Just Listen



The Author: Sarah Dessen 

Published: July 5th 2007

Pages: 371

 

Synopsis: I'm Annabel. I'm the girl who has it all. Model looks, intelligence, a great social life. I'm one of the lucky ones. Aren't I? My 'best friend' Sophie is spreading rumours about me. My family is slowly falling apart. It's turning into a long, lonely summer, full of secrets and silence. But I've met this guy who won't let me hide away. He's one of those intense types, obsessed with music and totally unafraid of confrontation. He's determined to make me listen. Will I ever find the courage to tell him what really happened the night Sophie and I stopped being friends?

 

What i thought of the cover: Pinks, Oranges, purples and whites can a cover get any more girly. The answer being yes with the different style of graphics ranging from flowers to hand bags to underwear and every little image is somehow in it’s own way related to the story.
I give the cover a 4 out of 5

What i thought of the story: For the longest of times I’ve always heard about Sarah Dessens books and how good they are so when I saw one in my favourite book charity shop in St Andrews I though might as well give it a try to see what I think. So just plunging in to Just Listen I had no idea what to expect other than it’s a about a teenager having a fall out with a best friend, having family trouble to cope with and a guy though I can honestly say I never expected to what extent either of these three topics had involved. What I really liked about the story most of all was that there was more than just one message through the story, Don’t be afraid to speak up, be proud of who you are and also it’s not always about you, so really one message being put out to the reader through each sister. Another thing I really liked was that the whole point of the story was to show readers that you don’t know what someone else’s life is like even though it may seem perfect to you. I can’t wait to check out more of Sarah Dessens books which hopefully are just as good if not better.

Over all I give this story a 4.5 out of 5 stars

Now I will listen to music like I’m enlightened

  The Daughter Of Smoke And Bone

The Author:  Laini Taylor 

Published: September 29th 2011

Pages: 418

 

Synopsis: Errand requiring immediate attention. Come. The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came. In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole. Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

 

What i thought of the cover: If it wasn’t for the shiny metallic cover that caught my eye then I probably wouldn’t of spotted this book and picked it up. It’s a nice simple feather design with a mixture of blues, Purples and silvers that give it a very nice colour coordinated feel and it’s as if you can almost see the feathers in reality. The titles also interesting as it’s not all the one font giving it that little spark of individuality. The back of the cover is also impressive with the silhouette city scape giving it that mysterious kind of aura and also giving the reader an idea as to what it‘s like to be in the characters world. 

 

I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars

 

What i thought of the story: When I first started reading this book my first thought was that it was too boring and that I would end up not enjoying the story whatever it was at all. However just because something starts off boring doesn’t mean it will stay that way throughout the book and I have to say that in this case it defiantly get’s more interesting from the slow start at the beginning. So I’ve never really read any books with chimeras, especially with them being a major part of the story only the fullmetal alchemist manga really if that counts so finding out about them and what type of world they live in gave a good insight as to what the author imagines in this world of mythical bests could be like if they exist in a world of there own. Also having Karou (main character) somewhat involved in that world and making her life in the human world as a art student made it all tie together rather nicely leaving the reader guessing till the end what the connection is. There’s also the angels which gives an interesting twist with seeing them for the most part as the bad guys rather than the heavenly good beings we all think angels to be. I’ll admit I love stories where romances start with two people totally despising one another and in this case as well it’s almost a little Romeo and Juliet thing going on.
Overall I give the story a 4 out of 5 stars

It truly is better to hope than to wish