Saturday 29 June 2013

Review on 'War Horse'




Joey is a beautiful red horse who is taken from his mother at a young age and sold to a farmer. Although the farmer is unkind to Joey, the farmers son takes kindly to Joey and trains him how to be a work horse. However, when the army arrives in town looking for horses, Joey is sold. As Albert, Joeys owner, is too young to join the army, the two are separated and Joeys life changes forever. Faced with the terrors of war, Joey has to get through this alive so that he can be reunited with Albert.

I thought this book was beautifully written and found the narrative style interesting, as it is wrote from the point of view of Joey. Although many of the characters in the book think that horses are dumb and can't understand them, we know this is not true, as Joey explains his thoughts and feelings, letting the reader sympathize with him. We are rooting for Joey throughout the book, and although he meets many kind people, such as a little french girl called  Emilie, we are always wanting him to find Albert again. Although there are no major plot twists, there is plenty of action and there is never a dull moment. The copy that I have is also beautifully illustrated, which helps in telling the story and giving a visual image to the reader. Although this is a childrens book, I would recommend it to people of all ages.




Wednesday 5 June 2013

Review on 'Beautiful Creatures'




Ethan Wate lives in a small, boring village where nothing ever happens. That is until Lena Duchannes moves into town. When Lena inexplainably smashes a window in class, she is immediately shunned by her peers, all except for Ethan. Although Lena lives with Macon Ravenwood, a man who no one has seen leave his house in years, Ethan has a connection with Lena. But why has Ethan been dreaming about this girl for months, and why is she so worried about her upcoming birthday? Ethan soon finds out that Lena is more than just a normal teenage girl

As I love supernatural young adult novels, I thought that I would try this one. The plot is interesting, and it keeps you wanting to find out why Lena and Ethan have such a strong connection. I thought it was well written, and the back story of their ancestors helped explain the characters, and how they are connected through their family. However after the initial reveal of what Lena is, I felt that the subplots were not enough to keep you from wondering what was going to happen to Lena on her birthday, and it felt as if the novel was dragged along until this point. I loved the climax of the novel, as there are a few plot twists, but also some disappointments, as the book seems to be leading up to a big reveal, but then it does not happen, and it seems as if we have to read the sequels to find out Lena's fate. It is a good read overall, but not the best YA novel I have read recently.