Stars Above (#4.5) by Marissa Meyer

13 May 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Fantasy, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 2 February 2016 (print)/14 June 2017 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Pages: 400/9 hrs and 28 mins
Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
★   ★   ★   ★ – 4 Stars

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier, Wolf, transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard, Jacin, realize their destinies?
With six stories—two of which have never before been published— Stars Above is essential for fans of the best-selling and beloved Lunar Chronicles. 
Meyer gives readers a collection of stories that could easily have been in the main books it felt so familiar. You fall right back into the world and it is like you have never left. Reading these short stories after finishing the entire series was a great way to revisit well known characters and see their origins and learn how they ended up where we find them in the main storyline. Some stories are heartbreaking, well, most are heartbreaking in their own way, while others are a fascinating exploration about details and moments that were once only snippets and moments briefly mentioned that we now get to explore more fully. Meyer has given us a chance to delve deeper and see the full story of how these characters came to be who they are.
My favourite stories would have to be the ones where we see how Cinder ended up with Scarlet’s grandmother and seeing Winter and her life in the palace. Meyer tells such a compelling story I was drawn right into the tension and the drama, fearful for young Scarlet and the secret that was hidden on the farm and loved to see Winter’s life in the palace. These aren’t necessarily stories we do not know, these histories are explained in the main story by various characters, but never at this depth; so while we learn how Cinder was kept safe, being able to read it as it happens through the eyes of Scarlett’s grandmother Michelle Benoit was a different experience entirely.
The final story is one set after the events of the novels. The entire cast come together and we learn what has been happening with everyone since the end of Winter. It was the perfect ending to the series, it wrapped it up without feeling unnecessary or rushed and being able to know the futures of this mix of characters I’d come to know and love was amazing.
This conclusion to the series goes beyond doing it justice. We’re given origin stories, answers, a more in-depth exploration of character back stories all with the same magical and familiar feel of the books. I loved every story in this, including the new stories, it was fabulous to read and work out from the clues which fairytale was being retold. This is perfect for any fan of The Lunar Chronicles and a fantastic farewell to the series.

You can purchase Stars Above via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Isla and the Happily Ever After (#3) by Stephanie Perkins

29 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 2 Stars, Audiobook, Romance, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 14 August 2014 (print)/14 August 2014 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Dutton/Books on Tape
Pages: 339/8 hrs and 37 mins
Narrator: Grace Experience
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Romance
★   ★  – 2 Stars

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

I can’t really complain, it does what it says on the tin, it is a happily ever after. It’s a book of a perfect romance and a perfect love. Can’t really argue with that.

But I am still going to.

I disliked it from quite early on. I don’t know whether it was Isla’s voice or when I realised it was all falling into a perfect set of circumstances. I know it’s a romance, but even the romances I have read don’t lay it on so thick.

It is saccharine and aside from that technically there was nothing wrong but it felt uneventful. Isla and Josh have always loved each other, they get to be together, everyone is ok with it. The minor issues are barely issues and are overcome, and nothing bad ever happen. So much so something has to be fabricated to have some kind of conflict but it felt hollow. Like Perkins needed to have something bad before she wrote a book that sounded like a fairy tale romance. But even a fairy tale romance has some kind of real drama to overcome.

So we put up with this everything is perfect for the first half of the book, and by now I am begging for something to happen. Not dire, but some real conflict or consequential plot. I ended up skipping chunks, even the promise of cameos from other characters in the series wasn’t enough to keep me going. They are a blink and you’ll miss it moment so they may as well not be there. I ended up skipping through a lot of the second half of the book. Which from what I’ve read is more of Isla being utterly obsessed with Josh and their relationship and having no other personality.

I’m pretty sure I liked Josh on his own, but I needed him to stop treating Isla like a perfect and innocent person. Isla even does it herself by mentioning how she shocks people when she swears because no one expects someone so petite to swear. What does that even mean?

I did like how Isla and Kurt’s friendship was demonstrated. I liked how she fought for him, and stood up for their relationship. I also liked how she took him for granted, it gave some realism to the story about how knowing him for ages meant she sometimes became selfish and overlooked his needs. It was a nice break from the lovefest. I needed more of Kurt in the book though because Isla was exhausting and Josh and Isla together were exhausting.

Having someone knocked up on pain meds is a great way to break through the shyness barrier and have your characters confess things to each other, but the story needed to bring itself down to earth for the rest of the story. Even though the ending was ok, I didn’t have any interest in them because of course everything was going to work out for both of them. Everything was fixed and they were living their best lives. At least there was a small amount of growth you could point at.

