REVIEW | Whiter Than Snow by Matthew Eldridge

****this book was sent to me by the author on a read to review basis, although it is available in both Kindle and Paperback edition, and those links will be left at the end of the blog post****

Title: Whiter Than Snow

Author: Matthew Eldridge

Available on: Kindle, Paperback

About this book:

Whiter Than Snow was sold to me as a fairytale re-telling of the infamous Snow White. You remember her, right? Disney princess, lives in a cottage with seven dwarves who each have their own personality and nickname that defines who they are? The woman who eats the apple and basically temporarily dies? Yeah? Thought that would bring back the memory!

**Please be aware that this may not remain spoiler free, however, it will remain as spoiler free as possible**

In this fairy tale re-telling, we follow the main character, Princess Margarete as she embarks on life. However, there is already a cruel twist of fate at this part. Why? She doesn't know she's a princess! She was rescued from the evil clutches of a witch at birth, after the witch convinced her parents that the infant was in fact dead. So as the King tended to his dying wife, the witch fled with the 'dead' infant. She does get rescued however, and is secretly sent to live with a former help of the Queen, Lucinda. This is where Margarete learns all there is to know about cooking, cleaning and general upkeeping of houses, which pays off massively later in the book. 

And all of that just happened in the Prologue!

We then hear the beginnings of the story of Prince Phillip. Throughout the book, the story jumps from one area to another, and although this may sound confusing at first, the author makes it work really well to suit the narrative and links everything together quite nicely, and rarely are you left confused.

Throw in a couple of love interests, a new horrid Queen, a teenage girl and her emotions and some  historical movements - nothing too difficult to follow, although they add to the story quite well, and this makes for a pretty good read!

-I did actually start keeping notes when I first began reading this, however, I got so engrossed I kind of forgot to keep up with note taking!-

**THIS NEXT SECTION WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS SECTION IF YOU WISH TO REMAIN SPOILER FREE**

Okay, so where do I begin?

First of all, I fell in love with the relationship of Jack and Margarete from the beginning. He seemed so sweet and genuine, and it broke my heart that she was so uncertain of her emotions throughout the book. I understood her feelings towards both Jack and Phillip, although I did envisage her spending the rest of her life as a Queen married to Phillip with Jack on the side. Until that event which kind of killed that image!

The Queen (new, not old) was the perfect "bad guy", and I did wonder what it would be like for her and Queen Mary to team up, rather than hate eachother. I also liked the concept of the Queen taking a bite out of an apple too, as I saw it as a sort of comeuppance.

THE ENDING.
Oh my god the ending. It drove me bonkers! It was a little too familiar to Romeo and Juilet for my liking, and although Phillip didn't kill himself, I kind of expected him to do so. I really did feel sorry for the King at this point though. He had lost his second wife, AND his 'new' daughter, all in 24 hours? He had everything he could have wanted and then had it all so brutally taken away, I kind of wished I could have climbed through my Kindle and given him a massive hug!

**SPOILERS ENDED**

So, overall, I really did enjoy this book, and for that reason I am giving it a 3.5/5 stars. Why not five?

I didn't really enjoy the ending, in my view fairytales are supposed to be all happily ever after, although I do realise that this is a re-telling and people interpret things differently. However, this does mean that this cannot be open to a sequel, which I am pretty pleased about, as many books are created as standalones before suddenly being transformed into series' or trilogies. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairy tale re-tellings, or someone who loves to indulge in YA every now and again without having to feel bogged down at the thought of attaching themselves to another series!

I read this one pretty quickly for me, it took me 12 days to read from start to finish, and at roughly 360 pages long, you'll fly through it too!

Thanks for reading, if you wish to purchase the book the links are below. But for now, I shall leave you with the following:

"In one small journey the world between royalty and peasant collided, erasing social class momentarily"

Kindle Edition: http://amzn.to/1DramKs

Paperback Edition: http://amzn.to/1DrasSf

BOOK REVIEW: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Hello everyone! Today I finished Gone Girl, and whilst the book is still fresh in my mind, I thought I would share my review of the book!

Now, for anyone who doesn't know about Gone Girl, where exactly have you been?! The book was turned into a film that was shown in the U.K over the summer last year, and has been a hit pretty much worldwide. However, me being the type of person that I am, I found myself seeing the previews and wanting to read the book! So I picked up the book from my local supermarket for £3.50, instead of its RRP of £6.99, and it has sat on my shelf ever since, until a couple of weeks ago when I picked it up on a whim after getting bored of my last read!

