards has created a completely new world that still has some vague similarities to Earth as we know it, but there are also many differences. A great deal of detail is spent describing the planets, their customs, the tools that are being used, the different social rankings etc. which is all very interesting to read and learn about. Although portalling between planets isn't something new to the sci-fi genre, having 'handicapped' characters who are tied to planet Earth, is. In addition, these characters communicate with a whole new language and I felt a lot like an old lady trying to understand teenage slang when I first started reading this but by the end of this book I was basically fluent in it. I really love the world that Janet Edwards has created for Jarra and all the other characters and the framework that supports this novel is soso good, but unfortunately the plot let the book down.

Although you don't need to read Earth Girl to understand what's going on in Earth Star, I would certainly recommend it. Earth Girl sets up the backdrop for this series with lots of details about the new universe that Janet Edwards has created and there's a lot of new terms which you have to get to grips with in order to understand how the characters speak and act. Any references made to people or events from Earth Girl are thoroughly explained in Earth Star which does slow down the book considerably for those that have already read the first book, but if you're diving in at book two then this will do you fine.

All in all, Earth Star was a bit of a disappointment but it's still a fairly intriguing read. The world that Janet Edwards has created is absolutely superb and I've spent so much time reading her two books over the last few days that I've even adopted some of the new language used in her book, e.g. nardlebrain, but I don't think there's enough of a plot to really bring this world to life. I still have high hopes for the third book in this series which I'm praying will have a plot with a much faster pace with a lot more excitement but we'll just have to wait and see!

{ Giveaway }

Win a paperback copy of Earth Star by Janet Edwards, courtesy of HarperVoyager!
Open internationally, enter via Rafflecopter below:

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Earth Girl by Janet Edwards.

Title: Earth Girl
Author: Janet Edwards
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: 16th August 2012
Goodreads Summary: A sensational YA science fiction debut from an exciting new British author. Jarra is stuck on Earth while the rest of humanity portals around the universe. But can she prove to the norms that she’s more than just an Earth Girl?

2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. While everyone else portals between worlds, 18-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an ‘ape’, a ‘throwback’, but this is one ape girl who won’t give in.

Jarra invents a fake background for herself – as a normal child of Military parents – and joins a class of norms that is on Earth to excavate the ruins of the old cities. When an ancient skyscraper collapses, burying another research team, Jarra’s role in their rescue puts her in the spotlight. No hiding at back of class now. To make life more complicated, she finds herself falling in love with one of her classmates – a norm from another planet. Somehow, she has to keep the deception going.

A freak solar storm strikes the atmosphere, and the class is ordered to portal off-world for safety – no problem for a real child of military parents, but fatal for Jarra. The storm is so bad that the crews of the orbiting solar arrays have to escape to planet below: the first landing from space in 600 years. And one is on collision course with their shelter.

{ Review }


Earth Girl is set in a world in which those that live on Earth, or rather, confined to Earth, are viewed as 'handicapped', whilst the 'exos' of the world are able to portal freely inbetween different planets. Jarra was born 'handicapped', but she's determined to prove that this doesn't make her any less of a person than the 'exos'. In order to do this, she secretly applies to the University of Asgard to study history, a University that typically only accepts exos, though there's nothing actually stopping a handicapped student from applying. Jarra is delighted when she is accepted and embarks on a journey to prove that there's nothing 'handicapped' about her. She adopts a new identity and fools her classmates into believing that she, too, is an exo, but things get very complicated very quickly.

The premise of Earth Girl is excellent. Janet Edwards has created a completely new world with new concepts, new planets and a new language which are all described in phenomenal amounts of detail. There is no sort of 'explanation' at the start of this book as to where the story is set or any help in understanding this new Universe and how it works; you are thrust right into the heart of a story and forced to get your head around new words and new ideas very quickly. I loved this about Earth Girl because you, as a reader, are completely absorbed in this story and you start to believe that this is the natural order of the world, though of course, it is far from the world we currently live in. Although portalling to other planets isn't a new concept in the world of sci-fi, the idea that certain human beings might be deemed 'handicapped' and confined to Earth because their immune systems cannot survive on other planets, is. Really, this isn't a sci-fi story, it's a story about a girl looking for acceptance and if you stripped away sci-fi elements of this story you could imagine this as the story of a teenager fighting the unjustified discrimination that exists in every society.

Although Earth Girl started out with brilliant amounts of detail, these details started to grate on me as the story went on. I felt like there was too much time spent describing pretty irrelevant events, which although added to the general 'atmosphere' of the book and gave you a further insight into this new universe, were just a little boring. I didn't feel like there was enough of a plot or a story line in this novel to really support the fantastic new setting created by Janet Edwards. Sure, things 'happen', but I don't feel that whatever climax the story was reaching for was clear or ever really reached. There was nothing hugely climatic or dramatic about this novel but instead a steady stream of a story that passed without any bumps from beginning to end. Not only that, but some of the plot strands seemed to repeat themselves at intervals, with each one getting slightly more dramatic with each re-write. I felt like I had been reading the same story for a decade before I finally reached the end of this book and there wasn't even a particularly great finale.

There is an element of romance to this story, but it didn't touch me at all. There was little connection between the characters Jarra and Fian and there wasn't anything about them that made them especially compatible. There was no 'spark' in their relationship and they didn't do very many couple-y things before they became rather serious so I got the impression that their relationship was based on nothing. They're not exactly a 'bad' couple, there's just nothing special about them and I had little interest in reading about the development of their relationship. This romance isn't a particularly important part of the plot either, it just sort of runs alongside other things happen, again as a steady stream with no bumps.

The story is written from the first person perspective of the main character, Jarra. Her narrative is snarky and witty with a hint of bitterness and it's really interesting to read. That said, she's the sort of character that I imagine annoying a lot of people as time goes on. Imagine a frigid teenage girl who's brave and has big dreams, she's quite 'real' but probably not someone you'd get on all that well with in real life. The narrative is great, the narrator, not so much. Had this book been condensed and the waffle cut then Jarra's narrative would've been perfect, but because of the sheer amount of detail the author goes into, I felt like there was a Jarra-overload.


For a debut novel this is absolutely fantastic; however, the brilliant beginning of Earth Girl was not followed by a brilliant ending (or a brilliant middle) which was hugely disappointing. The world that Janet Edwards has created is painted with vivid details which is the novel's strong point, but the flaccid plot and lack of character connection leaves you weeping for the story that could've been.

{ GIVEAWAY }

I still have high hopes for the second book by Janet Edwards - Earth Star! Many thanks to Random House for providing me with a paperback copy to giveaway. Enter via Rafflecopter below:

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