Book store review: Stanfords

Stanfords is located in the heart of Covent Garden in London and this is an amazing bookstore for a very specific audience. Are you in London on a trip or are you just bitten by the travel bug? Stanfords will satisfy all your needs!

First off, the building of Stanfords is gorgeous even before you see the inside. It's a beautiful old building, with some great display windows. If you think it's just travel books, you are wrong! When I went, there was also a nice collection of children's book displayed.

But the outside is nothing - we booklovers want a great selection of books and Stanfords definitely delivers. As is well known, Stanfords is mostly a bookstore for travellers. They have an upstairs floor with a special department which specialises in maps. I've heard that not only can you buy any map ever made, you can even get your own gorgeous maps (like the one of the floor) made. Sounds like a perfect present for the traveller in your life to me!

But if you're a tourist and can't actually carry a custom made, gorgeous, massive map with you, there are plenty of tour booklets so you can explore London. As an added bonus, there are some great postcards you can buy so you can show off that 1. you've been to a great travel bookstore and 2. you've gotten some great tips on where to go in London!

The only downside for me is the fact that I don't like travel books that much. I usually google everything I need to know and travel memoirs just don't really do it for me. There are fiction books, but just not enough compared to other stores.

So would I buy something in Stanfords for myself? Probably not. Will it become my go-to store for presents? Definitely.

If you are even remotely interested in travel OR gorgeous bookstores, do yourself a favour and get down to Covent Garden to see this beauty of a store!

Spelled - Betsy Schow

RATING: ★★★★★

I received this book free from Sourcebooks (via netgalley). This does not influence my review.

Okay Emma, you need to write this review without only writing how much you love Spelled. You need to actually explain why you love this book. Reader, I'm so going to try to do this, but I can make no guarantees that I'll actually manage, because I LOVED SPELLED and it was flawless to me and let's pray on a fairy godmother that I can explain why.

Plot

Fairy Tale Survival Rule #32: If you find yourself at the mercy of a wicked witch, sing a romantic ballad and wait for your Prince Charming to save the day.

Yeah, no thanks. Dorthea is completely princed out. Sure being the crown princess of Emerald has its perks—like Glenda Original ball gowns and Hans Christian Louboutin heels. But a forced marriage to the brooding prince Kato is so not what Dorthea had in mind for her enchanted future.

Talk about unhappily ever after. 

Trying to fix her prince problem by wishing on a (cursed) star royally backfires, leaving the kingdom in chaos and her parents stuck in some place called "Kansas." Now it's up to Dorthea and her pixed off prince to find the mysterious Wizard of Oz and undo the curse...before it releases the wickedest witch of all and spells The End for the world of Story

So why do I love this book so much?

First thing: Fairytales. I love fairytales. I love the Grimm tales, I love Disney movies, I love Once Upon A Time and now I love Spelled. It's all about the fairytales and I guess that could be a downfall for some readers. If you don't know any fairytales or just don't enjoy reading them, you won't like this book. So many jokes hinge on your knowledge of those classic Western fairytales and being obsessed with them, this worked perfectly for me.

Bratty narrator

I've heard that people don't enjoy this book, because they think Dorthea is a brat - and yes, she is. She's spoiled, bratty, demanding, rude, mean and I absolutely loved her. Dorthea was never allowed to leave the castle and never even had a real friend - can you blame her for being rude? She doesn't have a clue how to communicate with people, except for when she's bossing them around. Seeing her so bratty actually only made me feel worse for her; how sad to be 16 and have no clue how to bond with people. I loved the journey she made in the story and the fact that she learns how to communicate without losing her bratty edge. Some people just are bratty and Dorthea rocked it.

Rating

This book is a five out of five for me, because it seemed like it was just written for me. I love bratty narrators, I love fairytales and there was a realistic romantic story too. However, I do think this book target a very specific audience and if you don't like any either a demanding, at times childish, narrator or the magical fairytale elements, you won't enjoy this book at all. But if you do like those elements; please read this book so we can talk about it!

Cleo - Lucy Coats

RATING: ★★★★☆

I'm finally getting through my TBR-pile and trust me readers, this one is a goodie! I got Cleo by Lucy Coats originally from Netgalley, but the file was almost unreadable. Luckily, Lucy is one of the nicest authors I know and send me a gorgeous paperback version of the book in a customised Cleo envelope! Of course, I'm super grateful for her kindness, but it doesn't influence my review in any way.

