A Book Review | Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Rating: 3/5
Pages:599 

When I picked this book up last month is was simply an impulse buy. I'd never heard anything about it before but I was immediately intrigued by the blurb, it also helped that is was in a buy one get one half price deal. I'd previously read the "Uglies" series by Westerfeld and was intrigued to read something of his that was less dystopian.

This book is split into two stories...literally the chapters alternate between the two. The first chapter and following alternating chapters follows a girl called Darcy who is a YA novelist writing her first book called "Afterworlds. The other half of the chapters are Darcy's story "Afterworlds" and follows the Protagonist Lizzie who has recently escaped death after being involved in a terrorist attack at an airport. 

For the first half of the book I was very conflicted by this writing style and I thought that Westerfeld should of just left "Afterworlds" as the actually story and then bring out a companion book following Darcy as she creates her novel. I felt that in the early chapters following Darcy it almost gave spoilers to "Afterworlds" and it really took a lot to get my head around this writing style. However throughout the book I never saw one story being more interesting that the other, I was equally intrigued into both Darcy's and Lizzie's lives but reflecting on the book I do think I enjoyed Darcy's side a little more as I found the whole publishing experience fascinating to read about.

One feature of the book is that Lizzie's chapters are edged with black therefore just by looking at the spine you can calculate how many chapters are left and for me this is really satisfying 

One plot aspect I found really refreshing was that Darcy developed a relationship with a girl. This was an aspect that I'd never come across before in a YA book or any book for that matter and I was really drawn into their relationship. This aspect made the book extremely current and probably more relatable to a Lesbian/Gay audience.

Overall I gave the book a 3/5 stars, I would of liked to of given it a 4/5 but the ending was somewhat disappointing as it ended on a chapter with Lizzie and from Darcy's chapters we knew it would be left on a cliff hanger as Darcy had a sequel lined up. So yes a few questions  left me wanting more and I would be intrigued to see if Westerfeld creates a sequel for Afterworlds.

Until next time, Sophie.

Book Review | Joan Rivers - Diary Of A Mad Diva

Pages: 289
Rating: 3/5
©Sophie Sternschuss Instagram 

So after reading The Book Thief I was in desperate need of reading something more light hearted and an easy read. So I decided it was the perfect time to read Joan Rivers "Diary Of A Mad Diva" which I picked up last month (actually 2 days after her passing). As you can see from the image above this little gem is a signed copy and as soon as I saw it I grabbed it and put it in my basket! Its amazing to think she once touched this book and seeing as it was the only signed one there it was definitely meant to be that I had it. 

Needless to say this book is Joan therefore should probably be read from the age of 16 upwards as it contains adult themes and bold comedy on somewhat sensitive issues. At the front of the book Joan/her publicist states that this book should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt! I say if you didn't like Joan's humour don't read it. 

This book is unlike Joan's other books as it's in a diary form covering a whole year (2013). She doesn't necessarily write every day and somedays all you get is a sentence or two but realistically who really sits everyday writing pages and pages in their diary? I certainly don't. This book is just shy of 300 pages so its easily read within a day or two and would be perfect to read by the pool or beach. For the more avid readers this book would be really good to read between long books or to get through a reading slump. 

I found it really poignant to read Joan's entry's around her birthday as she talks about being 80 and her thoughts on dying. The same with her new years entry as she talks about ringing in 2015 which we now know won't happen. 

Overall this book is just a good laugh, an easy read and should be taken very light heartedly. 

I gave this book 3/5. 

Sophie

The Book Thief | Book & Film Comparison

Pages: 552
Film Length: 125 minutes
Book Rating: 5/5
Film Rating: 5/5

Book Review

So this was my second time reading The Book Thief as I first read it about 3 or 4 years ago. I chose to pick up The Book Thief again as I finally managed to get my hands on the DVD and I wanted to compare the two. The first time I read The Book Thief I was studying GCSE History therefore it was really relevant to my work as we were looking at Hitlers rise to power and the ww2 period. This book opened my eyes to this whole genre surrounding the Holocaust and I've been hooked ever since.

