I finished reading 'Go Set a Watchman' in September. We are now approaching the end of October and I have only just willed myself to begin writing my review. This book didn't excite me. I knew, when I first began reading, that it wouldn't be nearly as good as 'To Kill a Mockingbird' yet I was still intrigued to read what else Harper Lee had written.

'Go Set a Watchman' was written before 'To Kill a Mockingbird', and is essentially its first draft. Scout, now 26 and living in New York, returns to Maycomb in Alabama to visit her elderly father, where she discovers disturbing truths about her family regarding their views on African Americans. This particular time period also happened to correspond perfectly with my current History A Level topic of 'U.S. Civil Rights for African Americans' so I really enjoyed the contextual aspect of the book.

Scout - or Jean Louise as she was known in this book - had grown up to be exactly who I always thought she would be. Scout's character development, from what we saw of the stubborn, self-willed child in 'To Kill a Mockingbird', to the outspoken, plucky feminist in 'Go Set a Watchman' was seamless.

The book certainly had its charming moments, namely in the flashbacks to Scout's childhood, such as young Scout's confusion as to whether she was pregnant or not. Although this was amusing, it did also reflect the attitudes to women and such taboo subjects, and how little was known about such issues at the time. Despite enjoying this particular flashback I found most of them quite unnecessary. Other than giving the reader some insight into Scout's childhood - which we already had having read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' - these stories did not advance the plot at all. It almost felt as if Lee was struggling for things to write and really preferred writing about the young Jean Louise.

In addition to this, it took an extremely long time for anything to really get going in the book.In fact not a huge amount did happen until the final few pages which were a lot more dramatic than the entire novel. This only made the book feel even more dated, and I couldn't help but think that, if it had to be released at all
, it should have been published years ago.

If you've been absent from planet Earth since June 2015 you may not be aware of the latest addition to the world of Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. So, for the benefit of those of you who have been living under a large rock for several months, I'll explain what this newest instalment entails.

The play - written by Jack Thorne and based on the concept by JK Rowling - is in two parts and follows Albus Severus Potter, whom you may remember from the many debates and arguments throughout the Potter fandom relating to his name. New Hogwarts student Albus, struggling with the burden of bearing the Potter name, sets out on an adventure with his best friend Scorpius Malfoy (more on him later).

I adored being given the opportunity to to revisit one of my favourite fictional worlds and see the characters I loved so much as a child have children of their own and deal with the trials of adulthood and parenthood. It was no surprise to me that Hermione had become Minister for Magic, and that Ron now ran a joke shop just like his older brothers - although I couldn't help but feel that Ron had reverted back to his role as comic sidekick after we'd seen him grow so much throughout the seven books. The use of the time turner and paintings was a wonderful way of allowing us to see characters I wasn't expecting, like Snape, Dumbledore and even Umbridge! However I would have liked to have seen more of my favourite characters from the original books. Neville was mentioned, but what is Luna up to? What about the rest of the Weasleys?

I also felt that we missed out on an opportunity to learn more about the next generation. Teddy Lupin wasn't featured at all, and James and Lily Potter and Rose Weasley - a perfect combination of her parents - we didn't see nearly enough of. Having said that I loved getting to know Albus and Scorpius. Scorpius quickly became my favourite character and he wasn't what I was expecting at all. He was wonderfully nerdy and dorky and nothing like his father. As a proud Slytherin myself, it was truly refreshing to see Slytherins in a new geeky, heroic light.

I also couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed by the extremely dark events involving the return of Voldemort considering the final line in 'The Deathly Hallows' is "All was well". And, as much as I would like to discover  more about this next generation, I really do hope all is well this time.

Words honestly cannot describe how much I loved this book. This is definitely one of, if not the best, book Cassandra Clare has every written. 'Lady Midnight' is the first book in Cassandra Clare's new trilogy, 'The Dark Artifices', set five years after 'City of Heavenly Fire' ended. I don't want to give too much away because, if you're anything like me, practically any piece of information about this book counts as a spoiler. It follows Emma Carstairs and her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, who both lost parents in the Dark War during 'The Mortal Instruments'. Emma is set on discovering the truth about her parents' deaths as she is convinced there is something that separates them from the deaths of thousands of others in the Dark War.

The relationships and dynamics within this book were really what stood out for me, particularly those between Emma and Julian, and the Blackthorn family. Since Emma is the main protagonist of the story, her parabatai bond with Julian (who I'm in love with) was explored in a huge amount of depth and I couldn't get enough of their friendship. The relationship between the Blackthorn family was so unique. Mark and Helen, the two oldest Blackthorn children, were sent away after the Dark War due to their faerie blood. This left twelve year old Julian to raise his four younger siblings. The dynamics between this family were so well-written by Clare. Each member of the family was unique and had their own quirks and role to play in the L.A Institute.