You can purchase Isla and the Happily Ever After via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Every Last Suspect by Nicola Moriarty

24 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Australian Women Writers, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Published: 04 June 2024 (print)/04 June 2024 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia/Bolinda Publishing
Pages: 384/8 hrs and 56 mins
Narrator: Claire Warrillow, Eva Seymour, George El Hindi, Jessica Stanley
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Domestic Thriller/Mystery
★   ★   ★ – 4 Stars

Complicated, driven, loving. Manipulative, irresistible, monstrous.

Love or hate her, Harriet Osman is impossible to turn down. But someone in her life has finally snapped, leaving her lying in a pool of her own blood. Harriet isn’t one to die quietly though, and she is determined to reveal her killer before she goes.

Was it her devoted husband, Malek, with a violent past? Her best friend and lover, Victoria, with a deadly secret only Harriet knew? Or the new woman in her life, fellow school mum Karen? The one with an impeccable reputation … or so she says.

Bullying, friendships and games (in and out of the bedroom) combine with envy, lust and revenge, creating a darkly twisted tale of drama and suspense where the question isn’t who killed Harriet, but why did it take them so long?

I recently heard Moriarty speak at the Newcastle Writers’ Festival and was intrigue by her new book. I’ve enjoyed her books in the past and the premise was interesting and a different way to approach a mystery and a whodunit. The victim uses her dying moments to try and work out who has killed her. Who would have a motive to harm her? If only it could be figured out before she died then maybe she could leave a clue to those who find her. It piqued my interest and I was curious to see how it played out, especially Moriarty’s discussion about having a character who was unlikable, but balanced to also gain sympathy from readers.

I enjoyed the breakdown of the points of view, the three suspects Harriet believes could be her murderer. As we get each perspective we see how Harriet has influenced their behaviour and impacted on their lives in ways even they couldn’t imagine.

One thing I love about well done mysteries is having characters who can be complicated enough to have depth and feel real on the page, but also needing enough motive and be the kind of person who could kill someone. Moriarty does this incredibly well because as these lives play out in the Western Suburbs, the almost parasitic way Harriet has infiltrated their thoughts and their lives is enough to make you think they have a chance to risk everything to get payback.

The possible motives of the characters are fantastic and I loved the complexity and unique way everything is revealed. The surprise/non surprise party for Harriet is a great way to gather everyone and I loved how it’s a jumping off point to set things in motion as well as bring everything to a head.

The representation of messy families, jealousies, fears, hidden pasts, and semi toxic friendships is wonderful and nothing ever felt false or overdone. Each character brings their history and personality to the story and you could feel their real lives being impacted by Harriet and her actions.

I loved how complex Harriet was. She is a mean girl, a toxic friend, a person everyone loved and wanted to be friends with but could also burn you at the slightest thing. She was flawed but not entirely bad either and having her deductions in her own head as she dies it gives us an insight into her motives that beautifully contrast how those motives are perceived by everyone around her. Her flaws and own short comings make her be perceived in a harsh light, more than she intends, but she is also in no way completely innocent either. Moriarty has balanced her wonderfully.

The ending is deeply satisfying because not only is the revelation fantastic, the wrap up is incredibly clever. Things you don’t think are important come back, and things that felt important weren’t or they are in a different way. Unconnected things become connected and there’s misleads and expectations that don’t come to light. All the while making you think if some things had been discovered sooner would they have made a difference? You’re never really sure and it’s a great thing to leave readers thinking about.

You can purchase Every Last Suspect via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

 

 

Lola and the Boy Next Door (#2) by Stephanie Perkins

15 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Young Adult Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 1 June 2011 (print)/11 October 2011 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Usborne Publishing/Books on Tape
Pages: 384/8 hrs and 59 mins
Narrator: Shannon McManus
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Romance
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

I am well behind the hype for Perkins’ series, though I did experience all the Anna hype at the time, it took me a few more years before I got a chance to read it. But then I never continued with the series. I’m not sure whether Anna didn’t drive me enough to want to keep reading, or it was one of those ‘one day’ books and then suddenly years have passed. The important thing is, I was not a fan.

I don’t think enough was put on the fact twenty one year old Max got together with Lola at sixteen. I know Lola is our perspective so it’s not going to be balanced but I didn’t like it. By the time the story starts Lola is seventeen, Max is twenty two, and they’ve been dating a year was a surprise, I thought it was relatively new. I couldn’t understand why a guy in a band, who tours the country, old enough to drink and be in bars would be ok dating a sixteen year old. One still in high school, with all the childish drama, and be happy with that? It’s not like he was eighteen or nineteen. Are we meant to think it was because he really cares about her? It adds another level when he starts calling her Lolita and all the red flags already raised are suddenly waving around.

