BOOK REVIEW - Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I'm a few days late uploading this as I have been super busy and haven't had any time to take any pictures! I finished this book a few days ago and wrote this review straight after! :)

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HOLY HELL. I am actually speechless... and trust me, that's not often. The only way to explain my brain right now is IOGAKbslizvqkavskjvzwkuqavdlvqwlauvc.

I actually cannot believe what I have just read. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver has completely thrown me off balance. Just five minutes ago I jumped out of bed like a crazy person, feeling like I was suffocating and almost starting to hyperventilate (I know I'm dramatic). I just can't contemplate life anymore.

Okay enough of my rambling and onto the review:

Title: Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

Author: Lauren Oliver

Published: 2012

Rating: ★★★★

Pandemonium is the follow up to the book Delirium, the story is set in a dystopian world where the government has declared love a disease (I have a review of the first book right here). It is narrated by Lena, now 18 years old.

I can't really elaborate on the story more than I have in my last review, as I really don't want to spoil anything!

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I really don't even know where to start with this review.

Pandemonium has quite a different feel than the first book Delirium. I remember I enjoyed the first book, but this one I absolutely LOVED. And it's not often I like the sequel better than the first novel.

The chapters in this book are separated by 'Now' and 'Then', as it switches between the past and present until they both kind of merge together at the end. I thought that this style of writing was extremely clever! It left you guessing a lot of the time as to how the 'Now' came to be, which was slowing revealed in each 'Then' chapter. I was absolutely HOOKED to both of the storylines, and was disappointed when each chapter would end because I wanted to continue the 'Then' story, then I would get hooked to the 'Now' story and want to continue with that. EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER PEOPLES.

Pandemonium was also a lot more engaging than Delirium. As I stated in my Delirium review, I loved the storyline, but sometimes I felt like it went a little slow and I wasn't always jumping on my chances to read it. It was so different when I was reading Pandemonium, as I was staying up as late as possible to read another chapter, and putting off other things I probably should of been doing *cough* sleeping, eating, breathing *cough* just to have an extra hour of reading.

I once again felt an extreme connection to the main character Lena, as the writing of this novel really allows you to understand her situation, and how this world, although it sounds ridiculous, could in fact be a reality.
There was also INCREDIBLE characters in this book. I felt that Delirium lacked a little bit of character development, but this book really nailed that right on the head! It's a little harder to develop other main characters in first person novels, but Lauren Oliver really did a fantastic job in Pandemonium!

And now for what I have been trying to get out of my system for pretty much all of this review, it has actually clouded my judgement...

THE ENDING

HOLY HELL.

I was shocked. I just did not expect it at all. I thought the ending to Delirium was a pretty big shock, but I really was caught of guard with this one.
Really, I write notes in the duration of reading a book so I know exactly what my thoughts were at the time, and there is a dot point that just says :

BOOM

... I mustn't say anymore or else I know I will spoil something.

Well another review has come to its end.
You will definitely be seeing a review of the third and final book in the series 'Requiem' quite soon and a review of the 'Delirium Short Stories' !

Until then, stay tuned for other book and movie reviews!

Have a lovely week!

-Bee

MOVIE REVIEW - Great Expectations (2012)

Title: Great Expectations

Director: Mike Newell

Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Jeremy Irvine, Holliday Grainger, Robbie Coltrane & Jessie Cave

Released: 2012

Rating: ★★★


I have been meaning to watch this film for ages!! I missed it in the cinema and completely forgot to watch it! I finally got the chance tonight and I thought I would share my opinion :)

So, Great Expectations; a lot of you probably already know this storyline, but for those of you who don't, here is a short blurb:

Phillip 'Pip' Pirrip (Cool name, huh?), is a poor orphan who is looked after by his sister and her husband, following the death of his parents. After an encounter with a escaped convict, a woman driven mad by love and the beautiful, but heartless Estella, Pip suddenly finds himself entangled in a great mystery; an unknown benefactor places a large fortune upon him, wishing for him to become a gentleman.

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First off, I would just like to state that I am a Great Expectations fanatic. I am a huge fan of the book and have seen many adaptations, so I am quite the critic when it comes to them! :P

Great Expectations is by far one of the best books ever written. The overall plot is extremely unique and original, and the characters are mesmerising. Great expectations is one of Dickens' most famous novels, and for this reason there has been countless adaptations of this movie.

Okay so I guess I'll start off with the positives.
The acting was, as expected, fantastic. They had a mostly all star cast, and I really thought all of the actors and actresses did an extremely good job and were very believable.

Mike Newell is also a very well known director, directing films such as Harry Potter, Mona Lisa Smile and Four Weddings and a Funeral. He again did a great job, and the setting and costumes of this film were also perfect and very true to the book.

Now, this may be me just being picky, but I really feel like the main let down in this movie was casting. I don't know if it is just me, but I really didn't think that most of the actors and actresses cast were suitable, excluding a few exceptions, which I will mention later.
First of all, Helena Bonham Carter in my opinion was not a great choice for Miss Havisham. I am a huge fan of Helena's work, and her acting was great, but I just don't think she was right for this role. Miss Havisham is a woman who has been driven mad by love, loss, pain and revenge. Helena played the role more like she had just come out of a mental asylum, which was quite entertaining, but not true to the book or the character.
I also have my ongoing battle with finding the perfect Estella. Holliday Grainger is certainly very beautiful, I again just wasn't feeling like she was right for the part. This may be because the true Estella in my eyes is Jean Simmons in the 1946 Great Expectations, which has got to be my favourite adaptation. In this film, the script also changed Estella's characteristics slightly, which I felt took the edge out of her character.