So what is Gone Girl about?

Gone Girl centres on a couple, Nick Dunne and Amy Dunne (who also goes by her maiden name Amy Elliott, as well as Amy Elliott-Dunne), and is set in a diary format, almost. Each chapter is an entry of theirs, although it doesnt have the usual 'dear diary'. Each chapter title contains their name, and how many days after a certain event takes place that the entry has been made. What event I hear you ask? Basically, Amy disappears, and everyone blames Nick. Cue a book centred on him finding his wife, and proving his innocence. Although things are not all they seem!

***This next section of the review will not be guaranteed spoiler free - if you have NOT read the book, please skip ahead!***

Now, I really do have some issues with this book, which are not exactly spoiler free (another warning!).

I really dislike Amy's character. I mean, she has always been a bit odd (according to her previous entries) in the sense that as soon as she has someone on her team, that actually likes her for her, she starts to push them away at the first sign of them knowing her "too much". Personally, I do believe that this is because she's seemingly under the impression that she knows there is always someone else who can replace the "friend" in question, which is wrong on so many levels.
And then she grows up.
And she is just as bad, if not worse!
I disliked how she basically plotted for a whole year to pull off the disappearance, and the fact that everyone is on her side and believes her because 'why wouldn't you believe this beautiful woman?' is actually an option also disgusts me. The more I read Amy's chapters, the more I wanted to kill her myself.

AND...faking a pregnancy? Killing a  man? Faking your own death? If you dont love your husband anymore, just leave, don't go batshit crazy to make sure he never leaves you out of spite or even pity.

Nick on the other hand...

Well, Nick Dunne. You beauty of a man. I had already seen the trailers so could mainly picture Ben Affleck when reading Nick's chapters but hey, every cloud! The more I read Nick's chapters, the more I supported him. Probably because I was reading Amy's chapters in between and I genuinely felt sorry for the poor bloke, I mean wouldn't you? Regardless of him being a cheat (which goes back on ALL I've said in the past), for someone who supposedly loves you forever to then turn around and fake her own disappearance/death just to make sure you're arrested so you never get the chance to move on from her? Nah, step too far.

***Spoilers end here (or will try too)***

Now, I've vented my thoughts on the characters whilst stating spoilers so lets cut to the chase.
Amy is a character I really dislike.
Nick I feel sorry for.
Go is great!

One other gripe I had with this book is its format. Not in the diary sense, I do believe that is a good idea. Although I think perhaps doing Nick's sections first up to the turning point in the book would be great, followed by Amy's story from the start up until that point. From there, I would probably alternate as already done by Flynn. This way I do believe would allow us to connect to Nick better in the sense of blaming him and then feeling extremely guilty and upset at that turning point.

Overall, I give the book THREE out of FIVE stars. I felt it could have been reorganised to suit the story better, and ultimately, I want to kill Amy myself.

Have you read the book or seen the film adaptation? Or perhaps both? Please let me know in the comments what you thought of the book, I'd love to hear from you!

VISIT: White Scar Caves

So, I know this isn't a usual 'look at this book i read' kind of post. Today, I am going to talk to you about White Scar Caves, as I recently visited there with my other half (i.e the driver since he drives and I dont) and had a wonderful time!

White Scar Cave is classed as being in North Yorkshire (Ingleton to be precise), however, do not let this deceive you! North Yorkshire goes quite a distance across the country from the East to the West! It takes roughly two hours to get there from the North East depending on traffic, so it isn't really too bad, and can be done in a day! We left at about 10.30am (later than we have done for day trips that way in the past) arrived there for half twelve, and had the tour at one.

This was after we left, as I forgot to take a picture before we went in!

After you pay your entrance fee (£9.50 per adult), you then move on to get your hard hat - which is a necessity! The people who work there make sure its fit on your head properly, then once it is, you're off! Each group gets a tour guide, who walks you to the first stopping point and talks you through health and safety before telling you about the tour path and the story behind the caves.

The first stopping point. This is a dummy dont worry, and was used as an example of just how tight a squeeze it was at the beginning of the initial discovery!

As you head through the caves (roughly a mile long trip there and back, so not too long really) there are points of interest where you stop for a couple of minutes with your guide who talks you through everything regarding that focus area, as well as some low points. These low points mean you do have to bend a little here and there, but nothing too strenuous nor for too long.

