The Duff by Kody Keplinger

 WARNING:THIS BOOK HAS SEXY TIME

 

The Duff by Kody Keplinger is about a DUFF called Bianca. Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Of course, Bianca doesn't know that she's the duff until the disgusting, irritating and utterly irresistible man-whore that is Wesley Rush tells her. Bianca's family life isn't so good and she soon discovers that using Wesley to distract herself isn't the best of ideas when she realizes that she is falling for him.

Kody Keplinger has managed to create a mean-girl type classic for the current generation filling the gap left so empty for too long. Bianca is a  tell-it-like-it-is kind of girl making her likeable and somewhat relate-able. Alike 'Mean Girls' the characters in this book are mostly stereotypes which was fun to read but some of the characters just didn't seem real to me. The ending to the book was satisfying but slightly predictable due to the lead up, I did not however expect Toby's reaction. This novel had me smiling throughout a lot of the book, it was funny and heartwarming. A great read for someone in the mood for a bit of a self esteem boost or general pick-me-up.

I recommend this book to fans of John Green, 'Bring It On' and 'Mean Girls'. I gave this book a 4/5 as I found the novel and its characters fun, enjoyable and well written. I would recommend this book to my friends. Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Kindle, Hatchette and Kody Keplinger for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The Catalyst by Helena Coggan (Pub April 14)

The Catalyst by Helena Coggan is a novel about Rose Elmsworth and her world filled with magic and adventure. Rose is not like the rest of the world, she isn't split between the green-eyed gifted and the Ashkind. Rose is something entirely different and much more dangerous. At the young age of fifteen Rose has become an honorary member of the Department, the law enforcement agency run purely by the gifted. Nobody is aware of Rose's or her fathers shared secret. An old enemy has returned threatening to ruin the peace that the world has now come to after a long and devastating war. Will the Department find out about her differences? Can they prevent the impending war?

The Catalyst by Helena Coggan is a fantastic novel and sure to be one of my favorites of the year. Helena Coggan has managed to create one of the best and most interesting fusions between dystopian and fantasy. I honestly do not have a bad thing to say about this book. The novel was written in third-person which was a great choice for the novel as readers are able to delve into the thoughts of multiple characters. Rose was a likeable character and didn't have any particularly cliche traits such as loving books or never crying. I personally loved the fact that she was brave and strong yet she was still able to cry and let her feelings out, it made her more realistic.


The world building in this novel was magnificent and had one of the coolest worlds I have encountered to date. Using eye colour to differentiate between levels of power and race was unique and really cool. The novel had angels and demons in it but a fight between them is certainly not what this book is about. The book is about the people in between, sure there were a couple of main characters that were demons but there were both good and bad demons represented.

This was an amazing book with little to no flaws. I rated this book a 5/5 stars and beyond. I highly recommend that you pick a copy up. I would like to thank NetGalley, Amazon Kindle, Hatchette Australia and most of all Helena Coggan for allowing me to read this book.

Bomb by Sarah Mussi (Pub May 7 2015)

Bomb by Sarah Mussi is the story of the day Genesis Wainwright wakes up in a dark cold cellar. She remembers nothing of how she got there or what happened on the blind internet date that she only went on to get over her ex-boyfriend Naz. Soon after waking she quickly realize

s that she is strapped to some sort of stiff armor. It is not long before a robotic voice speaks through the earpiece glued to her ear canal. Genesis has been chosen for a sinister mission and is now a weapon of mass destruction. The question is whether or not she can save herself before detonation.

Sarah Mussi has done a fantastic job at creating a memorable thriller. The book is fast-paced and has some very unique aspects to a concept that is otherwise not entirely original. The book could very easily be turned into a movie adaptation and although it includes a love triangle the romance aspect of the book is more mature than in other novels of the genre. Genesis is a likeable protagonist who didn't get on my nerves too much. Sarah Mussi's gripping and action packed pages will keep you coming back for more.


The cult aspect of the book was particularly interesting. Going in to a novel that is quite clearly to do with a forced suicide bomber situation many would expect the enemy to be of a known terrorist organization in a country with war troubles; having a cult epidemic in a western country like England was quite confronting. I personally loved that Genesis' account of Naz's gradual conversion to The Brightness was so detailed because it made the book just that little bit more interesting.

What I personally did not enjoy about the novel were the strange flashbacks to Genesis conversations with the 'Moirai', they were quite strange and seemed out of place as the flashbacks had a fantasy theme in an otherwise modern and magic-free novel They were more awkward than cool and interesting. Another aspect of the book that I personally did not enjoy were the 'Life is' poems. They got annoying quite quickly and didn't really add anything to the experience of the novel.

It is unclear as to whether there will be a sequel but there are a few loose ends that were left. I would be interested in picking up a sequel to this book and would love to know what happens. I give this book a solid 3.5/5 stars

I would like to thank Hatchette Children's, NetGalley, Amazon and most of all Sarah Mussi for giving me the opportunity to read this book and bringing more great literature into the world.