From reading it the first time I remembered the general plot line however I couldn't really remember how it ended. I also remembered little things such as the mentioning of Jesse Owens as me and my classmate were able to discuss this with out teacher as we'd both read the book. Overall I really remembered enjoying the book and the way it was narrated. 

Second time around my views were the same, I was still a little unsure of death narrating the book and giving slight spoilers to the rest of the story but as the book went on it just fitted so well and was a very unique aspect. As expected I instantly warmed to Hans Hubermann (Liesel's new father) and I could see that Liesel's mother did love her she just had a more disciplined view on things. 

Spoilers- If you haven't read the book or seen the film I suggest you don't read on as I talk about the end of the book.

Second time around and I was still saddened by the ending and Liesel being the only one to survive the bombing. I feel this really says something about the book as it gave as much impact as if I was reading it for the first time. On the other hand I was overjoyed that Max survived and was able to return to Liesel however I wanted to know what happened between them in the following weeks/months.

Film Comparison

Going into the film I didn't know what to expect from it as I didn't know any of the characters and I hadn't read any reviews on it either. From that I can happily say that I loved the film and it really brought the book to life. Yes there were things that didn't look how I imagined them to be, for instance I expected the Hubermann's house to be smaller and for Himmel Street to be one straight road). I felt that the cast for the Hubermann's was perfect as I again warmed to Hans Hubermann and disliked(at the start) Frau Hubermann. 

One character I did like more in the film than the book was Rudy. He had such a cheekiness to him that I instantly adored and I bawled when he died on the street. 

One scene I felt was the most poignant and powerful was the Kristallnacht scene where Jews were being thrown out of their houses and their businesses destroyed. The singing of the Hitler Youth alongside this bought a sense of innocence to the children compared to the outrageous acts of the party members. 

Another aspect I didn't anticipate for was how big the Mayor's house was, it was just huge!

One of my favourite scenes was the snowball fight in the basement. I loved how they snuck the snow in and really brought the fun side out of Frau Hubermann ( I think this was her turning point in the film). 

A few things I wanted them to include more in the film were:

-Seeing her Father swap seats on the truck and therefore saving his life

-Liesel actually seeing Max in the parade of Jews.

-There wasn't enough concentration of Liesel actually being a thief. 

-Hans Hubermann being a non party member/sympathiser.

Now I know if they had included more it would of been 3 hrs long but I felt that these were some really important parts and in some cases there just wasn't enough emphasis.

I also feel that in the film you're made to assume more that death is narrating whereas in the book its almost told to you. 

Overall I really enjoyed the film and book and would definitely recommend both.

Sophie

A Book Review | Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Rating: 3/5

Pages: 470

So I've definitely neglected this blog for a while mainly due to finishing my course at college and then withdrawing from my course at uni ( I may go into this in more detail at a later date but for now its still a little raw). One thing I also regretfully have been putting on the back burner is reading, I did quite a bit at the end of August when I was on holiday but since being at uni I had no desire to read. However today I finally finished "Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver.

When I first picked up this book back in early September I was excited to read something else by Oliver as I previously have read the "Delirium" Trilogy ( click here to read my review on the series). However I quickly realised that this book wasn't grabbing my attention and that I wasn't fully engaging with the characters.

The plot line follows a girl called named Samantha Kingston who is in the "popular" group at her school. Early into the book we learn that one Friday night she is in a drink driving accident which leads to what she thought was her death. However the next day she wakes up reliving that Friday morning and the same thing happens the day after that and the day after that. 

At the start of the book I took a huge disliking to Sam and her 3 friends as they came across mean, overly cocky and that nothing or no one could touch them. However as the book progressed and Sam was made to relive more and more of the same day she started to change how the day panned out and started to realise why she is disliked so much. She tries to put right some of her past mistakes and becomes a better person and by the end of the book I appreciated her efforts however I still wasn't overly fond of her character. 