Lola’s parents do the best they can in her situation – making Max have weekly meals with them, keeping track of what they’re doing in a non-invasive way. Lola admits that they know if they enforce anything harsher or make them stop seeing each other it would only push them closer. It doesn’t stop her lying and sneaking around though despite the trust they’ve put in her.

Her dads were great characters, and I really enjoyed their scenes and their relationship with Lola and one another. They were fun and interesting and supportive. The Norah element was interesting and spread nicely through the story. You can definitely see Lola being burned before by her birth mother and being the selfish person she is having little understanding of what it means beyond her own feelings.

Aside from the Max thing, the actual story was fine. Lola is a quirky girl who goes to extreme effort in her outfits and how she presents herself. It’s amazing she gets away with it at school, but it is a creative hobby for her.

The whole story arc with Cricket and his family was interesting and I liked how it naturally came together by the end. I can see how everyone thinks it’s sweet and it is, but at the same time Lola doesn’t deserve Cricket. He’s too nice for her.

So much of the praise for this book goes towards Lola and her relationship with Cricket, which isn’t for most of the book. She’s angry at him, wary of him, slowly comes to be ok with him all while still dating Max. Her issues with him are valid, though her absolute fear at them returning was a tad over the top.

Once the story focused more on Cricket and Lola’s friendship the story was better, with a title like this you know how it will end, I just wish there’s been a better way to get them together without having to read about creepy Max. There was enough hurt feelings and history to build on where we didn’t need to normalise that kind of relationship.

You can purchase Lola and the Boy Next Door via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Long Lost Review: Winter (#4) by Marissa Meyer

10 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Audiobook, Long Lost Reviews, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , ,

Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally’s Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have no recollection of reading the book at all. 

Published: 10 November 2015Goodreads badge
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 827
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
★   ★   ★  ★  ★ – 5 Stars

Winter by Marissa MeyerPrincess Winter is admired for her grace, kindness and beauty, despite the scars on her face. She’s said to be even more breath-taking than her stepmother, Queen Levana…

When Winter develops feelings for the handsome palace guard, Jacin, she fears the evil Queen will crush their romance before it has a chance to begin.

But there are stirrings against the Queen across the land. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even find the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter claim their happily ever afters by defeating Levana once and for all?

Depressingly I was so sure I had review notes for this so now I’m wondering if I imagined it. It was a five star read, I remember reading it, and yet I can’t remember what happens in it. I think 2020 wasn’t the year to read books you want to remember the plots of. Either that or I read too many books, it pushes the old ones out. The other option is of course I shouldn’t wait years to write the review and maybe take some notes.

This is a monster book, exceptionally long but thankfully I read it during a time I had plenty of time and nothing else to do so I got to really appreciate it. It is also a stunning conclusion to the epic build up we’ve had since Cinder and everything comes to a head in a thrilling conclusion. I remember loving the drama and the tension, everything is about to happen: revolution, all the planning and the plotting, the unification of our four heroines and their love interests.

Amazingly I remember less about this book than Cress and it’s probably twice as thick. I don’t remember feeling bored, or that the book dragged on due to its length. I think Meyer uses the pages well and with so much planning around the revolution I understand the effort to include it all. She’s paced it beautifully. If it was less detailed you just know someone would then complain they managed to overthrow a kingdom too easily if there wasn’t any war talk or detailed plans. Besides, this is the story. It’s about rebellion and about secrets and taking people out of power who aren’t easy to overthrow. It takes planning. We’ve had three books of love with a side of rebellion, now we get to rebel.

I am a bit sad three out of four of these reviews have been Long Lost Reviews. I feel like I’ve done them a disservice not reviewing them properly since I loved them so much. Which is ludicrous, the amount of reviews I’ve seen over the years which were some variation on “I loved this book!! 5 stars!!” and nothing else which have been perfectly acceptable. But it’s like that rule: it’s fine for others, but not fine for me.

I’m not sure if I could get a reread in of Winter to review better, it was a massive undertaking, even in audio form, which I think is how I got around to finally finishing the series in the first place. But I did love it, I remember thinking it was a fantastic conclusion to the series and an amazing way to bring together Winter’s original fairy tale (Snow White), as well as the overarching plot we’ve seen teased since Cinder.

In conclusion, I loved this book!! 5 stars!!

You can purchase Winter via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries