Just A Few Inches by Tara St. Pierre || Review

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, from the author, with thanks to Tara St. Pierre!

Title: Just a Few Inches
Series: N/A, Stand alone
Author: Tara St. Pierre
Publication Date: May 31st 2015
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Pages: 306

Ever wanted to lose a few inches?

Maybe your hips are too big to fit into that beautiful pair of jeans? Maybe that perfect prom dress doesn’t fit? For Carrie, all she wanted was to drop a few inches in order to fit into a red, electric prom dress to wow her date. When she gets her hands on some diet pills, she thinks her prayers have been answered when she wakes up with the weight just dropping off. But one thing she didn’t account for, inches coming off her height too.

When Carrie starts shrinking, she not only loses weight but she starts to become shorter and shorter until her story gets told nationwide and she has to get to the root of the problem, did the pills cause this to happen to her? Will she ever find love when she’s down to the size of a toddler? Can she ever have a normal life? Will she shrink and disappear completely? 

When the author contacted me about reading this book, I didn’t really know what to think, it sounded really unique and interesting and my initial thoughts were correct! I’ve never read a story that’s quite like this one. This book mixes Fantasy with Contemporary in a way that is so coherent and well thought out that you don’t even think about the fact that these genres don’t usually mix.

Carrie is a great character, she is relatable and she takes this whole situation in her stride, reacting to it the way that she should, with worry, but not letting it stop her from finding a cure or living her life. I like how she continued going to school, I like how she continued being a normal teenager despite the fact she was 2 foot nothing and still going to school. She continuously motivated and encouraged people through her blog and I think that was a pretty nice touch. 

I got so angry reading this book at her sister. Her sister was so selfish and ignorant, and I understand she was a young teenager who soon learned the error of her ways, it was a really odd feeling to have as I was enjoying the book so much and hadn't felt angry at anyone yet! (*Spoiler* Her sister locks her in a cupboard so she can have a house party and one of her friend's almost assault Carrie.)

The fact that the author has been playing with this idea for years really interested me, and I'm glad that she finally shared it with us all!

This is a brilliant book, and I highly recommend it, 

QOTD: If you were to shrink, how would you deal with it? 

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Review: Cutter Boy

Please be aware that this book tackles the issue of self harm, if that is a trigger to you in anyway, it is the main theme of this book. Please stay safe. 

Title: Cutter Boy

Series: N/A, Stand alone (Possibly Sidestreets.)

Author: Cristy Watson

Genre: YA, Contemporary 

Publisher: Lorimer 

Publication Date: 12th February 2015

Pages: 176

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley, with thanks to Lorimer and Netgalley. 

Ignored at home. 

Bullied at school. 

Travis' only solace is found in a blade. 

It becomes his dependency to cope with how his parent's don't talk to him, how he has no friends, how his sister's live miles away. It takes away the emotional pain and replaces it with a physical pain that he can control. But every changes when he meets Chyvonne. She breaks the stereotypes of everything around her, she shines like a light, and Travis's parents seem to love her more than they love him. He even discovers a love for art that seems to relieve the urge to cut himself, and rather he cuts the paper.

But will his scars prevent something happening between them? 

Or can she help him? 

Books that tackle self harm are either a hit, or they are a miss. And in this situation, I think it was between the two. In some ways, it missed mainly in the fact it was quite short. However, the author answered a question saying that the publisher had a word count for these "Sidestreets" books at 25,000 words, so I think in the way she tackled this really tough issue in less than 200 pages in simply fantastic. 

I felt as if I was reading a full length novel. 

You immediately felt heartbroken for Travis, it's clear to why he feels so alone from the offset. His parents don't talk to him at all, they just talk to each other when he leaves the room and they seem to tiptoe around him just so they don't have to spend any time with him. His school bullies are also presented in a realistic, but incredibly brutal way. You almost can feel Travis's emotions as you're reading this book. You understand him. 

I just wanted the best for him throughout this book. 

The author arcs this book in such a way that you go up and down, you're sad, then you're happy. Then everything just seems so bleak, but then it gets happier again and towards the end, you can truly see a positive output for Travis. 

My favourite parts left me bittersweet, like when his dad lay in his bed and watched TV with him, or when Chyvonne found out about the self harm. 

My final rating is: 4 stars

If you're struggling with self harm, please don't be afraid to talk to someone about it. A teacher, a parent or a friend. There are anonymous forums and numbers you can ring to just vent about it. Please, stay safe, take care of yourself. 

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Review: Blackheath

Title: Blackheath
Series: N/A, Stand alone as of now
Author: Gabriella Lepore
Pages: 284
Publication Date: 20th January 2015
Publisher: Oftomes Publishing
Overall Rating: 5 stars

Evan…Joel…Ainsley…Pippin…

You can’t live in Blackheath and not know about the Tomlin boys. The boys with an absent mother, a creepy old house and mysterious powers. The whole town knows that they’re witches.

And Maggie has been plagued by bad luck lately.

When a psychic tells her she has been cursed, she decides to go right to the source…Joel. It makes sense, right? He’s a witch and the two have had their fair share of run-ins in the past. But when Joel begins to help her, breaking all of his coven rules to do so, he finds that this curse is more than they could have imagined. This curse means that there’s another witch in town…

Another witch who wants to claim Maggie as his own, and claim the Chosen One’s power. Unlucky for this other witch, Joel isn’t about to let Maggie or his brother be taken without a fight.

But to interfere with another witch’s spell might mean war…

I really loved this book!

I’m a massive fan of Gabriella Lepore, I’ve read just around half of her books and I’m yet to be disappointed. Blackheath was no exception to that! Not only was the plot fast paced enough to be able to read in one sitting, it was very eloquently written and it flowed incredibly well.

My favourite thing about Lepore’s writing is her ability to create characters that you care about. When I started reading this book, I was drawn to Joel immediately. His surly attitude and his thoughts made me really want to mother him. I love characters that have really strong emotions, and Joel definitely had some strong emotions.

I even liked Maggie, although at first I was a bit weary of her, but she had a lot of depth and I loved how she and Joel’s relationship flourished throughout this book. I love relationship development, I liked the humour and how it was based off a dislike at the beginning and how it developed into something so powerful and poignant.

Although I loved the things I’ve mentioned above, my favourite thing about this book was the emphasis on family. I feel that sometimes it takes a witch book to truly show the power of family as it’s something that can be overseen in YA. I loved Evan and Joel’s relationship, and I loved the little flashback of Joel finding Pippin, I really would read a whole book just about the brothers.

I’m so happy with this little surprise book release and I can’t wait to read more from Gabriella in the future! P.S. Major shout out to the cover designer for this book and keeping with the theme of long beautiful dresses and haunting buildings, I love it! 

(I also hope these characters come back at some stage because I’m incredibly selfish and love Joel far too much.)

QOTD: What are your favourite witchy read?

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ARC Review: Five-Seven-Five

An ARC Review or a read to review book is one that was sent to me in exchange for an honest review, either from the author or publisher, but this in no way alters my review or thoughts on the book.

Thank you to C.E. Wilson!

Title: Five-Seven-Five

Series: The Boy With Words #1

Author: C.E. Wilson

Genre: Young adult, dystopian, mystery

Publication Date: November 20th 2015

Pages: Unknown 

My Rating: 5 stars

Take what you can, Take what won't be missed and Take what can be used. 

Because the creators are watching...They're always watching...

White Frost lives in a community that doesn't know what the outside world looks like, all they know is the grey that surrounds their everyday lives. Except for the chosen ones, who get to venture outside of the community to the outside, where the Creators live, to scavenge for supplies. But the stories her cousin, Shade, has told her, has her hopes and dreams aimed for becoming a chosen one. 

She wants to see blue skies, she wants to see clouds. And she wants to find out more about the words on the pieces of paper that Shade brings her back.

When a girl from the colony goes missing, the Chosen Ones are sent to look for her in the outside world, but when Shade dies, White's world shatters around her. 

But with the help of his friend, Salt, she learns even more of the outside and she takes it into her own hands to get there. But when she does, she finds out that everything she has even known is a lie. When she meets a being who she believes is a creator, he shows her colours she could never have imagined, light that blasts from the sky...

He shows her a life she never knew, and it leaves her questioning her own. 

I won't lie, I was shocked by how much I loved this book. 

From the get go, I was enchanted by the world. I wanted to know more, why had White never seen the outside world? What was going on with the government in her world? 

What happened to Shade?

I was so obsessed that I read this book in one sitting, something I struggle to do with ebooks, as the screens give me a headache. But I needed to get to the bottom of this book that reminded me of Legend by Marie Lu, in the aspect of her only family member dying and her taking matters into her own hands. Across the Universe by Beth Revis, in the aspect that they'd never seen the world outside and knew nothing more than the blank, grey world around them and finally The Borrowers or The Secret Life of Arrietty. 

The twist in this book was something that I did not have any idea was coming. Everything seemed so normal until that point, and then when it hits, you have to react to it in shock! It was so imaginative and unhinted at! 

I think this book is brilliant, and honestly it's worth the read, it's quick and easy and so enjoyable!

You can find it on Kindle here: x (it's £1.99 or free for Kindle Unlimited users)

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ARC Review: Rain Saga

An ARC Review or a read to review book is one that was sent to me in exchange for an honest review, either from the author or publisher, but this in no way alters my review or thoughts on the book. 

Thank you to Riley Barton!

Title: Rain Saga

Series: As of now, a stand alone

Author: Riley Barton

Genre: Young adult, dystopian, adventure

Release Date: May 22nd 2015

Pages: 288

My rating: 4 stars

The year is 2119. 

The world has changed. 

And not for the better. 

Ravished by storms, floods and disease; including the deadly Blister Wart Disease, millions have died. 

Luna's parents were among the small amount that lived and now 18 years later, Luna is researching a cure for Blister Wart Disease, not only to save millions of people's lives, but her own as well. When she discovers an enzyme with the potential to eliminate this disease, she has to go into one of the dangerous swamped areas to collect another sample. 

But things don't go to plan, and Luna is left to consider that the people she once trusted, maybe aren't as trustworthy as she'd like to believe, and maybe things aren't as they seem. 

The future beckoned like the first light of the new day. Her rain saga was over, but her life was just beginning. 

I went into this book completely blind. 

And I was actually pretty shocked by how much I enjoyed it. Starting with the characters, I liked Luna as a main heroine. She wasn't whiny about her illness and she continued going in her research, not letting the fact that it may kill her, stop her. She seemed a lot less selfish than many main female leads and I liked the fact that she didn't need any love interest to make her strong. She was strong in her own right. 

The only character I had an issue with was Bridget, for no other reason than she was annoying. I understand that everyone has that person in their lives but she gave me a bit of a headache, poor Keith (read the book and you'll get the reference.)

The plot was something that I'd never heard of before and the dystopian vibes were really prominent in the story, but also in a way that made you feel like you wanted to know more about the world. It interested me how whole cities lay in ruins. I was just imagining a worldwide Chernobyl sort of situation the whole way through the book. 

The writing was fast paced and interesting, enough to keep your focus on the book and it is the type of book that you can read in one sitting!

The reason this book was a four star book and not a five star book was because I wasn't grasped immediately, it took me about a chapter to really get into the flow of this book, but the chapters aren't long!

I really did enjoy this book, and I think that it is an excellent debut. 

Check out the book on Amazon Kindle here: {x}

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