As the story unfolds I feel that Sam starts to listen to her own mind rather than being brainwashed by what her other popular friends think. We also learn that each of Sam's friends no matter how popular they are still keep a dark secret or have an issue they'd rather not talk about. 

The rest of this review contains spoilers to the plot line and ending therefore do not proceed unless you have read the book.

One aspect I did like in the book is the relationship development between Sam and Kent as Sam finally sees that he isn't as weird as the populars made him out to be and she remembers the bond they had when they were younger. This relationship is one of the reasons why I hated the ending! You get so wrapped up in the idea of them being together that I just couldn't imagine Kent having to live without Sam. I also feel that when Sam throws herself into the road to save Juliet its left a little misty as to what happens next and we're left to guess. Personally I wanted to know how Kent and Sam's friends were feeling after her death and why Sam was living in the state between life and death. Naturally I wanted there to be some kind of loop hole that meant Sam could carry on living her "new life" as if that Friday night accident was all a dream.

Overall I was a little underwhelmed and I am yet to be wowed by Lauren Oliver's work.

Sophie 

Book Review - The Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver

Finally! I have just finished the Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver! It taken probably over 2 years from reading Delirium for the first time to reading the last page of Requiem. This is down to the fact that I wanted to read the series straight through and therefore waited till they were all published and I owned all 3 books. 

In this post I will first be doing a non spoiler overall thoughts on Delirium and the whole Trilogy. Then I will be doing a semi- spoiler version of the other two books.

Pages: 441

Rating: 3/5

The series is a dystopian set of 3 (with a novella series that I am yet to read). Delirium takes us to a future USA that is trying to rid its people of Love and at the age of 18 gives them "the cure" to take the "disease" away. It follows a girl called Lena who is weeks away from getting the cure, but like all dystopian novels it's not that simple. Her and her friend Hana meet a boy who makes Lena question the cure and it's reason for it. 

I did enjoy reading Delirium (for the 2nd time) but something about it, and I'm still not sure what, doesn't grab me like some other dystopian worlds. Maybe it was because it seemed a little predictable that the character Alex would come into Lena's life. Having said that though the ending was completely unexpected and actually left me a little angry that Oliver had written it that way! I was so wrapped up in the storyline that it was definitely a cliff hanger and a heart stopper! 

If you like romance and dystopians then this would be a good book to invest your time in. Just make sure you know what your getting yourself into!

Read on only if you HAVE read Delirium, to write a review of Pandemonium I have to spoil the 1st book!

Pages: 375

Rating: 3.5/5

We finish Delirium with Lena in the wilds alone. Now Pandemonium is written slightly differently, it is written in two periods of time( and jumps between them throughout the book). "Then" which directly follows Lena after she jumps the fence and begins her journey into the wilds and "now" which is currently whats happening to Lena. We're not told how long ago "then" was but I assumed it was a couple months up to a year in the past. The "then" portion allows us to follow Lena as she becomes accustomed to the wild lifestyle and how she is taken in by a group of invalids. The "now"section starts with Lena in New York on some sort of mission to spy on the DFA (Deliria free America).  However in doing this she is captured by a group of Invalids called the Scavengers along with Julian Fineman the youth leader of the DFA.

I found it interesting to see how Oliver went about carrying on this series and it definitely kept my attention despite such drastic location changes. Due to the more action based theme I think I liked this book a little more than Delirium and that is something you definitely have to keep in mind that this book will have a completely different setting and feel.

Read on only if you HAVE read Pandemonium, to write a review of Requiem I have to spoil the 2nd book!

Pages: 391

Rating: 3/5

Requiem is the final book in the Delirium Trilogy and I had really high hopes for this book that I'm afraid the ending didn't live up to (this is something i've heard quite a bit from other booktubers on youtube). Requiem is again written differently from the first two books; its told from not only Lena's POV but also from Hana who we only heard from in the 1st book. 

