THE BEAST PLAYER

By Nahoko Uehashi

 

Elin has found a way to communicate with the Royal Beasts. Not only this, but she has formed a special bond with Leelan, a young beast brought to the sanctuary after being wounded by an arrow. But with this power, she has become threatened with the fate of tragedy happening all over again, whilst others try to use her and Leelan as a weapon in war…

The Good Bits

This was an exciting story, and the sections about the royal beast were really good. They helped build up this fantasy world in my mind, and there were times where I was so immersed in the story that when I looked up from the book into the real world, my hands were sweating from holding the book for so long!

The characters were interesting and I wanted to find out more about each one. I found the switching character view-points really interesting, and, although it was difficult to understand in the beginning, I soon got used to it. My favourite character was Leelan (does she count) or Yuyan. Yuyan became Elin’s best friend at the beast sanctuary and was the type of person I longed to meet.

The Not So Good Bits

This book was great, but it had its faults. First of all, the character names confused me. This may be because they’re Japanese names and they’re not familiar with me, but it was a big problem for me because I had to look back to see who it was.

The timeline was really confusing. You would cut to a different character for two sections, then come back to Elin and she would be FOUR YEARS OLDER! And this happened twice. After the first time, though, it was slightly less confusing.

Conclusion

This was a good book. It was very confusing at times, but 85% I could understand easily. I’m planning to re-read this in maybe a few months. If you like fantasy and aren’t easily confused by timeline changes, this is the book for you!

Bye for now!

Miranda xxx

SOPHIE’S WORLD

By Jostein Gaarder

 

It all starts when 14-year-old Sophie Amundsen finds two mysterious pieces of paper in the mailbox.  Written on them are the questions, ‘Who are you?’ and, ‘Where does the world come from?’.  These letters are the beginning of her philosophy course, written by the charming philosopher, Alberto Knox.

But soon things start to go out of hand.  Funny things start appearing in the woods, and Sophie becomes more and more confused.  Who is this Hilde, and why is she in Sophie’s story?

The Good Bits

The book had some interesting philosophy in it, and it introduced me to philosophers that I didn’t know about.  It got better at the end, and I almost felt sad when something bad happened to Sophie.

The Not So Good Bits

Finally!  Free from this burden of a book that I have carried with me for so long!  And the day before my birthday as well!  This is how I felt when I finished Sophie’s World.  So, let’s start the long list of complaints about this book.

It isn’t very well written.  This one is pretty self-explanatory.  The writing was boring and didn’t have any engaging way of telling the story.  Actually, it wasn’t the plot line’s fault.  That was quite good!  It just did a bad job of expressing the plot line in words.

Sophie was the most annoying creature who ever walked this earth.  And the other characters seem to know it too.  When Alberto is talking to her about philosophy, Sophie will chip in with an annoying comment, and Alberto will ignore it, or give it a simple, ‘Yes’.  In fact, when I found out that Sophie’s entire existence was threatened, I cheered and ran around the house elated.  As Peter O’Toole once said to my dad, ‘That child should be ****ing executed!’

Near the middle, you actually have the characters commenting on how good the book is.  Near the end, one even says that it isn’t a book that you can only read once!  Since it was near the middle, where everyone who was thoroughly sick of the book would have stopped reading it (apart from me; I managed to read the book till the end for this review), it felt like the book was just reassuring itself that it was still good.

At the end of the book, I wasn’t longing for more.  In fact, it was precisely the opposite of that.  I felt like a weight had been taken off my mind, and now I needed to find something fulfilling to read.

Finally, this book took me waaaay to long to read. I must have started reading it in early February!  Usually, a book that big would take me a few weeks at most.  I could have read it in that time if I really wanted, but I couldn’t bring myself to go back to Sophie’s World.  Hey, at least it gave me one thing!  The ability to rant online!

Conclusion

You should be able to guess what I’m going to say.  Yes.  You’re right.  Do not be fooled by the book stating it was a ‘million-copy bestseller’.  Unless you want to submit yourself to several weeks of torture.  I actually think that this is one of the few books I hate.  If you like this book, that’s fine by me, but if you haven’t read it, but are considering it, I have one word for you.  Don’t.  (Does that count as one word?)

Bye for now!

Miranda xxx

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Sherlock Holmes and Watson have been called upon once more to tackle another confounding mystery.  After Sir Charles Baskerville’s death his only living relative, Sir Henry Baskerville, inherits the vast lands and thousands of pounds.  But Sir Henry is constantly haunted by the story of the hound of the Baskervilles, with ‘blazing eyes and dripping jaws’ which is said to haunt every single Baskerville that has ever lived in the family hall.  Will Sherlock Holmes and Watson be able to solve the case, or will Sir Henry come to the same awful end…

The Good Bits

This was such an exciting book, and once I had got into the swing of it, I was pulled right into the story.  It was an amazing detective book, with Sherlock using amazing skills of deduction which were difficult not to admire.  Using his and Watson’s discoveries, I quickly figured out who it might be.  And I was right!

