Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard Book Review

So I have finally gotten around to reading this incredible book! I finished reading it on Wednesday night at 2am and I have spent most of this week trying to figure out how to word this book review since I was left so spellbound after the ending. 
I would give it 4/5 rating since it took me alot longer to read that usual since I did struggle to get into it but I loved it; the plot, the characters and the world of the reds and silvers was so interesting and unique

So the novel follows Mare, a 17 year old, lowly Red. She is living in a world which is divided by blood (Red and the Silver). Mare survives in this harsh world as thief but when her bestfriend is conscripted into the army, she risks everything to save him. She is soon led to the Royal Palace itself and in front of the Silver King and all his nobles, she realizes that she has a superhuman ability which should be impossible for her to have. To hide this impossible power Mare possesses, she is forced into the role of a lost Silver princess and she becomes betrothed to one of the Silver princes. As she becomes more involved in the Silver world, she risks her position to aid the Scarlet Guard (the rebellion forces), risking her life and the brotherhood of two princes.

This book was an incredible fantasy read and I recommend that anyone that loves the X-Men and Game of Thrones needs to read this book as it is perfect for you! 

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!

Mare, the protagonist, was such a powerful female lead. I love her fierce and independent nature and how she was so determined to protect her family. She always kept her cool and didnt let her love interests influence her which is particularly signifcant since most YA fiction nowadays has the lead character overshadowed by their possible love interests. It was refreshing to have such a badass and complex lead within Red Queen such as Mare.

Fun Fact : I have the exact same birthday as Mare (17th Nov) as we are the exact same age when the book was published which is pretty cool, although I don't really understand how time works in the Red/Silver world but hey

I loved the Red/Silver world, which was so intriguing and different to anything I have previously read about in books. I did feel that there could have been further development of the world but I feel like Aveyard will work to cover that in the second novel. 

I really liked the social aspect introduced within the novel, alot of moral issues (poverty and war etc) were covered which is something I love as it just adds so much to the story and really makes you think. 

I loved the powers that the Silvers possessed, it was such a simple but clever idea 
I would like to dedicate a paragraph talking about Cal (who is my new fictional crush aha!), he was such a complex and interesting character and a great addition to the story! Without his help, Mare would never have survived and i loved how as a soon-to-be King, he left the palace regularly to see how people really lived. Also a tall, dark, handsome and a prince with magical powers ?! Thank you Victoria since I didnt realise how much I needed Cal Calore in my life until I read this book. I just loved his relationship with Mare (the moonlight dance scene was perfect), and his complex relationship with his brother Maven.

Julian was such an interesting character and I really hope he isn't dead since he was one of my favourite characters. His protectiveness over Mare and his friendship with her was so refreshing. 

I loved the Scarlett Guard and Farley! It was great to see another strong female leading a rebellion against the deadly Silvers. They were such a clever and important part of the story and I loved how they were fighting for equality, not dominance over the Silvers, but equality and freedom for the Reds. 

The plot twists in this book left me reeling!!!!! I loved them since I could never guess what would happen next and I was always shocked by them. I mean the amount of betrayal in this novel was unbelievable but Aveyard didnt let it overpower the story. She worked well to provide a balance. 

Can we just talk about Maven !! I really thought Maven was a great guy and I felt sorry for him as a character, growing up in the shadow of his brother but the ending of the book, nearly made me scream. He had betrayed them all. I wasn't expecting it at all either and I am usually really good at guessing plot twists but nope. I was so shocked by his secret alliance with his mother but then again, it all made sense. 

The only plot twist I guessed was about Shade, I mean he couldnt be dead and Victoria get dropping clues throughout the book so it was relieving to see he had survived since he just meant so much to Mare. 

The evil of Maven and his mother, Elena arghhhhh they were the perfect antogonists. For me, I find it pretty difficult to find bad guys within books that I really hate and the thought of them makes my skin crawl but Aveyard managed to perfectly create the evil Silver royals that were Maven and Elena. Even Elena's power was terrfying, I mean she can read your mind and control you, no thanks

I loved this book so much, it was a fantastic read and the ending woah. 4/5
I cannot wait for Glass Sword to be released on Feb 9th 2016

2016 : Resolutions

Every year I always say that I will stick to the resolutions I make but I feel the need to make 2016 extra special, especially with the stresses of exams and responsibilities. I am going to share some of my resolutions which I will hopefully stick to ?

1. Carry On Reading
2. Go for a run at least once a week
3. Drink lots of Tea
4. Prioritize myself
5. Study!!

I feel like posting this on the internet will make me actually stick to these, well hopefully anyway.