The first portion of the book required quite a lot of description of the L.A Institute and the Blackthorn family yet not at one point did I feel bored. I had no choice but to give this book five stars as there was honestly nothing I didn't like in this book. The two year wait was absolutely worth it.

I have had this book on my shelf ever since it was first released and I finally got round to reading it! I am a huge fan of the 'Throne of Glass' series so expected quite a bit from 'A Court of Thorns and Roses'. As usual, Sarah J Maas did not disappoint.

'A Court of Thorns and Roses' is the first book in a new series by Sarah J Maas which follows the peasant girl, Feyre. When Feyre kills a wolf in order to feed her family she is thrust into the dangerous world of faeries and is held captive by Tamlin, the mysterious fae whom she begins to develop feelings for. Feyre is a strong-willed, witty huntress and I loved following her journey into this world. She fights endlessly for those she cares about which was really enjoyable to read. Tamlin - the secretive but charming fae - reminded me a lot of Dorian Havilliard from Maas' 'Throne of Glass' series which probably explains why I loved his character so much. The relationship between these two characters was wonderfully written and I genuinely cared about their progress throughout the book.

Plot wise, I wouldn't say that this book had as good a story line as 'Throne of Glass' and I wasn't particularly drawn in by the synopsis. Despite this, Maas' writing style in 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' has definitely improved since her first novel. She created a beautiful world with her eloquent descriptions and dialogue. I had a perfect vision of the scenery and each character's appearance. The final plot twist proved Maas had really considered each detail that went into the dialogue as I most certainly wasn't expecting what was revealed towards the end. Honestly, it was the final reveal which pushed this book from four stars to five and had my heart beating faster than I had expected it to! I loved the retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast', and it was really lovely to be able to make the odd connection to the original fairy tale,

I would say that the final section of the book could have been stretched out for a lot longer, Perhaps she could even have added a few bits here and there to this book and developed the final section into a book of its own. Of course I have no idea what she has planned for the next book in the series, but structurally the new setting and characters confused me slightly. Secondly, I didn't particularly enjoy being left with no cliffhanger at the end of the book. Although there is no doubt in my mind that I will be reading the second installment as soon as it is released, I don't feel any particular urge to find out what exactly happens next.

Despite the odd criticism, I did really enjoy this book and was not at all disappointed by Sarah J Maas. To anyone who loved 'Throne of Glass' or just young adult fantasy in general, don't hesitate to pick this up!

5/5 stars

The first book I read by Patrick Ness was the beautiful 'A Monster Calls' which won every prize in children's fiction, and left me sobbing my eyes out like no book had ever done before. For me at least, it would be hard to top that. I wouldn't say this book quite reached the level of 'A Monster Calls' or even the brilliant 'More Than This' but it certainly does its best.

'The Rest of Us Just Live Here' is award winning Patrick Ness' latest novel and follows the story of Mikey and his friends who just want to graduate high school and get away from their claustrophobic town and their troublesome families. Easier said than done when you live in a world where "indie kids" (aka the Chosen Ones) are constantly fighting off the undead, battling vampires and just generally causing mayhem. Mikey and his friends may not be the "chosen ones" but they certainly have their fair share of struggles. From anxiety to alcoholic parents, these subjects are tackled sensitively by Ness and he manages to give a huge amount of depth to each character. Mel - Mikey's older sister - was, without doubt, my favourite character from this novel. Her relationship with her siblings could only be described as beautiful. A particular moment possibly half way through the book that demonstrates exactly why I chose her as my favourite character actually forced me to squeal "yes!" out loud. You'll know exactly what I mean when you read it.

I have to admit, I liked the concept of the book slightly more than the book itself. How many times had I been watching 'The Avengers' and thought about the economic damage and the cars of innocent civilians that had just been crushed? When I heard about this book I was extremely excited to see how Ness would explore the lives of ordinary people surrounded by these dramatic happenings we are so used to reading about. As much as I adored and chuckled at the short paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter that describe what the "indie kids" are getting up to, I couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. It's something I can't quite put my finger on, helpful I know.

That being said, I did award the novel 5/5 stars on Goodreads. The way Patrick Ness managed to turn what could have been a pretty uneventful, ordinary story into something funny and compelling astounds me. I felt an attachment to each character and could hardly put it down. If you're looking for something as incredible and thought provoking as 'A Monster Calls' or 'More Than This' you may not be so interested in this particular book, but it certainly draws you in and proves that even the most ordinary lives can be extraordinary.