Now hearing Hana's side was something I really liked reading about and was probably my favourite bit of the book. We follow Hana after she's had the cure and the events leading up to her marriage with the mayor's son. I felt it was nice to see how things were still getting on in Portland since Lena's exit and how the mayor and his son were dealing with the cure and invalids.

With Lena we see her and her camp move to a refugee sight where hundreds of invalids live and see them make plans to defy the cure and the government.

DON'T READ ON IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE WHOLE TRILOGY!

So here's where my problem lies... the ending. Oh my the ending was bad in my opinion! I felt like it really didn't bring the trilogy to some sort of resolution and it felt that Lauren Oliver just rushed to finish the book! I remember getting to about 20 pages left and thinking just how is she going to finish this? I think it needed at least another 50 pages or even another book to the series! The bit where Hana walked away from her husband and house I felt really needed concluding, did the house blow up? Did she meet up with Lena again? 

And then the whole love triangle was sort of just left for us to assume Lena got back together with Alex, but what happened to Julian? 

I just feel Oliver could really of put so much into the ending that just wasn't there! What happened after the wall went down, is this happening in other cities? What does the relationship become with Lena and her mother?

So as my final conclusion I am a little upset that I gave so much time into this trilogy only to be given a half hearted ending that leaves you with so many questions!

If you've read Requiem let me know what you though of the ending

Sophie x

Boots Makeup Haul and mini review!

So the other day I was in need for a new concealer and or foundation. For the past 12+ months i've been using the same tube of Cliniques "Anti Blemish solutions clearing" concealer in shade 1 and it seems to never end! I really cant fathom it to be honest I usually use it 5/7 days a week and being a hormonal teenager apply quite a bit. So I thought enough is enough I want something with better coverage and a better colour match. Alongside these thoughts I was also debating wether to get a foundation to help with overall coverage. 

So heres where Boots steps in, for a while now I had seen their new No7 match made service where they take their "gadget" and press it against your skin which photographs your face for its colour match. I asked my friend if it really worked ( as she has tried it) and she said yes and really liked it! So I thought lets give it a go! They photographed the same side of my face twice( unlike the advert where its both sides, my friend also said they did her neck) and the result came back with two matches! So the consultant tested each on half of my face. The first one I thought was a little too dark and because I don't tan it wouldn't really be suitable in the summer either. So the other colour "Calico" matched perfectly! 

No7 Stay Perfect foundation - £14.00

No7 Match Made concealer-£7.50

As you can see I got the No7 Stay perfect foundation in "Calico" and the corresponding match made concealer also in "Calico". I've been wearing both for a couple of days now and really like them both, I feel the colour is a great match and I really like the finish the foundation gives on the skin. It has a medium coverage which is good for my teenage acne prone skin! Finally I also have quite dry skin and this foundation really is quite moisturising.

Essie Polish in Toggle to the top -£7.99

The final thing I got was this Essie nail polish in "Toggle to the top". I think this was part of their Christmas/winter collection but I couldn't get any of the collection to mid January and finally I found this one now late February. I've currently been wearing this polish for about 5 days now and as you can see from the image below there is very minimal chipping and its mostly just wear on the tips. I applied 2 coats with a topcoat and the colour is a dark burgundy colour with red glitter pieces. One thing I did find is even with a topcoat the polish feels a little bumpy as if you can feel the glitter on the nail but it doesn't really bother me.

I hope you enjoyed this mini haul and review I hope to have a fashion haul up at some point in the near future!
Sophie x

Its a pin thing.

One thing I collect is Disney pins and pins in general. I have been collecting for about 10 years now so as you can imagine my collection is quite big(or what I feels big for someone living in the UK as appose to the USA). I keep all my pins on 3 cork boards and thought I'd share every now and again some of my favourite pins.