Not A Poem Of Love -

I wrote this poem spontaneously whilst at work yesterday and I thought I would share it since I am impressed with how fluent it sounds considering I was half awake whilst writing this. So enjoy I guess?


NOT A POEM OF LOVE

I wonder what it feels like to be loved,
To have the comforting knowledge that someone loves me,
And my every freckle, mole, dimple, scar.
To have someone that will be there for me,
Someone that understands me and my many faces,
Someone that makes me smile and laugh 
Forgetting about everything wrong in the world.

Yet I dont have that luxury,
I am missing a piece of me
No one looks at me like I am a shining star
Bursting with color and magic.
But for the now,
I stand imperfect, among flawed kisses
And a broken heart.

- Verity Alicia Shaw

My Favourite Literary Quotes

I know I have been gone for a while but I thought I would return with some of my favourite book quotes because I love quotes! One of my favourite things whilst reading is finding a beautifully written passage with such heartfelt meaning through just a couple of words.

1. "I just want to spend every possible minute of the rest of my life with you."
- Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire


2. "In the face of pain, there are no heroes."
- George Orwell, 1984


3. "Sometimes there is beauty in the tough words - it's all in how you read them."
- Jennifer Niven, All The Bright Places


4. "Enjoy it, because it's happening."
- Stephen Chobsky, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower


5. "We danced, on the brink of an unknown future, to an echo from a vanished past."
- John Wyndham, The Day Of The Triffids


6. "It was always the becoming he dreamed of, never the being." 
- F Scott Fitzgerald, This Side Of Paradise


7. "Choose life, choose love and always remember to live."
- Holly Bourne, The Manifesto of Being Interesting


8. "If bad luck knows who you are, become someone else."
- Jandy Nelson, I'll Give You The Sun


9. We're fickle stupid beings, with poor memories and a great gift for self destruction."
- Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay


10. You said, 'You are not doomed to a star not when there are brighter stars in other galaxies.' and I believed but I knew I was doomed to you because you weren't just a star, you are a galaxy."
- Anna B, Songs For Red

18 (The Things I have Learnt)

So tomorrow it is my 18th birthday and I will no longer be classed as a teenager but instead I will be an 'adult' which is both exciting and terrifying. I am going to go through all the things I have learnt whilst being a teenager and hopefully they will help those of you that are younger than me:

1. It Is Okay To Stay At Home and Not Go To That 'Party'

Parties are great but it doesn't matter if you decide to stay at home and relax. It is always important to make sure you have time for yourself and reading at home or having a hot bath with bath salts is an amazing way to relax and have some 'me' time.

2. Falling In Love is Overrated

I learnt the hard way that you shouldn't spend your time chasing after people that aren't worth your time, sometimes things aren't meant to be but that is okay.
If it is meant to happen, it will happen.

3. School is not the most important thing in the world.

There is alot more to life than academics and it is important to not let yourself become overwhelmed by the workload. Take one thing at a time and never leave essays or assignments until the last minute. Work to the best of your ability and it is okay to receive criticism to your work because next time you can improve it and make it better. 

4. Books are Underrated

Whenever I am having a bad day, I always pick up my favourite book The Day of The Triffids and I drink alot a green tea. Somehow it always makes me feel calmer so don't forget about the books. You can explore new worlds with your mind, escape reality for a couple of hours or you can just learn new facts. Don't forget about the books.

5. Know Your Limits 

Make sure you know when to stop drinking.

6. It is okay to spend time alone.
Read a book, watch a movie, go on a walk, think. I find I work best when I am alone and I learn alot about myself when alone, it is not always a bad thing.

7. Forgive Yourself 

8. As bad as it might seem, there are people out there that do care.

9. Go to gigs.
Spending the entire night dancing, moshing and singing along to your favourite bands lyrics with thousands of other people will be one of the best things you will ever experience. I have had so much fun and met so many amazing people from going to gigs, including one of my really good friends.

10. Travel.
Some of my favourite memories are from when I went travelling or exploring. I remember really well how me and friend went on a spontaneous trip to Glasgow, we just caught a train and explored.

11. Love Yourself
This is something I am still struggling with but I am making small steps every day to embrace myself more and more.

12. Try New Things
Even if it doesn't work out, you will have funny stories to tell.

13. Never Feel Pressured To Do Something You Don't Want To Do
If you don't feel comfortable, don't do it. It doesnt matter whether or not it seems cool or fun or it is just what everyone else is doing, you shouldn't feel pressured to join in and that's okay.

