Sophie Reads YA

Waiting on Wednesday: The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles #2) by Mary E. Pearson

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ARC Review: The Princess Diaries (The Princess Diaries #1) by Meg Cabot

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The Princess Diaries
Series: The Princess Diaries #1
Author: Meg Cabot
Published July 2nd 2015 by Macmillan Children's Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there's nothing worse than being a five-foor-nine, flat-chested freshman, who also happens to be flunking Algebra.

Is she ever in for a surprise.

First Mom announces that she's dating Mia's Algebra teacher. Then Dad has to go and reveal that he is the crown prince of Genovia. And guess who still doesn't have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance?
Goodreads

Review

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

When I was offered with the opportunity to review the new 15th anniversary editions of The Princess Diaries, I immediately took it. Being 20, I grew up with this series, and count wait to re-read one of my favourite ever series!

I had actually forgot most of the events of book 1, The Princess Diaries, and was actually going off what the movies say. Oh, how wrong I was. First of all, Mia's father, Philippe, isn't actually dead. He's the person who tells Mia the truth about her birth and heritage, all because he is now infertile due to chemotherapy and other forms of cancer treatment. Therefore, Mia is the sole heir to the Genovian throne. Secondly, Mia's grandmother, sorry, Grandmère, is nothing like Julie Andrews. She's abrupt, and to the point, and is not the loving grandma we meet in the movies. Yes she cares for Mia, but she also has a job in transforming Mia from an average 14 year old teenager, to a princess ready to deal with all forms of diplomatic events, and one day rule a small principality. Thirdly, Mia and her mam, Helen, live in Greenwich Village, New York, and not China Town, San Francisco. Out of all the differences I'd noticed, these are the three that immediately stood out.

Nevertheless, it was still really fun and enjoyable to dive right back into Mia's life, and to, once again, see how she overcame the struggles of becoming a princess overnight.

Mia is pretty much like any normal 14 year old. She worries about maths, especially algebra with she is terrible at, dealing with issues between friends, and wondering when, actually, puberty would hit. Oh, and just getting through the school day without causing any major issues with the popular gang. She has a crush on the most popular guy at school, Josh Richter, who, unbelievably, asks her to the school Cultural Diversity Dance. However, this is not the dream date she'd always imagined it would be - he's basically only using her for her new found popularity as a princess.

I really felt for Mia having so much upheaval thrust on her in a short space of time - book 1 takes place in less than a month. And in this time she has had to deal with starting high school, finding out her algebra teacher is dating her mom, discovering her dad had cancer, being told she was the sole heir of Genovia, putting up with "Princess Lesson" with her Grandmère, and struggling with the big reveal on the front page of The Post. To be honest, Mia succeeded quite well in coping with all of this, and I definitely can't wait to read the subsequent books in the series - especially as the romance between Mia and Michael begins to hot up!

I definitely cannot recommend this series too much! It goes down as one of my all time, favourite childhood series, and I actually feel as if I've grown up with Mia, as much as I had with characters such as Harry Potter, Georgia Nicholson, etc. Congratulations to Meg Cabot on having produced such a wonderful series that has now reached 15 years old!

Dates Read:
June 10-11, 2015

Rating
5 Stars

4 Stars

ARC Review: The Potion Diaries (The Potion Trilogy #1) by Amy Alward

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The Potion Diaries
Series: The Potion Trilogy #1
Author: Amy Alward
Published July 2nd 2015 by Simon & Schuster UK

Goodreads Synopsis
When the Princess of Nova accidentally poisons herself with a love potion meant for her crush, she falls crown-over-heels in love with her own reflection. Oops. A nationwide hunt is called to find the cure, with competitors travelling the world for the rarest ingredients, deep in magical forests and frozen tundras, facing death at every turn.

Enter Samantha Kemi - an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent. Sam's family were once the most respected alchemists in the kingdom, but they've fallen on hard times, and winning the hunt would save their reputation. But can Sam really compete with the dazzling powers of the ZoroAster megapharma company? Just how close is Sam willing to get to Zain Aster, her dashing former classmate and enemy, in the meantime?

And just to add to the pressure, this quest is ALL OVER social media. And the world news.

