Archive for September 2014

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Title: The Maze Runner

Author: James Dashner

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Publisher: Chicken House

Publication Date: September 2014

Synopsis: When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything - even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrol its corridors, to try and find out.

[[ Review ]]

The Maze Runner is a young adult dystopian story and if you haven't already heard of it, you're going to be hearing a lot about it soon. The film adaptation of this story has already hit cinema screens in the US and is scheduled for release in the UK on the 10th October 2014. It's not hard to see why this story was snapped up by 20th Century Fox as it's a gripping story full of twists and turns set in a world that will no doubt make an impression on the big screen.

This story starts when Thomas arrives at the Glade in the box. Thomas has absolutely no memories about his past or who he is and is very confused by his surroundings, which is to be expected given that the Glade is occupied up of a small group of teenage boys (no adults and no girls) and is enclosed within the confines of massive stone walls. Thomas soon discovers that these boys are trapped in the Glade, which is surrounded by a huge maze, full of dangerous creatures called Grievers. Everyday, the walls open, revealing the Maze and the Gladers send out 'runners' to try and figure out a way out of the Maze. The Gladers have already been trapped for two years but they still haven't found a way out. Why? Because every night, once the stone walls close, the walls of the maze change. Escape seems futile. Everyday is the same in the Glade, that is, until Thomas shows up, when everything starts to change. Ordinarily, only one new person arrives at the Glade a month, but the day after Thomas arrives, another person is delivered via the box. A girl. A girl that recognises Thomas, no less. Things are changing in the Glade and it seems like the time to finally escape has come - but only if they can figure out the code - and their escape mission will not be easy.

Although the story is written in the third person, it follows Thomas as he tries to figure out what the hell is going on - what happened to him (and the other boys), where they are and what their purpose is. I didn't connect as much with Thomas as I expected to but he is definitely a strong male lead and a great character to read about. Not all of the characters in the story like Thomas and I think that that feeling rubbed off slightly on me as there were times when I questioned whether I really trusted him. With so many character with little to no memory of who they are and where they've come from, it can be a little difficult figuring out which characters to trust and the success of this story is probably down the huge amount of suspense that the reader feels. It is not until the very end of the story that anything really becomes clear and when it does, you kinda wish you hadn't found out what's really going on.

Dashner has created a unique and terrifying world which will probably haunt me in my dreams tonight. It's very Hunger Games-esque as you've got a group of young kids fighting for survival against what they assume is a system adults created to test them. (Why they are being tested, they have no idea). The difference is however, these kids are working as a group to try to survive so themes of friendship and how a society should function are important. Although all the main characters are children, if their age was never mentioned, I could very well believe that this was a tale for adults. This is classified as a YA novel, however, there is nothing remotely 'childish' about this book. This is a serious tale of survival and I have to be honest, Dashner's imagination frightens me.

There isn't much romance in this story but you can see that there is something developing between Thomas and Teresa, the only girl in the camp. There are some nice moments between these two but this definitely isn't one of the main plot points though I look forward to this blossoming in the future books. I am a big fan of romance in YA books, but in this case, I didn't really care that there wasn't all that much of it because there was so much going on in terms of friendships and the developing ties between different characters.

All in all, The Maze Runner is definitely up there with top YA titles such as The Hunger Games and The 5th Wave and if you haven't read it yet, then you absolutely must pick up a copy before the film comes out next month. The cliffhanger at the end of The Maze Runner makes sure that readers will want to pick up the next book and I cannot wait to see how the plot develops from here. I absolutely tore through this book and finished it in no time, desperate to find out what was going on. Dashner has now been added to my list of favourite authors and I would give this story 5 stars simply for the terrifying world that Dashner has created.

The Maze Runner out now in paperback (£7.99, Chicken House)

Check out the trailer for the film adaptation of The Maze Runner, starring Dylan O'Brien, released in UK cinemas on the 10th October 2014.

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Title: Half Bad

Author: Sally Green

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Puffin

Publication Date: 3rd March 2014

Goodreads Summary: Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches.

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.

Easy.

[[ Review ]]

Half Bad follows the story of Nathan Byrn, a half White, half Black witch. White witches are good. Black witches are bad. That's what he's been told anyways. He's always been discriminated against for his entire life, by his classmates and even his half-sister, Jessica. Nathan is the son of the most powerful and most feared Black witch of all time - Marcus - and because of this, the Council, made up of White Witches, have been keeping a very close eye on him for his entire life. As time goes on, people become more and more suspicious of Black witches and Nathan knows that before long he'll have to leave home and find his father. There are so many things that Nathan is kept in the dark about and he's desperate to find out about his past and his family before he turns 17 - when the Giving ceremony is performed (by a family member) and he officially becomes a witch. Nobody will give him the answers he is looking for so only one solution remains - find his father. The most powerful and dangerous Black witch of all time.