Today I have picked 5 Disney ones however in future I will share some of my Non Disney ones.

1. This is probably my favourite and most treasured pin! One of my favourite attractions at Walt Disney World is the "Carousel Of Progress", its a "ride" (if you can call it that) that not only offers about 20 minutes of air conditioned seating but takes you through the evolution of technology and family life in various decades from 1800 up to "modern day" (although this could be updated). Im still not 100% sure why it appeals to me so much as its not the most popular of attractions and it does frighten me that maybe in 10-20 years it might not still be there. I think when I was a child I was fascinated that the seats moved around the stage and the really catchy theme song "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow"and now its just become a nostalgic memory. Now before I go into even greater lengths about the attraction lets get back to the pin! This pin was part of the "Piece of Disney History 3" collection. It was limited edition (3500)and in the clear glass bubble contains small bits of feather from the a audio-animatromic bird that features in the attraction. I bought this pin of Ebay and actually collected the pin and met the dealer who was helping her son sell his pins as he was no longer interested in them.

2. This pin I got very early on in my collection, my dad would go on business trips to the USA and brought me back 6 from this stamp collection. This one sticks out most to me though as I remember wearing it one year for my birthday due to the design of the pin. This collection came out in 2006 and was a collaboration between Disney and the US Postal Service.

3.This stitch pin came out in 2006 and I believe there are a few variations that were made, or at least this is what i've seen on Pin Pics. Again this was one of my very first pins and I just think its adorable!

4. This Mary/Minnie Poppins pin (what a mouthful!) Is one of my most recent additions which I got last summer in Florida. I got it at a flea market, which can definitely be a questionable source to buy from, however I do believe this is a real pin unlike some others I annoyingly purchased there. Mary Poppins is my favourite Disney film so I love this pin. It was part of a carousel set and I believe there is a matching Bert/Mickey pin! Its LE of 1600 and came out in 2008.

5.This final pin of Minnie came out in 2008 (and I think is still available), I got this one as its just so realistic to how my mornings look! I love this design so much I have also got the matching mug!

I love collecting Pins and would love to share more of my collection in the future!

Sophie x

Book Review - After Auschwitz by Eva Schloss

One genre of books that I really enjoy reading and learning about are those set in ww2 or involving the holocaust. My dads side if the family is Jewish so I naturally am interested in that period of time and have read numerous non/fiction accounts and stories. 

After Auschwitz is told by Eva Schloss and is her account of living during Nazi reign and how her family were sent to Auschwitz. Although I have read a lot of personal accounts and fictional stories this story really stood out to me, I'm not sure if this is because of the fluidity in which it was written or the harrowing stories she recalls on. 

Eva is actually the step sister of Anne Frank and has helped to carry on her legacy and work. Pre war, Eva was friends with Anne, not best friends but they lived opposite each other therefore there families knew of each other. Post War, Eva's mother married Otto Frank and together published Anne's diary.

I wouldn't go into reading this book though if you want to know more about the Frank Family, if you're looking for a book like that I really suggest "Anne Frank Remembered" by Miep Gies who helped to hide the family and work for Otto.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and in the first day read 200 pages and then finished it the next day. I really liked the family letters that were woven in and it really gave that sentimental touch.

Pages:336
I give this book 4/5
If you like Holocaust accounts you may like this book

Sophie 

Book Review - 172 hours on the moon by Johan Harstad

My first book read in 2014 is complete! 172 hours on the moon or Darlah as it is known in other countries is a sci-fi/horror book written by Norwegian author Johan Harstad . It is set in the year 2019 and follows 3 teenagers who are given the opportunity to spend 172 hours of the moon with a number of other astronauts. 

Throughout the book we are reading through the perspective of these three teenagers which usually I would find a little confusing however because they are of different sexes and of country origin it makes it a lot smoother to read. 

