Fictional Bands I Wish Were Real

And *coughcough* Cute Fictional Band Members...

If you've hung around on this blog for a while - if so, hey ;) How are you doing? - then you probably know about my obsession for music, in particular bands. I also love reading books and watching television shows with bands in (I'm living the dream in my head because no one in my friendship group likes the same music as me) and it's always really annoying when you discover that they aren't actually real. So here is a list of fictional bands I wish were real, and the reasons why.

Where's Fluffy, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
If you're particularly careful at reading this blog, you might have noticed that - well, I've brought up the book/ very inferior but still enjoyable film "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" a few times. Namely here in which I discuss the playlist of the film briefly, and this one in which I did a short review. In the film, the characters are on a soul quest to find the elusive indie band, Where's Fluffy, but in the book the characters actually get to see the band play, (they're a punk band in the book) and we learn quite a bit about them. With songs like "Take Me Back, Bitch" and "You've Got That Just Fucked Look Yoko", they were named for "the fucking apathy of a xenophobic fucking nation oblivious to the fucking terror its leaders wreak on the rest of the world because they're too busy worrying if their cat might be stuck up a tree or something." Apparently they can actually "play instead of wail like fucking pop-punk goof offs." And they open their shows "pro-NRA, anti-choice, homophobic - to remind their listeners what's worth fighting for." They advertise their shows by scrawling graffiti in toilet stalls. I'm sorry, but tell me that you don't want them to exist. I dare you!

Sex Bob-Omb, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Technically, this fictional indie rock band recorded some songs as part of the film based on the graphic novels, but that doesn't stop me wishing they actually existed. With a great semi-nerdy name like "Sex Bob-Omb", a badass female drummer Kim Pine, Scott Pilgrim on bass, Young Neil (as biggest fan and understudy bass), and Stephen Stills - vocals and guitar; I can totally see why Knives loves them. Who cares if we know from the novels that they are "average" and that Ramona, Wallace and Julie hate them. My love for this band has (cough) nothing (cough) with my out of control crush on both Scott and Young Neil. No sir. With songs like LaunchPad McQuack, Erasmus the Enchanter and Herself the Elf, I can completely sold! They have to exist! In volume three, Kim says "We are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff!!" and as a bit of an emo, to be honest, this is sometimes just what I want in a band.

Dingoes Ate My Baby, Buffy The Vampire Slayer
The music of Dingoes Ate My Baby was actually composed and performed by real life band, Four Star Mary; but the songs are mostly backing - we don't see that much of the band. I don't see why though, because what we do hear of the rock back is great, and with a logo and name as snazzy as theirs is, I don't see why they can't come to my hometown, and um, live there. If they weren't fictional, of course. And yes, I know they broke up because Oz left to go be a werewolf elsewhere, and I know that the only formal review they got wasn't great - but Willow loved them and I completely trust her judgement. I also think that Oz was one of the best characters - "I mock you with my monkey pants" and he knew a lot about amps, so he must have been good at bass, right?

Big Fun, Heathers

Sure, it was all a ploy for JD to mass murder everyone in school. But hey, they have a good name, and the song "Teenage Suicide, Don't Do It," well the title at least shares good messages right? Okay, I lied, maybe I don't wish this one was real...

The Weird Sisters, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
With songs like "Do the Hippogriff" and "Magic Works" (no shit, Sherlock), these guys were good enough that Dumbledore hired them, and I like to imagine that Dumbledore had pretty awesome taste in music. Right? Right. Among the band's instruments were a set of drums, several guitars, a cello, a lute, a double bass and some bag pipes. When performing in Hogwarts during the Yule Ball, they performed on a magically-appearing stage, which, puh-lease, I totally need that kind of the technology. They were all very hairy, apparently and wore "artfully torn" black robes - which makes them sound all kinds of awesome. To be honest, I was sold when I learnt that they played the bag pipes and the lute. Who doesn't want a sassy band like that?

Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, The Muppets

God, I love The Muppets. This band debuted in The Muppets: Sex and Violence, and that pretty much sums up just how edgy this band - the band with the world's best band name - really is, despite the furriness of the players. With Dr Teeth on keyboard and lead vocals, Animal on drums (god, I love you Animal!), Sgt Floyd Pepper - the original hipster - on bass, the sexy sexy Janice on lead guitar, Zoot on saxophone and occasionally Lips playing the trumpet, this is one band I completely want to get in on. There's a reason "Muppets Treasure Island" may well be my favourite film, and it is largely due to these players.

I suppose I'll just have to continue loving these bands in my imagination...*wipes away a solitary tear*

See you later

Bella

Killing God: Review

Warning: Mild Spoilers

My god, was this book good. Good? Fabulous, amazing, heartbreaking, spirit warming, scary. Name an emotion, and to be honest this book probably will evoke it. Disgust? Check. Nausea? Check. Sympathy? Check. Awe? Check. Love? Check, check, check.

A quick disclaimer. Kevin Brook's book is called Killing God, yes, but it isn't at all a Christian bashing storyline. Dawn does have an issue with a cult, and she does some things that are quite Christian bashing, such as ruining an illustrated Children's bible. It also hints at a boy being abused by a priest but obviously individual characters do not amount to the entire church. This book remains respectful to all faiths, even if Dawn herself does not. It is also not a fantasy novel. Dawn does not set out, like Lyra in His Dark Materials, to actually kill God. Neither is it a story in which a girl attempts to bring down Christianity via protests and the like. It is a series of mental exercises she does - the novel is very much psychological and about Dawn herself, not so much about God.

Something horrible happened to thirteen year old Dawn Bundy, shortly before her father walked out of their house and never returned. Two years on, the thirteen year old girl that Dawn was once still lives inside her head. She is afraid to come out. To distract herself, in the past Dawn has set herself little challenges, but now she is ready to tackle the biggest one of all.

This year, Dawn Bundy wants to kill God. But how do you kill something that doesn't exist? And even after Dawn has tried so hard to bury the past, to bury the people it happened to - bad things have a nasty habit of resurfacing and her old problems - with new ones joining in for the ride - are returning to haunt her.

Firstly, let's begin with the writing style. Dawn Bundy writes the book from her perspective - and it reads like a fifteen year old girl, who isn't quite right in the head. It's not annoying, and the spelling and grammar is spectacular. But the sentence structure is so realistic. When you read this book, you would find it difficult to make Dawn seem anything less than real. She pulls you right into her head - and draws you into her world. The music she listens to, her relationship and worry for her mother, her dogs. They all become your problem.

At first the story is very vague - Dawn refers to things like "the thing" which she "doesn't want to think about" - but it quickly gains momentum. Although we briefly watch as she attempts to kill God, it is also clear to us from the language that her mental challenges are not so satisfying as they once were. It takes two popular, "bad girls" from school - Mel and Taylor - who pull her along as their little dolly whilst they dress her up, feed her alcohol and mess with Dawn's mother's mind.

The nice thing about the characters in this novel is that they are all multi-faceted, and we know that they are - but also, the author does not feel the need to expose all of the facets of each character. We see them as Dawn sees them - and so when she likes them, so do we and vice versa, no matter how arbitrary the assumption Dawn has made about them really is. And with a little digging into the plot, we see things that Dawn has realised unconciously, which we already know.

Mel and Taylor, may have an ulterior, more sinister motive, to dragging Dawn through their hoops - but they are also dredging up things in Dawn's mind that Dawn would like to keep buried.

We learn in a scary way, a slapdash way, a very realistic way about what happened to Dawn - but not only the one event that forced the thirteen year old Dawn to hide, but also all of the smaller events that lead up to it. This also forces into perspective the vague hints that were dropped at the beginning, and makes the whole book a lot more chilling.

Whilst ultimately, this book does not have a lot of action (except for the end, when there is a little), we also do have great struggles, beautiful struggles - all of which are psychological and happen within Dawn's fragile head. Through these, we see great character growth - possibly the most realistic and satisfying arcs I think a character has ever taken, in terms of growth. It is not your average coming of age story, but in another way it is by far the best coming of age story I have ever read.