The book was a bit tricky to understand, so when I’m older I’m planning to go back to it again to reread the bits I missed.  But I understood most of the book, which saved me having to go back to the beginning and read bits I missed.

The Not So Good Bits

As I said, I felt a bit young for the book.  There were some bits that I misunderstood, but this wasn’t too much of a problem, as I said before.  What was annoying, though, was the fact that Holmes, when they had finally solved the case, stated that he had realised some of the facts before Watson came to them, but Sherlock never told him, which I thought might slow down the case.  Holmes didn’t seem to treat Watson with much respect.

‘It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light.  Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it.’

This is an actual line in the book.  But even with Sherlock being slightly arrogant, it still adds a bit of humour to an otherwise dark, heavy story.

Conclusion

I do like this book, although I did not understand all of it.  I would like to read more Sherlock Holmes stories and familiarise myself with his methods.  This is a tricky book so I would suggest it to older, more confident readers.

Bye for now!

Miranda xxx

THE INFINITE LIVES OF MAISIE DAY

By Christopher Edge

 

It’s Maisie’s 10th birthday! And Maisie hopes that she will get the materials she will need to build her own nuclear reactor. But when she wakes up, the house is empty, and all there is outside is this seemingly infinite blackness. What has happened to the world she used to know?

It’s Maisie’s 10th birthday! Maisie thinks that this birthday will be the best, after all, Pythagoras thought that 10 was the most important number in the world! But her sister, Lily, doesn’t think so. Actually, Lily has been strangely hostile ever since Maisie moved up into her class. This makes Maisie truly upset. Will she ever be friends again with her sister?

The Good Bits

This was an amazing book. The main character is consistent, even though she passed her GCSEs at six years old. She still felt 10, and I think that was quite important. There have been so many books that I have read that made the characters feel older or younger than they actually are. Although Maisie had complicated thoughts and ideas, she still felt 10.

It introduced science to the story in a way that worked. It wouldn’t be the same without the science in it, unlike some other books (*cough cough Sophie’s World which I will get to in another review cough cough*). For example, the idea that if the universe were infinite, because there are only a certain number of ways atoms can be arranged, there would be infinite versions of the milky way, infinite versions of me, even infinite versions of this book review! The book inspired me to get back into science, and maybe even try Stephen Hawking’s ‘A Brief History of Time’!

It was extremely emotional. I cried in the middle, at the end, and half an hour after I had finished it. On the last page, all the writing was binary. It took me ages to decifer, but when I did, the results were worth it. I’m not going to tell you what it meant, though. You’ll have to find out yourself!

The Not So Good Bits

01101110 01101111 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100111! It was that good!

Conclusion

This was an amazing book, and I would strongly recommend it! It has amazing ideas, and at the end it would leave you longing for more! It made me cry, but that’s a good thing!

Bye for now!

Miranda xxx

PAX

By Sara Pennypacker

 

Peter loves his fox, Pax, and Pax loves Peter. Peter found Pax as a cub, alone and dying in the wilderness. Pax sees Peter as his boy, and wants to be with him every day of his life.

But when war breaks out Peter must leave his fox behind, and he immediately regrets it. He will journey to where he left his fox, even across the war-torn country, to get him back.

The Good Bits

This was a heart-wrenching story of an unbreakable bond of friendship between a boy and a fox. The beginning was beautiful and at the end, I cried, but I understood. I knew it would be best for the characters, and, although there was no epilogue, I felt I knew what was going to happen afterwards. I think that everyone will have a different ending for the characters, and this means that the story will be unique for anyone who reads it.

The fox seemed to act like a fox and think like a fox. We cannot see inside the minds of animals, so we will never know how they see the world, but if it were anything, it seems it would be the way Pax thinks. He does not understand the human world, at the beginning confused at why the boy is crying if he doesn’t have a wound. It seemed when the book was half way through I had known Peter all my life. His sudden bursts of temper, his need to cover things up and his absolute pure love for Pax. I almost knew what he was going to do before he did it. My favourite character was Vola, a woman with one leg missing, a longing to change things and extremely skilled with wood.

The story was special, and sometimes when I was reading it, I felt I could see and feel the foxes, and sense the distress for both animals and humans about the upcoming war.