Plot

Her precious mother is dead - and it isn't an accident! The young Cleopatra - Pharaoh's illegitimate daughter - must flee the royal palace at Alexandria or die too. As her evil half-sisters usurp the throne, Cleo finds sanctuary at the sacred temple of Isis, where years later she becomes initiated into the secret Sisters of the Living Knot. But now Isis's power is failing, Egypt is in danger, and Cleo must prove her loyalty to her goddess by returning to the Alexandria she hates. She must seek out the hidden map which is the key to returning Isis's power - on pain of death. But will she be able to evade her horrible sisters? And will she find dreamy Khai, the über-hot Librarian boy she met as she fled Alexandria years before? Cleo's powerful destiny is about to unfold...

Cleo

Now I've been looking at the Goodreads page of this book a little bit and saw lots of comments about the maturity of Cleo. The maturity of YA narrators is something I always focus on and when a 16 year old acts 14 (in Goose for example) or acts older (the reason why I hated Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe), I immediately dislike the book.

However, I do not agree with all the other Goodreads reviews: I liked Cleo's maturity. Is she bratty, naive and demanding? Yes, she is, but then again she's also a Pharaoh's daughter who always, even when she flees the castle, has people doing her every beckoning. Being raised like that would make anyone bratty and demanding and her lack of experience completely explains her naive nature in my eyes. I will say that if you want a sarcastic, cynical Cleopatra that has maturity beyond her age, especially because she's so special, you're better off picking up another historical novel about Cleopatra.

Fantasy elements

When I talked to Lucy, she told me she loved the Grave Mercy series and reading this book I can definitely see the influences. (Lucy just informed me that she read GM AFTER writing Cleo! So I guess it's just not influence but just a very happy coincidence!) Cleo is clearly mostly a historical fiction book, with the emphasis on Cleopatra's youth and her life in Egypt. However that's not the only thing in this book; Cleo can communicate with the Gods. With communicating I don't mean Percy Jackson-style communication with the Gods, but more visions and voices inside Cleo's head. This adds an element of originality to the story which means that even hardcore Egyptian history lovers can be surprised by this book.

The only small downside to the fantasy elements, and to the book overall for me, was the role it plays in the love story. Cleo sees a boy named Khai right before she flees the palace. She doesn't see him for four years, yet she has these dreams in which she can communicate with him. This seemed odd to me and her extreme fixation on these dreams and Khai annoyed me. She's the chosen one, she has to save Egypt, I'm sure she could think of more important things than a boy (but then again, she's a teenager so maybe she can't).

Rating

This book is a solid four out of five stars for me. Besides my annoyance with the paranormal romance, this story was nearly flawless. Cleo was a realistic royal teenager and I loved seeing her grow throughout the story. I think this book is a great read for anyone who enjoys Grave Mercy or the Percy Jackson books.

Have you read this book? Please share your thoughts below! 

How to Catch a (Rock) Star - Gabrielle Aquilina

RATING: ★★★☆☆

I received a free copy from this book from the publisher, thank you So Vain! As usual, this does not influence my review in any way. 

Confession time: I read fanfiction every now and then. I know it's frowned upon and judged and it's not "real writing", but I think some stories are actually great reads. I'm not a massive fan and I don't read a lot of it, but from time to time it's a nice relaxing read. If you like fanfiction, then I have good news for you: You'll love How to Catch a (Rock) Star

Plot

Aspiring singer Lillie and American rock star Jed seem like the perfect fit from the moment they meet. The pair are inseparable, but Jed’s jet-set schedule of shows and after-parties limits the amount they can see each other. So when Jed invites Lillie to sing with his band on their tour, she says yes. Yes with some hesitation, that is. After finding out that her ex-boyfriend was hiding away a wife and child when they were dating, Lillie’s trust in men is fragile and she also suffers from severe stage fright. As the tour progresses, Jed and Lillie are fast becoming rock’s hottest couple but with obsessive fan girls, a claustrophobic tour bus and a resentful guitarist, things start taking a turn for the worse. Lillie’s dream of singing may have finally become a reality, but can it last? The odds are stacking up against them and then the unthinkable happens…

Romance, Romance, Romance

Clearly, this is a romance novel and I was excited to see how a rockstar and a normal girl would make a relationship work. Lillie is an enjoyable character; she's nice, sweet, always tries to do the right thing and really really likes Jed. Jed is nice too, seems to really care for Lillie, but is clearly hiding something from her. The relationship between the two is cute to read, but I was bothered by the fact that we don't find out Jed's secret until three-quarters into the book. I wanted to know sooner! I was constantly waiting for some drama to start and when it finally did, it was solved too quickly for my liking. Some more tension would have been great, but if you don't like that kinda thing (a lot of people don't), then this is perfect. 

Great main characters, but...