The best thing about this book is that nothing is polished. Even books set in the real world have a tendency to not read like real life. This book reads like real life and the events - particularly the ending - are so true of real life that it is slightly disconcerting to read.

If you love psychological stories, coming of age stories, or even horror stories, this is probably a great choice for you. The references to rape, alcohol and drugs might make it more suitable to children over the age of about twelve - there are no overt references, and frankly I read it age thirteen (just thirteen) and there was nothing there I didn't already know existed.

Overall I would give the book a 10/10 rating, and would thoroughly recommend you read it. I have yet to find a book like it out there - although if you find one I would love to read it because of how great I though Killing God was.

Book Haul #1

With a Few Reviews Mixed in For Good Measure

Normally, I am of the opinion that too many hauls promote shameless consumerism. However, because I am a hypocritical bigot, and I am all for the shameless consumerism of books (and films actually, but some other time), I thought I might talk about some books I bought recently before my skiing holiday. I haven't read them all yet, but ones I have I thought I might add a quick opinion, as well as the titbits of plot I am divulging for them all.

Lolito, Ben Brooks
When Etgar is left alone for the summer holidays after his grandmother suddenly dies, he spends the time to mull over his ex-girlfriend and move on in a very, very unconventional way.
I bought this book because I genuinely found the book "Grow Up" by Ben Brooks intriguing and interesting - even if I occasionally found the sex, booze and drugs a little monotonous. Grow Up provided me with a subtle but truly beautiful coming of age story about a boy's movement back into sanity and working out what he has to do to reintegrate into society. I did not get that with Lolito - instead I got the sex, booze and drugs which were as monotonous as before, but without the character development. I expected there to be some motion at the end after several major events affected Etgar, but I never really did. Even the cover was rubbish, nowhere near as good as the clown artwork on the front of Grow Up! 2/10

Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
When you turn 16, you will have an operation which will transform you into a "Pretty", a perfectly beautiful human being. For Tally, it's all she ever wanted. But the summer before her operation, when all of her friends have abandoned her to become Pretty, she falls in with rebel Shay and things might not be so easy.
I found the cover of this book really intriguing, if a little cliche for a young adult novel. After The Hunger Games and Divergent, though, this seemed like the one that everyone thought I should read. I should warn you; this book, unlike many other books in a trilogy, does not stand alone at all. If you buy Uglies, be prepared to read Pretties and Specials - I know I probably will. The plotline in this story is absolutely wonderful! I completely recommend it. Unfortunately, the storytelling is occasionally mediocre and cliche, and worse, Tally the protagonist is incredibly annoying - the kind of character that worries and pontificates and takes next to no action until forced to. I'm sort of hoping the series improves though, because the cliffhanger at the end was definitely exciting enough for me to be forced to continue. 6/10

Nine Uses For An Ex-Boyfriend, Sarra Manning

When Hope walks in on her boyfriend of thirteen years kissing her best friend, her life is over. Their dysfunctional relationship hits the rocks hard, as she struggles to regain what little normality she can. But is normal and back to the way that they were what she ultimately wants.
This one is a slight lie, I've had a copy of this book for ages, but technically it wasn't mine - it was a friend's who moved away. But I've sent his copy back now I have his address, so I had to buy my own - it was so good! It's a really nice, really realistic read, far from the chick-flick or revenge story that the title suggested. Hope is loveable but by no means perfect, and Jack, her boyfriend is by no means the faceless evil that many cheaters are considered in books. We see them through a turbulent patch with a million obstacles, ranging from predictable to insanely unguessable! The ending, too, was difficult to precedent but incredibly believable. However, there are NO uses for an ex-boyfriend listed at all. I have no idea why it was called that. The cover too, was disappointing, especially as I have a real attachment to the cover on the other Sarra Manning novel I have read, Adorkable. 10/10