The Not So Good Bits

This was a brilliant book, but it did have some down sides. One of them (possibly the biggest), was that I found it took a long time to focus on the book. Once or twice I got into the essential concentration, but most of the time I couldn’t, thus missing out on some of the action in the scenes, which made some bits difficult to understand.

There were several younger children in the story, and, although they were very minor background characters, more of the scenery than the actual story, they didn’t feel like actual children. They were outside, not that far from a mine field, and their parents didn’t seem like they were in any danger from the up coming war.

It also made it seem like foxes could be tame. I know this is a fictional story, but I sometimes found myself confusing Pax with a dog.

Conclusion

This was a beautiful book, from the outside to the inside. It had an interesting story, and, although not all of it was amazing, I would still recommend this book.

Bye for now!

Miranda xxx

NORTHERN LIGHTS

By Philip Pullman

 

Lyra lives in a world were everyone has a dæmon. They’re like part of their soul. Without the dæmon, the person will soon die. But children are disappearing, and no one knows why. But when Lyra’s best friend Rodger vanishes, she’s determined to find him.

So she journeys to the north, a land of armoured bears, witches and other worlds. A land where her Uncle is being held captive. A land where a team of scientists are performing experiments that are too awful to think about.

Lyra will travel with the Gyptians to save the children that have been captured. But it’s easier said than done…

The Good Bits

This was an exciting roller-coaster of a book that took me through this fantasy world, making me long to read more at day, and left me dreaming of it at night (literally)! It made me root for the characters I liked, got me scared of the characters I didn’t, and let me feel suspicious or trusting for the ones I wasn’t sure about. After I had finished it, I longed for a dæmon!

The story feels complete and unique. Every time I read it, I felt like this book would go on forever (in a good way)! Even though it had a fairly complicated plot, and loads of characters, I understood it perfectly! My favourite character was Iorek Byrnison, the rightful king of the armoured bears, but exiled because he killed another bear.

When the book was nearly finished, I was confused as it felt like the story was hardly finished. Then I remembered I was right! There are two more books, and I can’t wait to read them!

The Not So Good Bits

Aargh! I really don’t know! This book was so good, I honestly don’t think there was anything I disliked!

Conclusion

This book is brilliant! I remember, when I was younger watching the film, The Golden Compass, and since I hardly remembered any of it, this book was even more enjoyable to read! I would recommend it strongly to anyone who loves adventure books!

Bye for now!

Miranda xxx

THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON

By Kelly Barnhill

 

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave the youngest baby alone in the forest as a sacrifice to the witch.  And every year, unbeknownst to the people, the witch takes the baby to one of the free cities, feeding them starlight on the long journey.

But, one year, the witch accidentally feeds the baby moonlight.  Now, moonlight has a magic much stronger than the magic in starlight.  Although starlight will give a tiny bit, most of it has disappeared by the time it reaches earth.  But moonlight is stronger.  Much stronger.  So strong it can enmagic a person with one sip.  And the baby drinks an entire handful.  Thus the witch brings the baby home and calls her Luna.  But being filled with magic has its consequences.  As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic comes closer and closer to exploding out of her, and Xan (the witch) gets weaker and weaker…

 

What  I Liked

This was an enchanting read!  Even from the very beginning, I found myself wrapped in this fantasy world!  In the beginning of the book, you have an adult telling the story of the witch to her young child. It is a story of lies, and you later find out more and more about this character who is telling it.  You do not hear the child’s voice, or get to know the mother’s thoughts, but in a strange way, you understand her as a woman, not as a voice.

The characters were brilliant! They were all exciting and new. The characters you support were interesting, bursting with energy, or feeling slow and tired. Their moods affected your reading! My favourite character was Fyrian, a young, small dragon who believes he is simply enormous!  He reminds me of a small child, constantly chattering and rushing around, seeming to have an infinite store of energy.  Glerk was amazing, my favourite character if I couldn’t choose Fyrian.  Glerk is a large swamp monster, constantly quoting ‘The Poet’.  He loves and cares for Fyrian, Luna and Xan, although he does not always show it.

The ending slotted in perfectly with the rest of the story.  Instead of ending abruptly, it faded into the ending, and the story came together.

 

What I Didn’t Like

Although this was an amazing book, it had its dark patches.  The biggest problem was after you had read around the first half, it became difficult to enter the world.  Not impossible, just difficult.  I don’t know why, it just felt like I had to be in a certain mood to read it.  I’m not sure if this would be the case with everyone; maybe it’s just me.

There seemed to be an element of mystery about it, but this only got introduced near the end of the book, and by then it was pretty obvious who was responsible.  This isn’t a huge problem, as I know the book wasn’t supposed to be a mystery one, but it still felt out of place.

 

Conclusion

This is a good book that I would recommend to readers of all ages.  It’s really clever, and although it’s sometimes a bit hard to stick at, once you get past that it’s truly brilliant.

 

 

THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO

By Patrick Ness

 

Todd Hewitt lives in a world where you can hear everyone’s thoughts. A world of noise. But just one month away from his thirteenth birthday, Todd stumbles upon a spot of silence. Which is impossible. But when Todd finds a girl, it puts all the stories he’d been told out of place. Todd must find his way to Haven with his dog Manchee and the girl before he turns thirteen.

What I Liked

This book had an amazingly strong beginning. As soon as I read the first sentence, the book had captured me. I couldn’t stop reading it. The characters were exciting and new. They constantly developed and grew. They felt so real I could almost reach out and touch them. One way they felt real, despite the fantasy setting, was because it felt like Todd was speaking to me, and I wasn’t reading it out of the pages of a book. There were deaths in this book and they did not feel out of place. Even though they were sad, they felt like part of the book, and had to be there for the story to work. I was so annoyed and upset that it ended without the plot being resolved (It being in a trilogy), that I yelled, “What?” And possibly ruined the morning quiet. The plot was exciting and new. Even though the spelling and grammar was incorrect, it made the writing seem like it was written directly by Todd. My favourite character was Manchee. He was a loyal dog, and Todd’s affections for him grow over time. The bonus story was amazing, and it lets you see the girl’s point of view.

What I Didn’t Like

Even though the grammar wasn’t a huge problem, when there were fight scenes it didn’t scan well because of no full stops. There was a lot of strong language in it, and sometimes I wasn’t in the mood to read it.

Conclusion

This is a great book (probably one of my favourites), and although there’s swearing in it, I think older bookworms would really like it.

Bye for now!

Miranda xxx

Other Books Written By this Author

A Monster Calls

The Ask and the Answer

Monsters of Men

THE DREAMSNATCHER

By Abbi Elphinstone

 

Every night, Moll wakes up closer and closer to the river boundary, the thing that is keeping her away from Skull’s camp. Until now. Determined to get her cob, Jinx back, she ventures into the camp. Here she witnesses Skull, the witch doctor, perform the terrifying dream snatch, and narrowly escapes being captured by Skull’s men. It’s when she arrives safely back at her camp that she finds out about the Oracle Bones, and the amulets of truth. Along with her wildcat Gryff, and with help from unexpected friends, she will fight skull, and try to find the first amulet…

What I Liked

The characters were interesting, and I constantly wanted to find out more about them! The bad guys sent a shiver down my spine. There were some funny moments that didn’t feel too out of place. My favourite character was Siddy. He was funny, and it was quite sweet how he had a pet earthworm. The action was exciting and fresh, and I didn’t want the book to end!

What I Didn’t Like

The emotions of the characters changed so quickly! For example, Moll was interested in learning about her parents, and the next she was annoyed at Oak for talking about the air spirits. It did a good job at explaining most things, but I’m still not sure what hawking is. I know it’s something to do with selling flowers, but that’s it. I didn’t get to know much about a lot of the gypsies mentioned. This is probably just my problem, though.

Conclusion

I quite liked this book, but it felt a little too easy.

By for now!

(Tired) Miranda! xxx

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

By Neil Gaiman

 

Nobody Owens is a boy with a difference. He lives on a graveyard, completely raised and educated by ghosts. Nobody (Bod for short), thought that he would be safe in the graveyard, surrounded by friends. But he was wrong. The Jacks of All Trades are after him, and they’ve already killed his family. Bod will have to defeat the ones who want him dead and find freedom…

What I Liked

This was an extremely gripping story, and I loved the magical illustrations by Chris Riddel. Some may not like them, but I think they’re nice to look at, and they don’t ruin what I think the characters look. My favorite character was Silas, as he seemed to be the character who felt the most real.

What I Didn’t Like

I wasn’t afraid of Bod dying. This was a big problem for me, as it showed I wasn’t connected to the characters properly. It was a short book, just gripping enough so I could finish it in one sitting, but I wanted it to be a bit longer. Events in it seemed to happen for no apparent reason, for example, there was one character who seemed to be introduced just so they could die later on and get the readers to cry, which didn’t work.

Conclusion

I don’t really know about this book. It felt like it lacked something. When I picked it up and realized it was by Neil Gaiman, I thought, ‘This is going to be good!’ After reading it, I found that the thing that was missing took away the excitement and turned it into something bland. In short, I have mixed feelings.