The layout of this book I find really interesting and visually pleasing. It is split into three sections which group the three different stages of the book:pre launch, in space and back on earth. At various stages in the book there are full pages which show a picture or diagram which help to support the sometimes lacking detail. At some points I felt the author could of set the scene or location better therefor these images really helped not only to fill this gap in the book but to also visualise it from the point that we ourselves haven't visited the moon and that makes it even harder to imagine.( Quick note that in my book these pages would transfer the ink like crazy and I would get thumbprints on various other pages).

Personally I would of loved to of heard more about the teenagers training process prior to the launch as I feel this was just skimmed over and referenced here and there; however in the grand scheme of the book it didn't harm the plot line not to be included.

Throughout this book there is a second small side story that we keep coming back to of an old man in a retiring home called Mr. Himmelfarb, we get the feeling that he knows something about the real reason for the mission and this is revealed towards the end of the book.

I felt this story really kept me gripped especially from part 2 when they are in space. Harstad would include little sentences here and there that made me really question Nasa's reason for going back to the moon and what or who is really out there! I find the idea of being in space scary and this book really reenforced that to the point it would give me chills. I found that the last third of this story was really unpredictable and was surprised that it was wrapped up so quickly. I found the ending a little confusing and even had to look on wikipedia to fully understand it! I do feel that this book could of been given a sequel if it didn't' have the end mission statement which helps to wrap it up.

Overall I found this a really interesting stand alone book despite it having a little less character and location building than I would of liked. 

Pages: 368

I give this book a 4/5 

If you liked the "Across the Universe" trilogy you may like this book.

Sophie 

Books I want to read in 2014

My target for 2014 is to read a minimum of 40 books, below is a list of some books I really want to get to reading this year!

1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth 

Believe it or not I still haven't got my hands on this book, now this for a few reasons:

• I'm waiting to order the US cover so it matches my other books as I really dislike the British editions!
• Im trying to finish up some of my other unfinished series
• Finally it means i'm going to have to re-read Divergent and Insurgent, I have quite a bad memory so I tend to forget book plots easily

2. Jump Ship by Josh Shipp

This is Josh Shipp's second book that was released mid December, i've read his first book called "The teens guide to world domination" it is an amazingly inspirational book that I would recommend to any teenager who's questioning people in their life or what to do with their lives. In this second book Shipp advises on how to turn your passion into a profession. 

For anyone in the UK you can get shipps books off Amazon or The Book Depository. 

3. 10 things I hate about you by David Levithan

10 things I hate about you is one of my absolute favourite films partly because the cast includes Heath Ledger! I really want to read the book that inspired the film however this book is extremely hard to buy and I will have to do some major searching to find it.

4. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

In 2013 I heard nothing but good things about this book by various booktubers and knew it was something I was interested in reading. It is part of a trilogy which is why I've hesitated to start it as previously stated I want to tie up some unfinished series.

5. Requiem by lauren Oliver 

Earlier this year I read Delirium which is the first book in this trilogy, it is about a dystopian world who are trying to cure "love". I remember really liking it and proceded to buy Pandemonium ... however I still haven't read it! My thoughts are to buy this book and just read through them all then I can just pick up the next book and not have to wait.

6. Legend by Marie Lu

This book had been on my " To be read" book for nearly a year! I first saw it on Elle Fowlers Vlog channel in one of her glitteratures. It is a trilogy but I definitely want to set time aside for it!

These are just a few of my top books that I want to read this year, if your have any recommendations then leave them below and also let me know what books you want to read this year.

Sophie

New Year, New Blog!

So 2014 is going to be the year of blogging for me ( or thats what I hope). I have created Sophie Helyn to be able to write about things I love and share my interests with other people and if no one reads this then it will simply become an online diary that I can look back at in 20 years and see what interests I had.

I'm still not 100% certain of what I want to blog about but I feel it will include book reviews, beauty and fashion posts and also lifestyle posts. I hope you will join me on this journey and I look forward to blogging in the future!

Sophie