The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince

Title: The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince
Author: Serena Valentino
Type: Paperback
Read: 28th October - 29th October 2016
Rating: 4/5
Published: 2016 by Parragon Books

A cursed prince sits alone in a secluded castle. Few have seen him, but those who claim they have say his hair is wild and nails are sharp--like a beast's! But how did this prince, once jovial and beloved by the people, come to be a reclusive and bitter monster? And is it possible that he can ever find true love and break the curse that has been placed upon him?

I love love love beauty and the beast. It's one of my all time favourite disney films ever. So when i discovered this book, i had to get it. Firstly i have to say that the cover is utterly stunning. It's captivating and you want to read it. It's the beast. But on the other side, you have the prince.

This is just a re-telling of the film. So whilst it has bits that are somewhat reconisable from the film, its centered around why the beast became cursed. How that effected everything and everyone around him. How slowly even he couldnt' remember a time before being the beast. How the servants were slowly disappearing before him, only to be turned into thei objects we know and love (Mrs.Potts, Cogsworth..).

The prince is pretty shallow, he wants someone to love him, they don't need to be bright, they don't even need to do anything. Just be a dumb gal. But after breaking the heart of a girl all because she worked on a farm, he is cursed by three witches. Find true love, which is both recieved and given, by his 21st birthday and the curse will be lifted. If not, he will remain an evil beast forever.

The interesting part of this story for me, was that once the curse was put into place, the effects of it, didn't instantly happen. I think maybe thats what we believed happened in the film. But in this take, the curse takes a while to take hold. Gradually the prince turns older and more tired, lashes out more. He's servants disappear. He tries to fall in love but its not real.

I also liked that we got to see or have appearances by other disney villans. Ursula being one. It was a very good mix on the story. At just over 200 pages this isnt' a long book. The writing is pretty large too. I can see why some people dislike this telling but i think imagination is a wonderful thing.  

 

Pretty Is

Title: Pretty Is
Author: Maggie Mitchell
Type: Paperback
Read: 22nd October - 27th October 2016
Rating: 3/5
Published: 21st April 2016 by Orion

Everyone thought we were dead. What else could they think?

One summer, nearly twenty years ago, two twelve year olds
were abducted and kept captive in the forest.
There they formed a bond that could never be broken.
What really happened in the woods that summer?

I liked the basis of this book and for some reason the title. Pretty Is. It's so simple.

I enjoyed the mystery part around the kidnapping of the two girls, who were only 12 and very pretty. The book is split over three sections, with the stories going from one girl to the other. The second part is a take on the book wrote by one of the characters, Lois. Which worked and didn't.

The girls, whilst fair enough were only 12, seemed at times not to worry about being taken. They never asked questions, they never wanted to run, they just accepted. They were both eager to please the kidnapper, who in return, didn't really want alot from them. Just company and for them to stop with the things that they knew best, pagents and spelling bees. But there was nothing else beyond that. I think that was the hard part of the story. The not understanding their desire to stay. Anyone who was taken, weather they got into a car willingly at first, would / should still question why they are not going home.

The story went on to how it changed the two girls, how their lives turned out because of this. After being released, neither girl seen the other. They went off on two different paths in life. One becoming an actress, and changing her name. The other a lecturer and a writer - both still caught up with the kidnapper they named Zed.

Part of me wanted the girls to just grow up (and they were adults!). But even meeting up due to Lois book being turned into a film and that the other girl was going to be acting in the film, they both seemd to want to be the better. They both kinda vived for attention about who was Zed's favourite. I think they were still crazy and no-one around them could ever understand the other. It was just them two against the world.

A Wizard of Earthsea

Title: A Wizard of Earthsea
Author: Ursula Le Guin
Type: Paperback
Read: 16th October - 21st October 2016
Rating: 3/5
Published: 17th July 2010 by Puffin

The first book of Earthsea is a tale of wizards, dragons and terrifying shadows. The island of Gont is a land famous for wizards. Of these, some say the greatest - and surely the greatest voyager - is the man called Sparrowhawk. As a reckless, awkward boy, he discovered the great power that was in him - with terrifying consequences. Tempted by pride to try spells beyond his means, Sparrowhawk lets loose an evil shadow-beast in his land. Only he can destroy it, and the quest leads him to the farthest corner of Earthsea.

I think i struggled with this book far too much than i should have. It's an interesting fantasy novel, but for me the chapters were far too long. I like short, sharp bursts.