The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
A group of people, seemingly randomly selected, move into Sunset Towers at the invitation of a man who does not exist. But not everyone in the house is what they seem. Amongst the residents, there is a bomber, a bookie, a mistake, a thief and an ornithologist. And when Sam Westing, the rich business man from up the hill dies, they are all catapulted into a convoluted inheritance game in which only two can triumph. 
Another book I had read before buying it, my god is this book amazing. The story is so convoluted - the first time I read it I had a pencil and paper so that I could work my way through some of the more subtle, significant details. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and nobody is quite what they seem. The writing style is matter of fact and easy to read, making this one of the most accessible modern classics I've read. It's a fabulous tale of human spirit; nobody, no matter how little they appear, or how oppressed they are, or how stupid they seem, can be overlooked because everyone is as vital to the plot as the more high profile cast members. I also had the privilege of buying one with the most beautiful cover, which, if nothing else sums up the intricate nature of the plot. Absolutely fabulous, I would recommend this one to anybody! 10/10

Eleanor and Park, Rainbow Rowell
Park Sheridan and Eleanor Douglas are two teenagers living in Omaha. Eleanor and Park ultimately documents their personal growth as seen through their relationship.
I haven't read this one yet, but as "Fangirl" was released there was so much hype over Rainbow Rowell's work that I thought I could give it a go, especially as it was likened to John Green's literature and overall, with the possible exception of The Fault In Our Stars, I do enjoy his books. This young adult romance novel looked truly promising, and I did like the minimalist book cover.

The Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones
Clary goes to a club with her best friend, and witnesses some incredibly strange, incredibly attractive teenagers sneaking around in the storeroom. She follows them, and watches as she kill a man. The problem is that no one else has noticed.
I have no idea why I am so late on the Mortal Instruments train. I mean, I've read pretty much every major teenage craze, from Gone to His Dark Materials. Somehow, this one slipped under my radar for a while, until finally, my curiousity was piqued and I decided to give it a go, even though I know next to nothing about the plot or even in detail about the genre.


What books should I read next? Any recommendations?
Yours, Bella Fern xx
@ThatBellaFern

The Fault In Our Stars: Review

WARNING: Unpopular opinions and also spoilers

[Before I complete this post, I just wanted to address some things. I have noticed that some hardcore fans over the internet have taken badly to criticism of this book, on the basis that if you haven't had cancer you can't understand it. This is not true, I can not or enjoy a book without having lived my way through it. I do not wish to offend those with cancer, and I know that it was based on a girl called Esther Earl who died of cancer. This is a purely literary criticism.]

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green, received mostly stellar reviews, the only exception being The Daily Mail, who's main criticism seemed to be that it was offended that the book tackled cancer. John Green himself called the article "condescending", as it argued that teenagers could not handle the subject matter, which was mostly relatively tame.

TFiOS was an enjoyable read, but it was, to me at least, far from the perfection that many teenagers have idealised it to be. I have spent several enjoyable afternoons reading and rereading the novel, and I eagerly anticipate the film (especially as the soundtrack looks wonderful, and music has the potential to make a movie).

John Green spent time in a hospital working with sick children, and TFiOS was meant to capture "their complete humanity", as he believed that "we have a habit of imagining the very sick or the dying as being kind of fundamentally other." Whilst I completely agree with this sentiment, I am not entirely convinced that TFiOS managed to capture this.

The protagonist, Hazel Grace Lancaster, really didn't have very much character at the beginning of the book at all. Perhaps this was the point - to illustrate the isolation that a disease such as cancer could give a person - but it also came across as very difficult to read, in the sense that she wasn't very relatable. A character with no passions - we are told that she enjoys watching crappy TV and reading poetry, but this is never really a part of her story or personality, potentially, is difficult for the demographic of teenagers to relate to on any basis at all. Shortly after meeting her love interest, Augustus, her entire world shifts to him.

Augustus is definitively more likeable - he has interests, friends, and the kind of poetic artistry - the scene with the cigarette is particularly memorable - that many dream of. However, his intellectual obsession with metaphor is again, slightly unrelatable. I do not imply that I do not think that teenagers could grasp the concept - they do, and they run with it - I instead imply that it comes across as slightly composed as a trait, as something only a fictional character could conceivably do.