There is also a 'tight squeeze' area. I say area, I really mean just one corner. Named so because there isnt enough room for you to walk straight on through that and the other wall, you just have to twist and duck a little. Again, no cause for concern!

Throughout the tour, there are little focus points, where the stalagtites have had droplets falling and forming new formations underneath, including a very convincing withces hat and a questionable judges head!

After you see all there is to see below, you then head up some metal stairs to the grand finale, a beautiful cave of long thin stalagtites. It really is something that makes you think and admire the beauty of the world we live in. Unfortunately, due to the unstable nature of the formations, flash photography was not advised, so this was the best I could do...

As we made our way back along the caves to leave, we also spotted some lovely fossils woven into the formations, which was something I wasn't expecting at all really!

Upon entering the real world again, we returned our helmet and it was surprisingly misty. It took me a mere second or two to click on that actually - IT WAS SNOWING! This made me so happy, so I went a bit camera crazy on the journey home too!

 
 

Overall, White Scar Caves is a place I would defintely recommend you to go to. It is not claustrophobic in the slightest (I'm not particularly fond of tight spaces and I was fine!), and if you feel uneasy your guide will support you! For more information, please visit www.whitescarcave.co.uk.

To wrap up this wonderful little blog piece nicely, I thought I'd leave you with the following beauty I took on the way home! Ciao!

All photos in this blog have been taken by myself, and are subject to copyright.

2015 so far..

Hello everyone! Today I thought I would post an update on just what exactly I've been up to since 1st January rolled around. Some of these are just a statement, and others will be in more detail, and some may even get their own blog posts in the near future! So, lets see what I've been up to.

1. I enrolled at college. Again.

Technically not again, as I went to a sixth form (basically the UK's version of high school. where you stay until you're 18) when I left comprehensive school at sixteen, followed by university, so college is kind of a new experience for me!

2. I started a placement in order to support number 1.

Self explanatory really, other than the 5.30am starts, I cant really complain much, other than tiredness!

3. I have currently completed two books for the year, as well as put one down and I am in the middle of three!

I dont know how it happened, but all of a sudden I'm going from reading Starter for Ten, to reading Starter for Ten + Endgame, to those + Gone Girl! At least my vow to be more productive and loving towards my TBR pile is staying true!

4. I've used the days off from work that me and my boyfriend have off at the same time to do a bit of travelling nearby. From Washington (near Newcastle) to places such as Richmond and Keswick, I've enjoyed these proper date days so much, they really do help you to understand just how much you love that person and why they make you happy.

5. I've been to the UK's largest open cave! Side note - I'm not sure if that is what it is classed as, but that's what I was told!

hint.... I'll be blogging about that too!

6. Inbetween all of this, I've been working and doing coursework, so my crafting has had to take a side step...

7. Because of 6, I am going to post about my stitching in the next few weeks, as I have a few ideas planned and would like to share them all with you!


So, there you go! It seems pretty boring because there's no images, but my planned posts, as suggested above, will contain plenty to make up for the lack here!!

What have you been up to in 2015? Have you got any places you would recommend visiting in the North/North East UK? Please do let me know in the comments below and I'll get back to you!

BOOK REVIEW: The Enchanted Orchards by Kristin Maddock

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of blog (roughly 5 weeks, oopsy) activity, I've been busy getting myself settled into my new course and placement, it's going well! Plus, I have a journey of roughly 40 minutes each day on my own, perfect time for those little 'sessions' of reading!

Today, I bring you a review of The Enchanted Orchards by Kristin Maddock. I got this book for free on my Kindle, and after picking it up and putting it down again and again, I finally managed to finish it at the start of the month.

The basic gist of this story is that the main character has lost her sister. Not lost as in the middle of Asda and not being able to find her, but lost as in died. For the majority of the story we don't know why or how, we just know she has died, coming up to a year ago, and the family are still really struggling to come to terms with it. Our main character, Fern, throws herself into her work at the local diner, whilst also trying to find some sort of faith other than her current one, as she is struggling to come to terms with grieving for her sister through her religion. Her mother sits and prays all day in the home, and has gone from being a woman who bakes, laughs and smiles, to a woman who shuts herself off from the world, praying or pretending to clean. Her father attempts to make effort with his daughter, but we find him becoming more and more withdrawn, only talking to his wife during arguments and practically ignoring his daughter in the process.

So we spend quite a bit of this book witnessing this family's derailment from 'normality'. Until Rocky Lee shows up. Rocky Lee is a farm boy from the town who moved to the 'big city' to study. When he returns, it causes a stir in the town, and Fern. This is where the book goes from depressing to cheesy.