No big deal, then.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Before looking at NetGalley, I hadn't heard much about this book, but both the cover and synopsis drew me in, and I had to request it ASAP. This book was really different to what I'd expected, but in a good way.

The Potion Diaries (also published as Madly in America), recounts in dual POV the stories of Princess Evelyn and the alchemist apprentice Samantha Kemi as their stories intertwine to save the princess's life. As said in the synopsis, Evelyn accidentally takes her own love potion, meant for someone else, and manages to fall in love with herself. Due to the instability of her magic, the whole kingdom rests on a cure, and Sam is one of the alchemists tasked with finding said cure. Through the two POV's, we get to know both ends of the story, from the search for the ingredients and recipe through Sam, and how Evelyn is coping being in love with herself - though she doesn't realise that Lynn is actually just her reflection.

Out of the two POV's, Sam's was definitely my favourite. I really enjoyed getting to know her character, and I feel like she definitely grew throughout the story. Though she had definite feelings for Zain - a character I also really liked - she didn't let that get in the way of the task at hand - saving Evelyn. Zain and Sam's relationship was really cute, and I hope to see more in the next books. Both Zain and Evelyn were also really good characters, even with Evelyn a bit crazy in love with herself.

The different places travelled in this book were all really unique, and enjoyable. I loved how the magic elements, and alchemy details, were included in the dialogue, especially the little descriptions of what each ingredient can be used for. I can't to see more of this in subsequent books.

Overall, this book was a really wonderful twist of the modern world and old magic/alchemy, and I really enjoyed it. I definitely can't wait to get my hands on the second book, and would recommend this as a wonderful UKYA debut!

Dates Read:
June 2 to 4, 2015

Rating
4 Stars

5 Stars

Review: A Thousand Pieces Of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Gray

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A Thousand Pieces Of You
Series: Firebird #1
Author: Claudia Gray
Published October 7th 2014 by HarperCollins

Goodreads Synopsis
Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.
Goodreads

Review

Everything about this book was absolutely beautiful, from the cover, to the settings, to the writing style. I think I'm actually in love.

The characters were all amazing, and the romance was spectacular. Marguerite and Paul's relationship in the Russian dimension was beautiful, and I hope this aspect of the story will be explored further. Also, Theo, whom I wasn't a fan of at first, I feel as though there is more to him beneath the surface, that is just waiting to break free.

The different worlds which Marguerite explored were all spectacular in their own way, but my favourite was definitely the Russian Imperial dimension, especially considering I'm currently doing a university module on Imperial Russia.

I can't wait for Ten Thousand Skies Above You, and would definitely recommend this series to everyone!

Dates Read:
March 4 to 8, 2015

Rating:
5 Stars

Jesse's Girl

Waiting on Wednesday: Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks #6) by Miranda Kenneally

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5 Stars

ARC Review: Seed by Lisa Heathfield

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Seed
Series: Untitled #1
Author: Lisa Heathfield
Published April 16th 2015 by Electric Monkey

Goodreads Synopsis
Seed loves you. Seed will never let you go.

Fifteen-year-old Pearl has lived her whole life protected within the small community at Seed, where they worship Nature and idolise their leader, Papa S. When some outsiders arrive, everything changes. Pearl experiences feelings that she never knew existed and begins to realise that there is darkness at the heart of Seed. A darkness from which she must escape, before it's too late.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Wow, wow, wow! This book was utterly incredible! Unlike anything I've ever read before, and I'm so glad there is going to be a sequel.

Seed tells the story of Pearl, a fifteen year old teenager, who has lived in Seed her entire life. She has no knowledge of the outside world, except for some scary impressions that the 'Outsiders' are all corrupt, evil, and poison. Seed revolves around Mother Nature, and the teachings of Papa S, through whom Nature's message is spread. All of the inhabitants of Seed are a 'family', no one knows who their actual parents are, and once a girl becomes a woman, she is ready to become a Companion of Papa S.