Together, as a couple, they are far more relatable. In scenes with Isaac, I really get their relationship dynamic and their discussions about "cancer perk" truly hit home the way the world views cancer. Most of the time they are an amusing and sweet couple to witness reading, although their separate identities, especially Hazel's are questionable. There is a blatant realism, that comes across in their only sex scene, which is very refreshing after reading so many young adult novels that condescend the readers with kissing scenes with "fireworks behind her eyes" et cetera.

However, I did not think that the subplot about "An Imperial Affliction" was particularly interesting or realistic. I understand why, as a character Hazel would care about that book, although most probably only because she was a cancer patient, which draws back to the idea of viewing her as her illness and not as herself. The obsession with Amsterdam read as a massively long tangent, and frankly the idea that the secretary lied seemed a little mishmashed and unrealistic - as though John Green was trying to use any means to get the pair to Amsterdam, and damn realism with it. The part in which they traveled around the Anne Frank house read like a tour guide.

The ending sequence of the book, in which we watch Augustus decline in health was sad, I will admit. I cried, but then I cry sometimes at classical songs or over old Muppets films. This section of the book struck me with a blatant realism, but whilst I felt pained for Augustus, and his loss of dignity, his loss of health, I felt far less for Hazel, who still didn't come across as particularly emotional. Whilst John Green explained to us how she felt, she never really acted in a way that showed her emotions, which made the entire sequence less realistic.

One of my favourite parts of the book was the ending, in which he managed to end in both comedy (the wedding symbolism of "I do") and the more obvious tragedy. However, this did feel a little too artistic and contrived. I didn't like the presence of the author of "An Imperial Affliction" at the end of the book, as I felt like again, it was a case of tying up loose ends that should never have existed in the first place.

Overall, I read the book as enjoyable, but far more shallow than the majority of people seem to read it as. Augustus was likeable enough, Hazel was wet and bland and dull and their storyline was, if not predictable in its storyline, then predictable in the inevitable tragedy of the outcome. Perhaps the inevitability of death was meant to play a part symbolically - "I'm a grenade", but in terms of a novel, it just comes across as potentially dull.

It would have been interesting to see Hazel reacting with someone who was not either Augustus; she did react to another friend and occasionally her mother, and she had little personality with either.

Overall, I think that the book was let down by a lack of development with Hazel's character, but was otherwise an enjoyable, if not momentously life-changing read.

Fictitious Dishes: Hunger Games (District 12)

Goats' Cheese Wrapped in Basil

Food from the Hunger Games series, by Suzanne Collins varies somewhat. We start out with the most basic of foods, then the most lavish of dishes, and then the characters are chucked into an arena where they spend most of the time starving. Repeat as necessary. Later, we see them in a bunker type setting living off simple rations, before eating a lot of canned food.

It's darn near impossible to choose all of the dishes, so I thought for now I would do one of the most basic, but iconic dishes, followed by one of the more extravagant Capitol meals. So, here is how you make goats' cheese wrapped in basil.

Making cheese isn't too hard (oh come on, you didn't think I was just going to show you how to wrap some cheese in some leaves?), but it can smell a little weird and goats' milk can be a little difficult to find. Farm shops may be the way to go, here.

You'll need:
A litre of goat's milk - if all you can find is pasteurised, that's totally fine, but I would also avoid "ultra-pasteurised", it's a little bit weird.
80 mls of fresh lemon juice
A pinch of salt
Several bunches of large-leafed basil

You’ll also need:
A saucepan
A thermometer
Cheesecloth
A colander, strainer, or sieve.
String or an elastic band.
A circular biscuit cutter.

Pour the milk into the saucepan and turn on the heat. With the thermometer, ensure that when it heats to approximately . Turn on the heat, and put the thermometer into the milk. When it’s reached about 82 degrees Celsius, take the pan off the heat and add the lemon juice, and salt. Gently stir to combine, and leave the concoction to sit for about 15 minutes.

Stretch the cheese cloth over your colander, sieve or strainer, and set this over another bowl or pot. After your time is up, pour the milk mixture into the cheesecloth, and let the liquid drain into the container below. Gather the cheese cloth together, and secure it with your elastic band. Hang the bundle of cheese over a bowl or sink, and leave it for around two hours, until all of the liquid has drained away. Overnight waiting is fine also. When all of the liquid has drained, your cheese is complete, and you can mold it into a ball or log. You can then use the biscuit cutter to get the perfect round of the cheese, that Gale and Katniss eat in the books.