We witness Fern falling in love with Rocky, but in all the stereotypical ways. From avoiding him, to almost kissing him a billion times, I found it go from being sad, to being very tiresome. I found myself only wanting to finish this book because I'd started it and I hate to leave books unfinished, so to see that I was nearing the end I was quite pleased.

Overall, this book rates 1/5 stars. If you're into very cheesy, stereotypical books about teen love then by all means, read it and let me know, you may find it very different to me. Yes, the book deals with difficult issues (which you will find out when you read), and I can honestly understand and sympathise with that. But I found the book to be quit negative in the rest of the aspects, which is not what I was wanting from this book.

Have you read it? What did you think? Please feel free to comment below with your views!

Between Shades of Gray - Review

Hello to all you wonderful people reading my blog! Today - known as 'Blue Monday' in the UK (apparently the saddest day of the year?), I am bringing you a review of my most recently finished book. In fact, I finished it last night, and gave myself the night to sleep on it and let my feelings toward the book settle.

This cover matches the one I already own, however, there are other covers available.Image found here

The Book Title: Between Shades of Gray

The Author: Ruta Sepetys

Year of Publication: 2011

Rating: 5/5 stars

THE REVIEW

This book is unbelievable. I know I don't seem to say this alot about a book so this must therefore be the best thing since sliced bread, but it isn't. It is harrowing, graphic in parts, and upsetting in most parts. Yet it is intriguing and interesting and you cant help but read it. And that is why I love it as much as I do.

I got this book from another Blogger/BookTuber who was doing an unhaul, and therefore got it at a bargain price. I've always been interested in war reads, both fiction and non, so to get this at such a good price just made it more desirable.

This book follows the story of Lina, her brother Jonas, and her mother Elena. In the initial pages, this story also features her father, but unfortunately they get separated. The story is set in 1941, in the midst of the Second World War. However, this isn't a stereotypical war novel, as it doesn't focus on the Jewish trauma. Instead, it focuses on a Lithuanian family and their fight for survival when they are taken by Soviet guards in the night. Initially they are taken to farming grounds, where they are put to labouring work, including hopping wood for fire, farming beets, and in the first instance of work, Lina, her mother and one or two others end up digging their fellow prisoners graves.

After a lengthly period of time (I am not too sure how long this book spans over, as there are a number of lengths of time mentioned, the longest being twelve years), the family and a number of others are listed as to be moved. However, the closest friends the trio have made in the camp have not been included on that list, including Andrius, a boy Lina had befriended on the very first train journey after being taken. The family are moved to the Arctic, where they are forced to build brick houses for the NKVD, while in their spare time they have to build their own protection from the winter storms in whatever form possible.

I really do not want to spoil this book for anyone who hasn't read it, however, I am now going to speak about the book and include spoilers. Please scroll down to the end of this post for my thoughts on the book (as spoiler free as possible) if you wish to avoid somewhat key spoilers.

***SPOILERS BEGIN HERE***

This book had me tugging at my heartstrings from the very moment the family got taken by the Soviets. I found myself hoping and wishing that Lina and Andrius stuck up a proper friendship, if not more, and as I found my frustration growing at the pair through the book, I was relieved for them when I got to the end.

I did feel for Andrius and his mother, although I imagine there would have been ways he could have made it less obvious that he had his own bunk with his mother, such as dirtying himself up a bit when visiting Lina and her family, rather than constantly being clean shaven and well dressed etc. However, I did feel for his mother, who towards the end of Linas time in the first farm, featured less and less. I could never imagine having to agree to sell my body (for free) in order to spare my childs life. I did feel, however, that he author portrayed this area of the story well, especially the way Andrius copes with this on top of the loss of his father. 

The scenes in the cattle carts, with Ona and her newborn child, were horrific, yet felt as though they were necessary, in order for us to be reminded every now and again that the newborn, born on the cattle truck itself after Ona had been snatched from the hospital, was truly innocent in every aspect of the word, and did not deserve to be born on that cattle truck, nor did it deserve to die after only days, with her mother following days later herself for being unable to cope with the grief.

***SPOILERS END HERE***

I believe that the author has done a very good job in every sense when writing this. The novel is written with the use and influence of first-hand family accounts and memories from the survivors of Stalins reign of terror. I believe that the author has done a fantastic job of portraying these tales, and for this reason, I am highly recommending it to anyone who will listen. 

