A Monster Calls

Presenting A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Siobhan Dowd (idea by).

Here is the summary of the book:

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

REVIEW ==

Dark, emotional, sense of family, grief and magical realism. 'A Monster Calls' is everything and so much more packed in this tiny powerhouse. It is not only Conner's tale, but a plethora of all other stories that take a life of their own. The monster wants the truth and he is more than imposing and giant enough to get it. 

Cancer is a disease that can affect you and your families when you least expect it. But it is life and death and it's acceptance that matters most of all. Grief can be deadly. Grief can be immense. Grief takes you over and (by case) can suck the life out of you. Conner needs to accept. Conner needs to move on. But it is not easy when the truth means he looses the only adult figure of his life. That is why truth hurts.

And that is why this book will forever hold a special place in my heart. Because really it made me cry and it made me appreciate life and my loved ones most of all.

(F. Y. I. The movie was as amazing as the book. I'll have a review on my YouTube channel soon so stay tuned)

"Dark, realistic and eye opening with a hint of the magical"

Genre :     Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Speculative

Publisher: Walker Books

Release Date: 27th September, 2011

My Copy: bought (ebook)

Rate:             4/5 (Really Liked It)

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #2 Hollow City

Presenting Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #2 Hollow City by Ransom Riggs.

Here is the summary of the book:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011—an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike. Publishers Weekly called it “an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.”

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

REVIEW ==

Begins just where Miss Peregrine's..... ended. Hollow City was a bit of a hit and miss for me. The second books are usually bridges between the first and the third books. And unfortunately Hollow City became just that. Although like its predecessor this book is a fast read, while still somewhat retaining that mystery and magic. Somehow it wasn't all there. 

The vintage photos that accompany the plot was marvelous as usual, mainting the level of subtle darkness and providing us readers with an exclusive look into the adventure. The children are still searching for someone who could turn Miss Peregrine back to her human form before the change becomes permanent. 

Obviously the journey isn't without peril. But along the way there were impossible and mysterious discoveries as well. And while it wasn't as great as the first book I did like what I read and will definitely be reading the finale Library of Souls. 

"Mesmarising and exciting"

Genre :     Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy

Publisher: Quirk Books

Release Date: 24h February, 2015

My Copy: bought (paperback)

Rate:             3/5 (Liked It)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         #1 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

The Marvels

Presenting The Marvels by Brian Selznick.

Here is the summary of the book:

Caldecott Award winner and bookmaking trailblazer Brian Selznick once again plays with the form he invented and takes readers on a voyage!

Two seemingly unrelated stories--one in words, the other in pictures--come together. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations. The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries.

REVIEW ==

Remember that book from the treasure planet animated movie when the character opens it and the story within plays in front of the person reading the book as a hologram. Like an entire world within the book..... Well 'The Marvels' gave me that same feeling.

It's about art, family, love, life and all of its nuances. It's about two different stories told through 2 different mediums. One purely as page turning art and the other as a prose. It's how two such seemingly different stories come to connect in seemingly impossible ways to bring us a story that is not only a marvel to go through but a proverbial treasure in itself. 

"Aptly named it is a literal marvel and a stunning work of art"

Genre :     Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Historical fiction, Fantasy realism

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: 15th September, 2015

My Copy: bought (hardback)

Rate:             5/5 (It was Amazing)

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository