Drawn by Cecilia Gray

DRAWN BY CECILIA GRAY

 

 

PLOT:

A wholly original tale of friendship and betrayal through the eyes - and lies - of one extraordinary girl.
Sasha has a secret - that she can make you spill your secret with nothing more than a question. Her strange gift makes her a burden to her foster family and a total freak of nature. Not that Sasha cares. Why should she when no one cares about her?
Then the CIA knocks on her door. They want to give Sasha a new identity and drop her into a foreign country to infiltrate a ring of zealous graffiti terrorists. They want to give Sasha something to care about.
To survive a world where no one is who they seem, Sasha needs to make people trust her. But when that trust blossoms into love, Sasha is forced to decide between duty and friendship, between her mind and her heart, and whether to tell the truth or keep her secrets.

REVIEW:
I thoroughly enjoyed 'Drawn'. It has a unique concept and was pulled off well. I found the comic strips at the start of each chapter to be fun and quirky. Overall I found 'Drawn' to be a little bit short at 157 pages, but the story/plot was well executed.

~LW



 

The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner

THE MAZE RUNNER BY JAMES DASHNER

 

 

PLOT:
Book 1:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Book 2:
The Gladers have escaped the Maze, but now they face an even more treacherous challenge on the open roads of a devastated planet. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them. Can Thomas survive in such a violent world?

Book 3:
Thomas knows that Wicked can’t be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they’ve collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It’s up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test. What Wicked doesn’t know is that something’s happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can’t believe a word of what Wicked says. The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine. Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

Review:
I got my copy of 'The Maze Runner' for Christmas. I started it on Boxing Day and finished it a few days later. I love the first book in the series, it was fast paced and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked that the story didn't focus on the relationship between Thomas and Theresa, which is quite different as many of the books I read are a romance of sort.
I ordered the second book in the trilogy 'The Scorch Trials' immediately after I finished 'The Maze Runner'. I found it to be fairly dragging, they were walking through a desert pretty much throughout the entire book. It was good though as the action that there was, was gripping.
I ordered 'The Death Cure' at the same time I ordered 'The Scorch Trials', thinking that if 'The Scorch Trails' was as good as 'The Maze Runner', I would need the trilogy's finale soon. I started 'The Death Cure' and as soon as I did I felt it to be unnecessary and a filler, just to make the series a trilogy instead of a pair. I struggled through 15 chapters, before thinking I should read something I actually want to read. I didn't finish this book, it sits on my shelf, still with my bookmark inside.

~LW

Old Magic in Everyday Life by Mhairi Simon

OLD MAGIC IN EVERYDAY LIFE BY MHAIRI SIMON

 

 

 

PLOT:
Magic is a different way of doing things.
Much magic comes from the Universe, from the past. It is already here, waiting to be found and used: it does not need to be invented or improved. It is, however, mysterious – that is its nature. And that is the conundrum: how to find and use something inherently mysterious.

For many of us, this conundrum can almost stop our efforts to find it.

But I know I was born with magic – it came with my soul.

I use this gift every day.
I consider myself lucky to be able to do that for the benefit of many others, some human, some animal. But it has not always been so: my journey has had it's ups and downs. Magic has brought loss as well as gain, and pain as much as a sense of identity.

Many people I've met have journeyed as though magic was somewhere over the horizon, aeons away, almost alive and determined to evade capture. I would like to tell you about my journey, so that you may gain ideas and encouragement for your own personal path. My main point is that Old Magic is close-by, still relevant and very, very interesting.

This book is for those seeking explanation and understanding of a path which is calling to them. At the beginning of a journey, the fear of feeling different or even insane can stop you in your tracks. I hope to reassure you that you are neither mad nor alone on this path. To many this story may seem fanciful or exaggerated, but it is as true as I can make it. To some it may be unbelievable, but to others this may feel like a story so familiar it could be their own.

The back of the book offers exercises and inspirations for you to try, or to immerse yourself in, because I have been guided to offer them. May your journey be one of excitement and illumination, but mainly a safe and happy one.


REVIEW:
Received via. First Reads on Goodreads

This book is filled with fascinating anecdotes and I found myself connecting with Mhairi on a spiritual level. 'Old Magic in Everyday Life' is interesting and well written, and is overflowing in nuggets of wisdom, it opened my eyes/mind to the world around me. I recommend this book to anyone even mildly interested in spirituality, they won't be disappointed. I will definitely be re-reading this book in the future.

~LW

Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

NOUGHTS & CROSSES BY MALORIE BLACKMAN

 

 

 

PLOT:
Two young people are forced to make a stand in this thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society.

Sephy is a Cross -- a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought -- a “colourless” member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood, but that’s as far as it can go. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum -- a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together?

REVIEW:
I brought this book at a second-hand shop without much thought, I thought it looked interesting and liked the sound of the storyline, I got it home and started to read it. I didn't like it from the beginning. I forced my way through 4 chapters, then I gave up. I put it on my shelf and picked it up again a few months later, I got a few more chapters in then gave up again, I didn't like it at all.

In my year 9 English class, Noughts & Crosses was the book we had to study. We studied it in agonising detail, which fuelled my dislike (later hatred) for this book even more. I found the storyline to be predictable and the idea of role reversal, I thought to be unoriginal.

Overall, I really didn't like this book and think it is overhyped.

~LW

 

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

WONDER BY R.J. PALACIO

 

 

 

PLOT:
August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

REVIEW:
I had heard many a good thing about this book, so when our school library got it in, I grabbed it and signed it out. I was drawn into this book from the first chapter and I found Auggie's character to be enchanting and inspiring. The courage Auggie showed through everything he went through and the change went through by Amos and Henry gave me hope for the world.

Overall this book was beautiful and enchanting. I would recommend this to anyone of any age, it is beautiful.

~LW