I novel is good, it just gave me a hard time concentrating. The young character i had high hopes for. I wanted him to become a great wizard. But he seemed a little niave at times and that shown in the face of summoning the evil spirits.

The book then goes on with him trying to run away from said spirit who takes on a formation of the character, so its a clash. But then deciding you can't always run away from your problems, our hunted, becomes the huntee.

A interesting book nontheless but probably needs another read to truely understand. 

Dumplin'

Title: Dumplin'
Author: Julie Murphy
Type: Hardback
Read: 14th October - 16th October 2016
Rating: 4/5
Published: 15th September 2015 by Balzer + Bray

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

I loved this book. Dumplin, or Willowdean (love the name btw!), is a girl who's big. She knows she doesnt fit in with societys view on normal, but she's happy. Her best friend is her polar opposite, but they work well together. So what happens when Willows crush, actually likes her back? What happens, when her best friend doesn't speak to her and her mums set on clearing out aunty Lucy's things before Dumplin has even gotten her head around it all.

She sets out to take part in the Miss Clover City beauty pageant. And because of her "new" found confidence, three other girls tag along with her.

Okay, so what i loved about the story, besides the name Willowdean. The main character knows she's not perfect. Willow loves Dolly Parton. And she learns that you don't have to follow the crowd. It's okay to be slightly behind your friends in all departments of life. It's okay to not be the first to be kissed, its okay to be jealous of your best friend. It's good to find new friends.

What I didn't like, sometimes i felt Willow was a little selfish, espeically when Millie and co are also trying out for the pagent because Willow is. I think at times when they relied on her for support and guidance, she seemd very into herself and didn't think of how serious she should be taking it.

But i do love the message of this book. It's confident, its positive. Society tries to put us all into a category, big, little, tall, short, etc... but really we're just human. We're all alike and different at the same time. Being ourselves is more important than what society wants us to be.

Go Get it From: Amazon UK | Book Depository | Waterstones | Wordery
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The Art of Being Normal

Title: The Art of Being Normal
Author: Lisa Williamson
Type: Hardback
Read: 10th October - 13th October 2016
Rating: 5/5
Published: 1st January 2015 by David Flicking Books

Two boys. Two secrets.
David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl.
On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan.
When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…

I won this book forever ago. I went into it, without knowing a lot, except one boy wanted to be a girl and the other was keeping a big secret. Now for the life of me, i never clocked onto said secret till it was revealed. Either i'm slow or the book handled the reveal great.

I adored David as a character, he's innocence was wonderful and he's friends were great. I loved when he became Kate and the difference in the two people were mindblowing. Kate was confident, and reveled in the attention, in actually being someone who she wanted to be.

Leo was everything David wasn't. He was fierce, didnt' take prisoners but had a kind heart when you broke through that tough guy exterior.

Together David & Leo seemed a very unlikely pair and i enjoyed reading their change in friendship. I loved how they both understood one another and how eventually Leo gave David the confidence to tell he's family and be true to himself.

The ending of the book, with the prom and Kate and Olivia dancing was the best bit for me. I just loved the whole idea of Kate's sister slowly accepting what was going on.

Go Get it From: Amazon UK | Book Depository | Waterstones | Wordery
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The Silent Hours

Title: The Silent Hours
Author: Cesca Major
Type: Paperback
Read: 27th September - 9th October 2016
Rating: 4/5
Published: 4th June 2015 by Corvus

The Silent Hours follows three people whose lives are bound together, before war tears them apart:
Adeline, a mute who takes refuge in a convent, haunted by memories of her past;
Sebastian, a young Jewish banker whose love for the beautiful Isabelle will change the course of his life dramatically; Tristin, a nine-year-old boy, whose family moves from Paris to settle in a village that is seemingly untouched by war.
Beautifully wrought, utterly compelling and with a shocking true story at its core, The Silent Hours is an unforgettable portrayal of love and loss.

A heartbreaking tale of love, survival during the war. We are told the story via different people and its as the story progresses that you realise how the characters are linked.

I think the story of the sleepy little village in France is truely horrendous, having escaped the war, their town was destoryed because it was just there. No other reason. This book, is partly based on the true story there. How Cesca writes this, you would almost imagine the whole thing happened.

I think Adeline and Isobels, were the most touching of stories, especially the ending. A book has never made me feel quiet so lost before.

This book is truely wonderful, the author used to be a history teacher and you can see that she has delved into this with all the details. I can't wait to see what is next.

Go Get it From: Amazon UK | Book Depository | Waterstones | Wordery
Follow @CescaWrites