14. Talk to People
I have met so many amazing people just from talking. Only the other day, I shared a table with a guy in a coffee shop and we just sat and talked for a couple of hours and he told me about his life. As terrifying as it might seem it is definitely worth trying.

15. Your Most Embarrassing Moments Will Be The Best Stories
I can't even begin to tell you about all the embarrassing things I have done in my lifetime but they are honestly the best stories I have to tell. They make me me. I am that clumsy girl that falls down stairs but I honestly feel like they have made me who I am today.

16. Be Honest
There is nothing worst than lying.

17. Chocolate Makes Everything Better
Chocolate is just great, enough said.

18. Write Down Everything
I have kept journals throughout my life and as mortifying and embarrassing they are, I love them. They reflect on who I used to be and who I am now and it's pretty cool to see how much I have changed since I was 12. Writing is underrated but it will be worth it when you look back in a couple of years.

I Love November

November is by far my favourite month of the year but I guess thats due to many reasons:

1. November is my birthday month (17th November) so I am usually doing alot of celebrating, bad dancing and eating lots of cake. I will be 18 in 8 days which is crazy.

2. I have been at school for 2 months so I have a lot of work to do before Christmas break, its also pretty hectic especially with my subjects since they are all essay based so that means coursework!.

3. November has now become my 'The Hunger Games' month and anyone that is a fan would agree with me. I am currently spending alot of my time trying to keep up with all the cast interviews/TV Spots and Premieres. (Tomorrow - 10th November, is the one year anniversary since I met THG cast at the London Premiere, which is crazy and I still don't really believe it has happened or that it has been a year already). I had the most incredible time and I tend to spend most of November reminiscing on one of the best nights.

 4. It is cold and rainy but it is hot chocolate weather which makes it the best time of the year.

5. I am going to gigs: I am going to see Walk the Moon on the 25th November for my birthday (S/O to Ritchie for being wonderful and getting me tickets). So I spend alot of my time listening to their music and getting overly excited because my favourite band are actually playing in the UK and I will be seeing them live!!

6. Mockingjay Part 2 is being released"!!! which means I need to reread the books and rewatch the films before going to the midnight screening on November 18th. I am not prepared for it all to end.

So I guess what I am trying to say is, despite the fact I am not posting I am doing other interesting things so please let me know if you would interested me in giving you weekly updates on my life since I am currently doing alot of exciting stuff which is kinda unusual aha

I Disappeared Again? (Updates)

Again I am sorry for being inactive, I really wish I was far more consistent but hey I have been extremely busy and a lot has happened since I last posted. 

So first thing, I got an offer from Cardiff University to study English Literature within 24 hours of me sending off my applications which was incredible and so unbelievable since I thought I had no chance of getting an offer. Mainly since my sixth form had told me repeatedly that it was unlikely I would get a place on such a competitive course so I have been very happy over the past few days since Cardiff Uni is my first choice uni. 

I have also been to 2 gigs since I last posted. On thursday 22nd Oct I went to see Nothing But Thieves in Manchester for the second time and they were incredible. The only downside was that since im 5'4 and I had two giants stood in front of me the entire gig, I did struggle to see but these kind guys stood next to me moved up so I could see which helped aha.

I would definitely recommend seeing Nothing but Thieves live since they give such an intense and incredible performance and you will be dancing all night. Me and my friends also got to meet Conor and Dom who were so lovely after the gig. Conor even remembered us from when we met him at the Young Guns gig which was very cool.

I also went to see Amber Run on friday night which I am still recovering from aha! We had to walk 6 miles to get to venue (long story short we were dropped off at the wrong end of Manchester and suprisingly we managed to navigate ourselves without getting lost). It was such an incredible night and we managed to get right to the barrier. I started talking to the two girls stood next to me (Ellie and Charlotte) and they were so lovely. 

After the gig, I somehow managed to grab Joes plectrum (the lead singer). We then got a picture with Ellie and Charlotte who were the nicest girls. 

*I'm the girl on the right*

*Again I'm the girl in the middle and my two bestfriends Milli and Mol are on the right of me*

We then got to meet the entire band (Amber Run) after the gig which was amazing and the band were so lovely and cool. They signed my gig ticket and if I am honest, the Amber Run was probably one of the best gigs I've been to since the atmosphere and the performances were just incredible. 

I am going to try my best to upload as much as possible but since November is going to be an extremely busy month for me (I will explain this in another blog post) I am unsure if I will be posting as much as often but I am determined to keep you informed on my life and all the stuff I am doing.