I do feel that if you have never picked up a war novel before, that this is not something you should go into believing that it is all hunky dory and things will turn out okay in the end. Although this is the case for many, the aim of war novels is not to paint a pretty picture of these experiences, but it is to make it so that the readers understand the sacrifices made by so few (or many in the grand scheme of things) for the sake of the freedom of so many.

If you do choose to read this book, please go into it and put all war novel information you know to one side, as it does no book any favours to constantly compare it to another. This book is a divine book in its own right, and I believe Ruta Sepetys has done an amazing job of portraying the harrowing scenes, not just of the buildings or the goings on, but of the characters as well. 

How to get out of that reading slump!

found this one here - thanks Pinterest!

We've all been there. We find ourselves coming to the end of an unbelievable book or series and we just don't want to get over it, so we refuse to pick up another book for a day or two to let ourselves get over it. Then those one or two days turn into a week. A week turns into a fortnight. And so on. Until before you know it, it's been six months. Yes, you've tried to dabble in a few books here and there, but nothing quite takes your fancy at all, so you stop reading that book. And then suddenly, you pick up a book and just....WOW. It's as if you've never had that slump.

Sound familiar?

Well, you most certainly are not alone! I myself have felt this way, as has a very good friend of mine. And yes, I am well aware it sucks. So how do you get out of that reading slump you ask? Well, here are my tips!

1. Find a book you love to read, or really want to read but haven't yet.

This sounds stupid, but ultimately, if you know you love a book, or series, pick it up yet again and start reading! Not only will you rekindle your love for a series once more, but you will fly through a series of books in no time and crave the feel of the pages yet again!

2. Take the time out to find a new book YOU want to read.

Yes, it is great being a part of possibly the best YouTube and blogging and Twitter community possible (booktube by the way), as there are so many good readers and people in that community who would go to the ends of their bookshelves for you! Many people recommend their favourite reads, or reads they didnt think they would like but did, and all of a sudden your TBR pile grows, just from these recommendations. But then you look back and think 'did I actually want to read that book, or is it on my list because they suggested it?'. If it's the latter, TAKE IT OFF THAT TBR. Go to a bookshop instead of staring at your TBR undecided as to what to read. Find an attractive book. A cover that pulls you in. Read the synopsis. Sound good? Buy it. Not only have you found a new book that YOU want to read, but the cover will also look gorgeous on your shelf!

3. Stop staring at your TBR pile/shelf.

thanks again Pinterest! Found here

Honestly, this does not help at all. There's only so many times you can look at the pile and find it attractive to read. If it's as long as some peoples, you'll have no problem staring at that pile because you WILL find that book you want to read that will pull you out of that slump. But if you find yourself staring at the pile and not getting anywhere with it - stop. Try a new format, such as reading from a laptop or e-reader. Avoid looking at that TBR pile until you're ready too. Don't feel pressured to pick your next book from the pile that never seems to stop growing - seriously, what were you thinking when you picked up that book and added it to your TBR? Is it the best one to get you out of your slump?

4. Sit comfortably when you start that next book.

Be it in bed, on a park bench, in a library, heck, even on the toilet. Read where ever you are at your most comfortable. It's no good if you find yourself that perfect book from tips 1 and 2, yet sit on a seat of nails to read it. Unless of course, you like spikes up your bum. I found that taking advantage of an 'early night' helped me tremendously when I was in the slump. I found that book, and got myself all cosied up, and just read to my hearts content. Now, i am a decent way through my current read, and always read best when I'm in bed. Why? Because its my most comfortable position, and the position that revived my reading.

5. Have fun.

Make sure it's a book or rhythm you enjoy. What do I mean by rhythm? Almost like a habit. If you enjoy curling up with your book while watching TV, do it. If you enjoy having a cuppa and a biscuit with your book, do it. If you enjoy listening to audiobooks on a run, do it. Do whatever you want or enjoy doing in order to make progress with that book. Immerse yourself in the book, get lost in it's world. Fall in love with its bad boy character. Hate that bad guy. Ultimately, if it adds to the reading experience in a positive way that you enjoy, just do it.

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And there you have it. My top five tips to get yourself out of that reading slump! Now, I'm off to put a bigger dent in my book!

Do you have any tips for people who are stuck in a reading slump? Have you been in a reading slump yourself and want to offer help? Are you currently stuck in that reading slump? Please please please comment below with your thoughts. And if you're stuck in that slump, who knows? Maybe myself and other bloggers can help you climb out of it!