Finally, wrap the cheese in basil leaves - this can be a little tricky, I advise that you chill the cheese first to avoid it sticking to your fingers, too badly. Then, enjoy! For added authenticity, eat with freshly picked blackberries.

I tried, okay! I know looks can be deceiving (see left) but it was really difficult! On the bright side, the cheese tasted lovely.

Just to confirm, this is not an official Hunger Games recipe, and it may differ from the official Hunger Games recipe. This was just for fun.

Bella Fern xx

10 Influential Books

10 Influential Books

This tag went around Facebook, then around the Youtube booktuber community, and I really liked it. And because my feminist post from last week is proving difficult for me to write when I am so stressed with school work, I figured that an easy post my make it easier for me to write something before the weekend. So here we go.

If you do not know this tag, then basically you choose ten books that influenced you greatly and you do not think much about them and you do not over explain. I am going to explain a little, as this is a blog post and so I feel like going into a little detail would be beneficial, but I will not verse lyrical about each one.

So *mario voice* Heeere we go!

Peter Pan and Wendy is the first book I became obsessive over. Like, obsessive. I had to have stitches on my jaw, from the time that I threw myself down the stairs aged about five, sure I could fly. My mother used to read it to me, but I used to turn on my bedside light and read on a little. I came down the stairs crying one night, when I got to the end. It still makes me cry (and there is definitely a small part of me that still believes, to be honest).
I actually had the edition depicted on the right, a beautiful hardback with elaborate illustrations by Robert Ingpen, and when I see how tattered it now is I feel like crying.

Mortal Engines comes next. I know that it is the first of a quartet, and I know that now there is a prequel series, but I only learnt this around two years ago. This remains my favourite book, and has been since I was around seven or eight, when I barely understood it as it was read to me. It is science fiction in the truest sense of the word - not dystopian - but also revolves around cities that hunt each other down and feed off the remains. It's incredibly character lead though, which makes it a nice entrance point into the genre, and it's heartbreaking until the end. It really got me into, not only recreational reading but reading a book over and over with a firm passion for it.

Unlike the first two, these three books were never my favourite, but were always and remain to be books that I relate to and really enjoy to read. Utterly Me, Clarice Bean, Clarice Bean Spells Trouble and Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now are some of the most relatable and lovable books I have ever read. They are very easy reading, and as a child I agreed with her moaning about her brother - but she has grown up with me and the older I get and the more I understand, the more she understands with me. What is incredibly exciting is that Clarice Bean is a massive fangirl over the Ruby Redfort novels, and the author Lauren Child began writing those as a series a while ago, and again these are lovely, feel-good novels.

I got into Harry Potter (or so I thought) later than my friends - turns out they had seen all of the films and were pretending they had read the books. I was adamant that I did not want to read them until Year Three or Four, when I buckled and gave in - and promptly stormed through them all in the space of about two or three weeks. They really made me believe in magic and they remain on of my favourite series, and I really did wait for my Hogwart letter, I really did believe in it all. It was a clever series and whilst now I understand and respect the political undertones, at the time it was just a fabulous adventure story about Harry and his friends Ron and Herajnfeaajdna. I say that because I never watched the films until long after I had read the books and I had no idea how Hermione was pronounced until I finally watched The Philosopher's Stone and had a small moment of realisation.

I never really loved the series to this book, but the first, Swallows and Amazons I loved. I felt included, because at the time I was a reasonably proficient sailor, and I understood all of the jargon they used, but I also really bought into the world of adventure that John, Susan, Titty and Roger sailed into. I also loved the way that, until Harry Potter, unlike Peter Pan, it was a world that existed, a world that I could just about touch. The stories weren't annoyingly written like I always found Enid Blyton, but had the same kind of edge - of "the good old days" that I didn't remember, somewhere around the Magician's Nephew and the Darling family. It's such as shame that I still have no idea what ginger beer or "grog" tastes like. And what the hell is pemmican?