The two actors that I felt were absolutely perfect choices, were Jessie Cave as 'Biddy' and Olly Alexander 'Herbert Pocket'. Although they are slightly minor characters, they definitely stood out when I watched the movie!
Jessie Cave has come from 'Ron's annoying girlfriend' in the Harry Potter series, to a truly fantastic actress (and comedian!?)! She has a very bright future ahead of her!
I had actually never seen Olly on screen before, and was quite surprised to see that he had only been in a handful of films. I hope to see more of him in the future, his portrayal of Herbert was absolutely perfect!


Again, this review might be just me being picky, I know people who haven't read the book who have given this 5 stars, so maybe knowing too much about it has spoiled it for me. On its merits alone, this was a great movie! I do however, think that if you haven't read the book you would enjoy it a lot more, as you won't be as particular as I am!

Three stars.

Comment below your thoughts on this film if you have seen it, or the book if you have read it :)

Have a lovely week!


-Bee

BOOK REVIEW - Delirium By Lauren Oliver

I just finished reading this book about an hour ago (I know, everyone has already read this), and I knew that I needed to put up a review ASAP. My thought vomit (is that even a term), needed to be put down on cyber paper. I really couldn't wait any longer.

Title: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Published: 2011

Rating: ★★★1/2







"There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the ends of the Earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure" - Published by Hodder

Delirium is told by 17 year old Lena, and is set in a dystopian United States. The government has declared love a disease, more commonly known as 'amor deliria nervosa' or the 'delirium'. In order to 'protect' the US of this disease, they have created a cure, a surgical procedure involving the brain that everyone will undergo once they have turned 18, and will take away their ability to love. Resisting is punishable by death. Lena has always counted down the days until her procedure. She believes it will make her happy and safe. Until one day she does the unthinkable. She falls in love.

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:O < Actually my face after I finished this novel.

At first when I heard about Delirium, I was very sceptical. I didn't really know how I would be able to connect to the book, and I also thought it would just be another plain predictable storyline. BOY WAS I WRONG.

After the first chapter of reading this book, I had instantly connected with the main character Lena. Not because we were extremely similar or anything like that, it was just that I understood exactly why she believed what she did; that the cure would be saving her from an extremely deadly disease. The writing of this book is really incredible, after that first chapter I knew how this could actually happen in real life. I understood exactly how the world came to that. When I was reading The Hunger Games, which is another dystopian world novel, I struggled to understand just why they were there. It wasn't a main issue or theme in the story, and was touched on very lightly. Don't get me wrong, they are some of my favourite novels, but it was something I feel the story lacked. But with Delirium, I really did just feel like another character living in the world. Lauren Oliver has literally written out a whole new world (cue the Aladdin music), and has done an amazing job of it.

One thing about these books that I also really love, and find very creative, is how at the start of each chapter it will have a verse, excerpt or quote from a book in the story. Example (taken from chapter 1):

"The most dangerous sicknesses are those that make us believe we are well.
—Proverb 42, The Book of Shhh"

They all really help you to understand the mind set of people living in this world, and it also gives you more information about the rules and restrictions.


There is also the perfect amount of romance in this novel! But don't worry, even though love is the main theme of this book, it's not too much or too cheesy. Love in this novel is not the way we see love today, it is seen as a fatal disease that must be erased from the Earth. How they were describing it in the novel almost made me believe that it was a disease for a second, by describing the symptoms of  increased heart-rate and disorientation as signs of having the Deliria.

 

The end was also very unexpected, and had a huge twist... which I won't say anything about, my lips are sealed ;)

The only thing that kind of let me down in this book was that it was a little slow paced, not in any way boring, I just sometimes felt that the story took a little while to unfold. There were also some main characters that I felt weren't really developed properly, but also many that I felt were developed amazingly! This is only me being particular though, and they really weren't major
issues.

I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next book, I'm looking at it on my bookshelf right now, but I promised myself I wouldn't start till tomorrow.. getting no sunlight for one whole day isn't the best.

I might go take a peek now.
No. I won't.
But you will definitely see a review of it soon.

I would absolutely recommend this book.
Three and a half stars.



Hope you all had a great mothers day!

Love,
Bee x

COVER REVEAL: ALLEGIANT - By Veronica Roth !!

I know it's been quite a few days since my last post, but what can I say, when you're busy, days just seem to go quicker and nek minnit, it's been a whole week.

Today's post will only be a short one... BUT ZOMG JSHAVKSZVAB!

Veronica Roth just posted the cover for Allegiant, the third instalment in the Divergent series. And seriously people, if you haven't read this series, get on it. It will take over your life.

If you saw my last post concerning Divergent, which was the Allegiant 'title' reveal, you would know that I completely freaked the hell out. Now you can imagine me when the actual cover of the book showed up on my computer screen. >> :O

These are definitely my favourite versions of the Divergent covers. I'm not even going to lie, when I first saw them when reading 'Divergent', I didn't really like them. I kind of thought they were a little tacky. (I know, shame on me)
But no kidding, while in the middle of reading the book, it completely grew on me. I almost feel that I understood them more, actually reading the book. Now I wouldn't change them for any other covers.

The Divergent and Insurgent covers:

The Allegiant cover is particularly intriguing, I am actually really digging the orange, and the wave is a complete mystery. The other two symbols on Divergent and Insurgent are known symbols in the story, but the wave is totally knew, I am very curious...

THEY ARE JUST SO PWETTY.
Ugh, I don't think I can wait till the next book comes out. Oh and just again, to anyone who hasn't read this book, READ IT. I have known people who dislike reading (dislike reading?! :o), who LOVE these books. That is just how amazing they are.

Oh and if you have read the series, then please, feel free to completely fan girl or fan boy with me in the comments below.

Well that will be all for today, hopefully I will have a review up tomorrow of a book that I have been dying to share!

Well wishes,
-Bee