I must admit that Half Bad was nowhere near as good as I was expecting it to be. Although I found it to be an interesting read, I wouldn't describe it as particularly exciting. The plot isn't chronological and the book begins in the middle of the story. The first 50 pages are very exciting and are full of suspense so at the beginning stages, this book was un-put-down-able; however, after this point, the plot moved back to the present and slowed down considerably. A lot of the middle section describes Nathan's home life and how he grew up which is great for setting the scene and you get a really good sense of what it's like to be someone like Nathan in the world that Sally Green has created, however, I wouldn't say that all that much happens in these parts. The last fifty pages are also really exciting as things really start moving for Nathan so the book ends with enough of a cliffhanger that leaves you want to read more. It's a shame that the middle passage is so slow as the beginning and the ending are really superb.

I think one of the main reasons that I didn't enjoy this book all that much is because although you emphathise with the protagonist, Nathan is not a particularly likable character. You certainly feel sorry for him as he is treated incredibly badly and you're willing him on because you want him to find out more about himself, mostly so you can understand what's going on, but you don't really end up 'liking' him. He is not a happy character, understandably given his circumstances, however, this makes for a rather somber read. I suppose it was refreshing to read a young adult novel, featuring a male protagonist who wasn't a vampire, or incredibly hot, that the reader doesn't end up falling head over heels for so I'll give the novel brownie points for being different and refreshing.

I'd say that one of the best aspects of this book is the character development, both that of Nathan, and all the other characters. We see Nathan as he ages through his teenage years which are the most interesting years and the discrimination he faces as a half-black, half-white witch is comparable to modern day racism which is fascinating. Nathan is the only sibling in the family who is the son of Marcus so his relationship with his siblings is really interesting to read about. Whilst he gets along really well with Arran, his half brother, his half sister Jessica despises him, despite their blood ties. You're never really sure which characters Nathan can trust and which witches are working for the Council which means that the reader is kept in suspense for a large part of the novel. Even when you think you can finally trust someone, don't, because something will happen soon after to make you doubt everything you know.

There is a slight romance aspect to this novel but it very much takes a backseat compared to the theme of discrimination. This is not your typical young adult novel in the slightest, it is a lot darker and some quite deep themes are discussed. There are some unpleasant scenes in which Nathan is treated very badly and basically tortured, so this is definitely an upper young adult novel and I'm sure adults will be able to enjoy this story too. There seems to be a dark cloud covering this entire novel and there aren't really any happy moments. You will definitely find your mood subdued when reading this, so I would recommend reading this on a rainy day.

All in all, I think Half Bad did a really good job of introducing the protagonist of the Half Life trilogy, Nathan, and setting the scene for the rest of the books. Although I wasn't completely taken with Half Bad, I think that there is the potential for the next two books to be really great so I'm still really looking forward to reading Half Wild.

I decided to wait until all the hype had died down before watching Catching Fire as I didn't want it to give me any false expectations and I'm so glad I did. Catching Fire is a really great film that's actually even better than the first film in this trilogy, The Hunger Games.

Some time has passed after the end of The Hunger Games and Katniss and Peeta have not spoken to each other at all since returning to District 12. Catching Fire opens on the day of the 'Victory Tour' around the country and President Snow unexpectedly arrives to tell Katniss that he is angry with her for sparking what could be a rebellion in all the districts. He wishes her to convince the public that the threat to eat the poisonous berries in the arena was an act of love and not one of rebellion or else he'll hurt her loved ones. Katniss reluctantly agrees but as the tour gets started and they move through each district, they see more and more acts of rebellion in the crowds and become more and more horrified by the Capitol's brutal treatment of these rebels. Later, it is announced that for the 75th Hunger Games, the third Quarter Quell, there will be a twist and the volunteers will be picked from the pool of previous victors. Katniss and Peetasoon find themselves back in the arena, this time with allies Finnick and Mags from District 4, and things are even more brutal before.

Catching Fire has you gripping the edge of your seat from the very beginning. Now I know that sounds like a massive cliché, but it is actually true! There is such a tense atmosphere in this film as rebellion seems to be brewing and no one knows who to trust. This film is highly exciting and much flashier than The Hunger Games but this is definitely a good thing. The special effects are much better and highly impressive, as is the setting and the costumes.