All of the characters in Seed were fantastic in their own ways. I hated the elder men (Papa S, Kindred Smith, Kindred John), and adored the younger characters, though Elizabeth was also a particular favourite of mine. I loved Pearl as the main protagonist, you could really hear her naïvety in her voice, and her questioning the whole situation once Outsiders came in. Pearl grew as a character, as a person, throughout the entire novel, and I can't wait to see how she deals with the position she is in at the end of Seed. The secondary characters, and especially Kate, really supported Pearl in her growth, and protected her throughout the uncomfortable events in the book.

Though the romance in the novel was, technically, non-existent, I found parts of it very sweet, and lovely. I also felt as if the romance played a major role in Pearl questioning her environment, not in a insta-love, nothing else matters, scenario, but rather in making her think about what life is really like, and whether on not the life she has been living is a complete sham.

As I said earlier, I'm extremely happy that there will be a sequel to Seed, as the ending of the book was abrupt, and a total cliffhanger. Lisa Heathfield's writing style was beautiful, and for this to be a debut novel is surprising, I would actually have thought this was a book from a seasoned author if I didn't know otherwise. As soon as the sequel is announced properly, I'll definitely be waiting to get my hands on it.

Overall, a truly remarkable debut UKYA novel, and one I would definitely recommend!

Dates Read:
May 14-15, 2015

Rating
5 Stars

5 Stars

ARC Review: Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan

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Apple and Rain
Series: None
Author: Sarah Crossan
Published February 12th 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Goodreads Synopsis
When Apple’s mother returns after eleven years of absence, Apple feels whole again. She will have an answer to her burning question – why did you go? And she will have someone who understands what it means to be a teenager – unlike Nana. But just like the stormy Christmas Eve when she left, her mother’s homecoming is bitter sweet, and Apple wonders who is really looking after whom. It’s only when Apple meets someone more lost than she is, that she begins to see things as they really are.

Like a brilliant hybrid of Cathy Cassidy and Jacqueline Wilson, Sarah Crossan entices you into her world, then tells a moving, perceptive and beautifully crafted story which has the power to make you laugh and cry.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Apple and Rain tells the story of Apple, a 13 year old who wishes her mother would return home after more than ten years. When she finally does, it is not without its own problems, and Apple finally understands that you have to be careful what you wish for.

Apple and Rain was such an unexpected read. Before diving into the book, I was a bit apprehensive, as I wasn't sure what I would think. I am so glad I've had the opportunity to read this outstanding novel! Apollinia Apostolopoulou feels lost in her life. She's living with her very religious, quiet protective and strict, Irish nana, who won't let her have some freedom, and coming to terms with her father's distance, a new stepmother and all the problems that brings with it. Finally, she has her wish of her mother returning home after eleven years, and she thinks everything will be perfect. She couldn't be more wrong. Though Annie seems to be trying really hard, she doesn't do it in a very mother-like way. And, to top it all off, Apple now has to compete with 10 year old Rain, who has her own issues to contend with.

I loved the interactions between Apple and Rain. At first I was slightly perturbed by Rain's 'weirdness', but once more came to light, you could see she was just as lost as Apple, if not more so, and was trying to cope in her own individual way. Apple's attempts to care for Rain were beautiful, and I really forgot that she was only 13 herself - she seemed so much more mature, especially if you compare her with the mother, Annie. To talk about Annie, I honestly could not stand her, I understood that she'd made mistakes, was couldn't cope with a 3 year old when she was only 20, but ever since she'd returned she just played on Apple's insecurities and kindness for her own gain. She was so not fit to be a mother, and, honestly, needed to give her head a good shake.

Though poetry has never be a favourite of mine, I really enjoyed Apple's poems throughout the novel, and how her teacher seemed to really care about her, and saw her potential. Apple was actually such an outstanding protagonist, and her relationships with every single character were truly wonderful.

Towards the end, you could kind of see what would happen next, but, even so, when it actually came, it was still heart racing and exciting, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next, and hoping beyond everything, that it would all be ok in the end.

I was so blown away by this book, that I'm extremely grateful I've also got the opportunity to read Crossan's One too. She has sharply become one of my favourite UKYA contemporary authors, and I'm expecting great things from her future books! Seriously, I could not recommend this enough - you need to read it ASAP!

Dates Read:
May 30-June 1, 2015

Rating
5 Stars