Watchmen, like Alan Moore, was my first graphic novel. I had read comics before, Batman and Spiderman mostly, but this was different - as dark as Batman but more so. It really got me into the genre and convinced me that my comics could be every bit as literary as my copy of Anne of Green Gables. Yes, it freaked me out and Rorschach still gives me the heebie jeebies, but it is honestly the most well crafted novel of any kind that I think I have read, although it is definitely close. It inspired me to read more and is the reason that I discovered what I now consider to be one of my very favourite books, The Umbrella Academy, but is also opened a window into the world of manga which I had previously thought was only really chibi characters with oversized eyes.

Speaking of manga, here comes my first ever manga novel. It is slightly trashy, but is also a really good read. It does essentially centre around a love triangle and vampires (Twilight, anyone) but has a lot of angst and depression and anger and fighting which Twilight lacked. This book not only inspired me to move on and read more manga such as Death Note, but it also in a roundabout way got me into drawing comic book style characters, because for a while I dabbled in drawing manga before remembering the books such as Watchmen that I loved to read and draw from. They are very nicely done, and the filler gags are just light enough to keep the intensity throughout the book. The only problem is trying to find the next one in the series - they NEVER have it in Waterstones!

Around three years ago, I stopped reading nearly so avidly, and this is undoubtedly the book that brought me back. I loved the characters, the worlds, the other two books were beautiful also. Aside from Harry Potter, I didn't really think that the fantasy genre was for me - I hated The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - but this convinced me otherwise and really got me back into reading new books instead of the ones I already owned and could practically recite. I finished this and sat glum for days until I had the weekend to go and buy the next one in the series...and the next...(and the spin off books, a little later on). It is so beautiful and the characters are so believable. To be honest, I have a crush on pretty much the entire cast - with the exceptions of the evil people and old men and old women and...you get the idea.

If you think that anything you ever read is intense, then you are wrong compared to this. This Orwellian inspired book will gouge out your soul and rip it into tiny pieces and then make you eat those pieces. I finished this on holiday, and immediately had to read something mind numbingly without real trouble (Stop In the Name of Pants!, if you are interested) because it was just so much to fucking comprehend. I loved the Orwell novels 1984 and Animal Farm but this was just a new level of Big Brother. This book really did convince me to start heading down the road of darker books, books with deeper meaning, books that would really make me question things and lead me more into books written by journalists, such as The Pyschopath Test by Jon Ronson, which I now adore.

It was certainly not my first Young Adult novel (cough Twilight cough) but it did convince me that I was where I should be. I have to be honest, I had read The Fault in Our Stars and I had read Twilight and I had read the entire Princess Diaries series, but this book convinced me that I was in the right place. I had already read Battle Royale and I did end up drawing a lot of parallels, but the style was entirely different and it influenced me greatly, both in terms of writing and of books I would then go on to read - for example, Divergent (which I was meh about) and also Gone (also meh) but it is because of this book that I refuse to give up on this genre. There must be another, as good, right?

"Girly" Teenage novels

"Girly" Teenage novels

(This is just a sidenote - remember that photography I was doing? Well, neither of those posts are being particularly easy to create alongside school; for a heads up - one is a review of some skincare and soapy type things and one is a DIY textiles instruction post. They will be up ASAP, but in the meantime, there is this!)

After John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars", I don't think many people could argue that all "young adult novels" are frilly and insubstantial. Despite the fact that I am a massive fan of science fiction and horror, I love curling up on the sofa with a mug of tea and "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging." (Don't judge me, they're funny :) ) But The Princess Diaries and Louise Rennison novels are far from the only ones out there, and these are a few picks of some that maybe have a little more depth to them. They're teenage novels, but the revolving theme is not necessarily romance.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac: Gabrielle Zevin

I cried, nay, bawled, reading this for the first time. It is a coming of age story equally as good as "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", despite the fact that the character is of age technically, when the novel begins.