Although this is quite an action packed film, there were also many very emotional scenes in which I was on the point of tears in. This plot is actually quite moving as a lot of people are wronged and killed unjustly throughout the series and I'm glad that this more melancholic tone was able to shine through as well. That said, there are also several funny parts so it's not too depressing.

I really liked the way that Katniss' character has developed since The Hunger Games. She was always a strong and brave character, but she's put up even more walls between herself and everyone else and seems to have age several years since she went into the arena. Although she is admirable, she is not always the most likeable of characters as she comes across as a little cold. In Catching Fire we see the relationship between Katniss and Peeta develop some more and we see more of Katniss' sensitive side which is interesting. Jennifer Lawrence continues to portray Katniss as a very real and raw character and seems to get it just right.

I was a little disappointed by Peeta's part in this film as I felt that he didn't have a substantial role. Although he was often being talked about or seen on screen, he doesn't do a great deal of talking and his presence wasn't felt very strongly in my opinion. There were lots of sweet moments from Peeta but apart from these Peeta/Katniss moments, I don't think he was given much attention. I got the impression that Peeta doesn't really exist without Katniss which I did not get from the books. Although I expect Katniss to have a more dominant role, not least because she is the more dominant character, I still thought that there would be lots of emphasis on Peeta's character.

This film is much more exciting than the first film as there are lots of new characters who all bring new plot developments with them. Finnick Odair, played by Sam Claflin, is a really great addition to the cast as he is both funny and serious, not to mention extremely hot! His other films coming out this year include Love, Rosie and The Riot Club, the two films I am most eagerly anticipating this year so I think Sam Claflin will be one to watch!

Catching Fire was my favourite book in The Hunger Games book series and it will probably be my favourite in the film adaption too. The plot is a lot more intricate in this instalment with many twists and turns that keep you on your toes. Whether or not you've read the books, this is a must see film, though I would highly recommend watching the first film first so that you truly understand what they are fighting for in part two. This film is very long, lasting almost two and a half hours, but at no point during that time did I feel bored in the slightest. Time passed very quickly and before long the credits were rolling and I still wanted more! Speaking of the ending, Catching Fire ends on a massive cliffhanger so you absolutely must see it before watching the next instalment Mockingjay which comes out in November 2014.

Undeniably, The X Factor has been going downhill in recent years, particularly since Simon Cowell decided to leave for The X Factor USA and Cheryl Cole was fired. I haven't really watched the series since the year that One Direction were on the show and I'm pretty sure I haven't missed anything significant. However, now that both Simon and Cheryl are back, The X Factor UK is making a come-back and I think things will be significantly more interesting this year.

The women judges are Cheryl Cole and Mel B, both fashionistas so it will be interesting to see what outfits both of them pull out. At the moment we're still in the audition stages, so no show-stopper dresses yet, but we've still seen some very trendy outfits. Cheryl seems to pick very classy outfits for every show, favouring lose clothing over the really tight pieces that Mel B seems to like. Cheryl hasn't worn as much colour as she usually does this year and there have been a lot of monochrome outfits with a simple white top and black bottoms. Mel has also been wearing a lot of black, usually very tight fitting, often made of leather or very short. Personally, I think Cheryl is winning the style wars by miles but who knows, maybe Mel B will catch up when we get to live shows. I feel that Cheryl's outfits are more fashionable and all wearable on a normal day whereas some pieces that Mel B has chosen have been a little 'out there'.

Below, I have created a mood board with two simple outfits that I think represent what both judges have been wearing to and from the shows and during the auditions. As you can see, I've chosen an all-black outfit for Mel - a tight fitting, mesh black top, with black leather jeans and black high heels. As for Cheryl, I've chosen a simple lose-fitting white t-shirt, paired with a scuba black skirt and to add a splash of colour, a pair of bright green heels.

MEL B

CHERYL

I feel like I could imagine both judges wearing the outfits I've chosen, though I will admit both of these are more on the casual side of these judges wardrobes.

What do you think of the outfits I've chosen? Do you think these would suit the judges?

So whose style do you prefer - Cheryl's or Mel's? Who are you betting on winning The X Factor this year?

*This post has been sponsored by Betfair - all opinions are my own. I do not own these images.

Day 1

I have arrived way too early. I decide to awkwardly wander up and down the streets into random shops until a more suitable time. I finally pluck up the courage to enter the tall, tall, glassy building and I enter the Penguin reception. I pick up my visitor badge and take a seat. Next to me is a friendly looking woman who turns out to be doing two weeks work experience in the Publicity and Marketing Department of Penguin Children's too! I have a found a friend - good start.