Naomi forgets four years of her life after falling down her school steps, and ends up essentially stuck between being twelve and being seventeen - and as the novel progresses she begins to stop trying to fit back into the mold of who she was before the accident, and begins to try to become who she wants to be. There is a romantic subplot, but it never really takes over and it is mostly a beautiful novel about being alive and how time never stands still.

9/10

Adorkable: Sarra Manning

Do NOT be fooled by the title, which gives the illusion that it is a far more poorly written novel than it is. If you are a fan of Tavi Gevinson (which you totally should be, because she is fabulous) then you may draw some wonderful parallels between her and the protagonist, Jeane. It is told both from the perspective of Jeane - a zeitgeist and blogger in Lower Sixth form, and Michael - a high flying all rounded student about to leave for university - and it documents their unhealthy and dysfunctional relationship in some of the most realistic prose I've read in a young adult novel. There is a bit of back story about their unsatisfying childhoods, but the majority of the novel focuses on the romance. Is romance the right word for it? I don't know, but it's a fine split between love and constant arguing. It's fabulous.

8/10 

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

I must start with a plea for this one - whether you have seen the film or not, whether you enjoyed it or not, you have to disregard it when you read the book. This book is far deeper than the rom-com that was spun off of it, and it is easily my favourite young adult novel. It is based on two young punk teenagers - the straight bassist for a queercore band and the daughter of a record label giant - trying to escape equally detrimental relationships.

You really get the awkwardness that they have just met and their relationship's beginning isn't plain sailing (the entire novel happens in one night), but unlike in Adorkable and no matter what the characters may think, you can tell that they are really good for each other. There are also a lot of music references that make me glow a lottle inside.

10/10

Seriously Sassy: Maggi Gibson

This is the first in a series of three, about an ecologically enthusiastic, guitar playing teenager who is trying to balance school, getting a record deal, relationships, friends, her dad trying to become a politician and saving local woodland.

Whilst it is mostly a tweenager type book, Sassy does mature a lot throughout the series and it is still well worth the read because all of the characters are either likeable, or really fun to hate.

It's a little corny, but it is very sweet and very reminiscent of being an early teenager. It was probably one of the first "teenage" novels that I read, and I am glad because you have a fully rounded female protagonist who is wonderful.
7/10


Angel Cake: Cathy Cassidy

This story revolves around a shy immigrant, a cake baking truant and occasional arsonist, an overweight goth, a rat stealing orphan, a bitchy bully girl and all of the problems they drag along with them. Almost the entire novel revolves around the budding romance between two of the characters, Anya and Dan, although there are interesting political undertones about Liverpool, immigration, language, animal rights and families and how they don't always stay together. There are some lovely little vignettes within the story, such as the "pyjamas in the park" tale and the "angel boy" snippets, and the only issue I have with it is that everyone except the protagonists remain reasonably 2 dimensional.
7/10 

Along For The Ride: Sarah Dessen

Although to be honest, any Sarah Dessen novel will do, as they are all lovely. In fact, I'd recommend reading them all, as there are a few crossovers - although it is in no way a series. This is a story about oppression and grief, but it is also about fixing things when they go wrong, and about trying new things and about the cute dirt biker who you keep running into late at night.

It's romantic, but it's special and it is definitely worth reading, if summer novels are your thing. Don't be too disillusioned at the start - I know I was - but as a rule, from there is is all plain sailing upwards, with a heartbreak or two along the way.

You will probably end up hating a few characters, and that's okay, but the most frustrating thing about this book is how the relationship takes a bit of a backseat half the time.

8/10

Stealing Harper: Molly McAdams

This book is equally as frustrating as it is satisfying, because the protagonists spend most of the book with other people, or wishing that they were with other people. Gut wrenching and heart twisting, it is the kind of unlikely romance that makes people's hearts melt just a little bit.

She is a sheltered good girl at college and he is a slut tattoo artist. It is literally the good girl bad boy cliche, but for an amateur writer it is very well written and it does make me care about the characters, despite the fact that I think the ending is unrealistic and rushed.

Hey ho.
6/10

Would you like some more of these? Maybe with a different genre? I've barely scraped the surface, so let me know. Bella x