My new friend, Anami, has already done work experience at Penguin before so she knows the ropes and gives me a tour of our floor. Of course, this includes the 'Pulp shelf' which is where you're allowed to take two free books per day. BEST THING EVER. When I read this line of my contract I was incredibly excited, who doesn't love free books?

And to work. We begin by updating the Puffin display board with some new newspaper clippings about Roald Dahl and his books which involves much printing and guillotining but is quite fun. Then we are presented with a huge (and I mean huge) stack of boxes that are full of ARCs of All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - the new big YA release. If you're one of the lucky people I've just sent a package out then I'm so jealous of you!

Was sent an email by the Publicity officer, who'd found out I was a blogger, asking me to participate in The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave sequel) blogger campaign. Um... yes?! I need to create a post detailing what I'd pack in my apocalypse survival backpack in order to qualify for an arc of The Infinite Sea which is heavily embargoed. Yayay!

That's pretty much it for day 1. There was much posting and printing but I think I'm getting the hang of things now so it's only up from here!

The four books I managed to pick up today were: Beautiful Redemption by Garcia & Stohl, Skeletons by Jane Fallon, Working on my Novel by Cory Arcangel and Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari!

Day 2

Still packing All The Bright Places. Finally finished!! I know there are more to come, but that's a problem for later. I actually rather enjoy packing the books into bags. It makes me feel like Santa's Little Helper or something, bringing joy to bloggers and reviewers all over the country!

I had the very important task of going to Tesco to buy two bars of Green & Blacks chocolate. I think they were to send to a *famous chef* to persuade him to get in on a Penguin campaign.

Chapter 1 of Half Wild by Sally Green needs to be sent out to lots of bookish people so I get to work on putting these neat little scrolls into tubes and I try (and fail) and try (and fail) and try (and fail) to create these cool Half Wild address labels to stick on the tubes. After what seems like hours, I give up and move onto the next task. I've wasted quite a lot of sticky labels but I'm at my wits end with this project and can't figure out what to do. (Even Google didn't help).

Books picked up: Oh Dear Sylvia by Dawn French, My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott and The Mysterious Affair at Castaway House by Stephanie Lam.

Day 3

I finally got the labels right! Rejoice! I think I may have jammed the printer, but when I come back a bit later, someone seems to have fixed it. After some time, I manage to get to the printer and get my labels all printed out. Stuck them all to the tubes and they're ready to go!

Need to note down all the important dates for our social media channels e.g. holidays, bookish events etc. Sounds easy but it's actually pretty difficult trying to find the official dates of a lot of events and whether they're for the UK or whether they're international. I've arranged them all into a spreadsheet but it looks rather messy so I play around with this for a while.

Books picked up: Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe, Man At The Helm by Nina Stibbe, Ecological Intelligence by Daniel Goleman and Expo 50 by Jonathan Coe.

Day 4

Revisions of my calendar of dates again. Will I ever get it right?! I must admit the way I laid it out was really retarded but now I've sorted that out it should all be fine.

A box of biscuits from The Biscuiteers, to be used as a competition prize, came in today. They are all Charlie and the Chocolate Factory related and they're SO cool and they smell amazing!!

I had the exciting task of going out and about in Covent Garden to quiz people about what books they read as a child and what stories they'll pass down to their children etc. I had to wear these big headphones and carry a penguin microphone which was all rather cool but very clunky and it probably looked quite intimidating to the people I spoke to! There was a very varied response from people with some people very willing to share their stories with me and others who clearly wanted me to clear off. In the end I think I got about 6 or 7 good stories and managed to have a good chat with people about children's books which was nice. It was certainly a nerve-wracking experience but it was cool I must admit!

Everyone in the office has run off to a meeting so I wrote my review of Half Bad (see here), which I wasn't that taken with but it was a good read.

Helped Anami, my fellow work experience buddy, fold up lots of song sheets for the upcoming Roald Dahl event next Monday. Attaching pens to the song sheets was an absolute nightmare because they kept falling off.

Books picked up: Girl Heart Boy 3 - Un de Trop by Ali Cronin (French translation), Cousin Bette by Balzac and Republic by Plato

Day 5

Need to print 20 Manuscripts for 'Girl Online', Youtuber Zoella's autobiography which is coming out in November this year. The printing takes years and then I had to punch holes in the pages and load them all onto the binding machine. I eventually managed to squeeze all the pages onto the binding machine and get the ring to shut but it's such a tight fit that I'm afraid all the pages will tumble out when their recipients get them. Got to order in bigger binders. Still printing copies. Other people in the office seem frustrated because the manuscripts are taking so long to print and the other printer is out of toner. Whoops? Off to Mark in the stationery store again to order in some binders and card.

Cut and paste lots of competition entries to the Roald Dahl invention competition that Penguin were running. Some of the entries were so cute, but some were just plain weird ngl.

Spinebreakers requests are in! It was so nice to be able to do something Spinebreakers-related as I'm
still so sad that the scheme is ending. To all you Spinebreakers reading this, your books are on their way!

Packed a big box of promo materials for goodie bags for the upcoming Bath Festival. If you're attending, then you'll no doubt be receiving one of these awesome bags with an assortment of bookish/Puffin related goodies!

Back to folding Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Cards and attaching pens. I also had to make question cards for the show next Monday but I get this tragically wrong and end up doing it again and again and again. And still getting it wrong. By this point I have run out of card and the stationery store is closed...

Books picked up: The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey, City of Women by David Gillham and The Party by Ricard McGregor.

---

So that's it guys! My first week of work experience at Penguin was pretty awesome. It's so cool seeing what goes on behind the scenes of the publisher that worked on pretty much all of my favourite titles. I think I did a lot more than what I detailed above, but I forgot to note down what I was doing during the middle of the week, which is why I haven't mentioned some stuff. I've picked up loads of new books to read but now I've got nowhere to put them! Looking forward to what next week brings!

Don't forget to enter my current giveaway to win a book of your choice from TBD up to the value of £8/$12 - Open Internationally!

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What If, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, is without a doubt one of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen. Dubbed as the best rom-com since 500 Days of Summer, I would take this one step further and say that it is not only the best film of its genre since, but that it is even better than 500 Days of Summer.

What If tells the story of two friends Wallace and Chantry who meet through Chantry's cousin and Wallace's best friend, Allan (Adam Driver). The two get on from the beginning but Wallace is shocked when the night ends and Chantry asks for his number whilst also mentioning that her boyfriend of five years is waiting for her at home. Undeterred by this, Wallace still wants to be friends and the two become the best of friends. Chantry and Wallace are basically inseparable and their best friends Allan and Nicole are convinced that the pair are in love but both Chantry and Wallace continue to deny this and Chantry is still with her boyfriend, Ben. As work and life begin to get in the way, Chantry and Wallace remain friends but things become more complicated...

Whilst What If sounds like your typical rom-com and to be fair, it does have the same framework as most other romantic comedies, there's something very different about this film. It is both incredibly moving and funny at the same time. Although there were lots of clichéd moments within the film, the plot doesn't fall into step with all the other rom-coms and there are lots of twists and turns to accompany every cliché making this a really refreshing rom-com. Towards the end of this film I found myself with tears streaming silently down my cheeks as I felt like I was feeling the characters' pain with them and what I was watching was so beautifully sad I just couldn't help myself.

There is an amazing chemistry between the characters Chantry and Wallace to which the film probably owes its success. Radcliffe and Kazan get their characters absolutely on point which, I must admit, surprised me immensely. Obviously Radcliffe has been trying to drop the notion that he is Harry Potter and nothing else for years now but I don't think that he has entirely succeeded. However, after watching What If, I am convinced that Radcliffe has well and truly left the boy wizard behind and is really making something of himself in the world of acting. Both Chantry and Wallace are very quirky characters and it takes a lot to portray these sorts of characters well, without making them look either too weird or too clichéd. Alongside Radcliffe and Kazan were Megan Park, Allan Driver, Mackenzie Davis and Rafe Spall who are a great supporting cast and they all bring something different to the table which when put together makes this film a brilliant watch.

The soundtrack captures the essence of this film perfectly. It's the sort of music that makes your heart warm up slowly from the inside out and puts you in a good mood and fills you with a sense of hope. There are a lot of acoustic guitars and it's all rather slow and mellow - all perfectly in tune with what's going on on screen. The majority of the soundtrack is instrumental and yet I could discern exactly what kind of message was being brought across by it.

This is quite a long film, lasting around two hours, which for most films of this kind is far too long, but I found myself wanting more even as the credits began to roll. This film is cheesy in the slightest, it is very raw and real and if someone told me this story was about two ordinary people that they knew, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. This film is definitely more mellow and poignant than your average romantic comedy and a lot of the humour is typically British awkward humour which I loved. In addition, this film is set in Canada so it was nice to see a film set outside of either the UK or the States which just gives this film even more brownie points. All in all, this is an absolutely amazing film that breaks the mould in its genre of romantic-comedy. It is a must-see for all those with a heart, particularly if you're fans of 500 Days of Summer. This film is beautiful and will both break and mend your heart whilst watching it and I cannot recommend it enough.

"Good friends, bad idea?"