So Lillie and Jed are fun to read about, however the side characters fall completely flat. They were actually the most fanfiction element of the book for me. They're all there (the bandmates, the roommate friend,...) and they are all there for Jed and Lillie to talk to and that's about it. The whole book-world seems to revolve around the romance and that's just so not realistic. They are people with jobs and lives - why not show that? It irked me that all they do is try and get Lillie and Jed together or try and fix something if it's wrong. If those characters were more rounded, the story would be so much better.  

Rating

So overall, I'm not wild about this book. It was nice and cute and fun to read, but I didn't really relate to it. I honestly don't think it will appeal to people who don't like fanfiction. This story requires you to really let go of your inner-critic and to not wonder "would that really happen??", because it wouldn't. In real life, there would be a girl who sees a band play and then goes home and goes back to her shit job the next day. But this is a work of fiction, so things happen. If you're okay with just letting go of the realistic factor and enjoy the story, you'll really enjoy it. You'll breeze through the story and enjoy the very cute moments between Lillie and Jed. If you don't like those overly happy dream-come-true stories, then don't pick this up.

The Queen of the Tearling - Erica Johansen

Rating:★★★.5

Someday I'll be completely on schedule with all my blog posts. That day is clearly not today. In April, the Booksplosion book of the month was The Queen of the Tearling: a book I picked up months ago and hadn't read yet. I decided that Booksplosion was a great motivation to read it and now, a month too late, here is my review!

Plot

On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown.

Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust.

But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend…if she can survive.
 

Kelsea "not another girl" narrator

I must admit that I have conflicted feelings about this book. The main thing I didn't like was the fact that Kelsea, the new Queen, comes across as "very different from normal girls". While I usually crave diversity in YA narrators, it just didn't work for Kelsea. It was too forced and unbelievable. I get that you want to make a main character different, but she's a young girl who suddenly becomes a queen. Would she really be that heroic? Could she be that intelligent? Would she be that emotionally strong? I am not convinced at all.

Can we do YA without a love story? YES WE CAN.

What I did love about this story is the fact that there is no real love story. Kelsea is young, so obviously she's thinking about men and what she's feeling but there is no real focus on it. There's no traditional love interest and that is absolutely perfect in this book. It wouldn't work, it would distract the reader from the already very complicated plot and it would make Kelsea even more cliché than she already was. I loved that the author was brave enough to just leave the love story out of it (at least for this first book of the series).

Plotting genius

And she might have left the love story out of it, because she was already juggling a million plot events. Honestly, this book is a great how-to guide for plotting. There's so much happening, yet everything is paced perfectly and makes perfect sense. There's slavery, wars, different narratives, childhood problems, parent problems,... This book combines everything and does it in a fantastic way. 

The one drawback about this, for some readers, is that there's jumping of point of view and this is done quite inconsistently. I didn't always understand why we had to hear from certain characters at certain times. Besides being confusing at times, it also means that the reader basically knows everything and especially more than Kelsea. This frustrated me because it made it even harder to relate to Kelsea, a character I didn't like to begin with. I wish I had just known her point of view about the story.

Rating

On Goodreads, I gave this book four stars, because there's no half star option. However, my true rating is 3.5 out of 5. This was a good book and I did enjoy reading it, but I was also frustrated throughout and I just wish I could pick this book up and re-write it a bit. But with this potential, I'm hoping the next book in the series will be a 5 stars.

April Classic: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The 2015 Classics Challenge set up by Stacey over at The Pretty Books. The goal is to read one classic a month and to blog about the experience. I've always wanted to read more classics and since I'm in a monthly classics book group, I thought this would be a great way to combine the two! This month, I've read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

WHEN I DISCOVERED THIS CLASSIC + WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT

I mean, who hasn't heard of Little Women? I've always seen reviews of the book or one of the movies, but was never really compelled to pick it up (it seemed too fluffy for me). However, when my mother told me that it was one of her favourite books while growing up, I knew I had to try it. Then I found a gorgeous orange penguin version and the deal was sealed.

WHAT MAKES IT A CLASSIC

I hate this question, because it's so hard to answer. I guess what makes it a classic is the time spirit in the novel and the fuzzy warm feelings it gives the readers. It doesn't matter how old you are, where you're from or what your life story is - this novel will make you feel amazing on the inside and I think that will make it a classic forever.

WHAT I THOUGHT OF THIS CLASSIC

I really liked this classic. I adored the four girls, I loved the story, the pacing was fast and I wasn't bored for a second. After reading Little Women I completely and totally understand why it is so well-loved. Even the little notes of moral, which irked me throughout The Scarlett Letter, didn't bother me at all in this book - it's kind of fun. It fits the time spirit and it's endearing to see little girls believe that everything can be fixed by faith and hard work. I love that that was true in this book - I can't imagine these girls not being happy. The reason I didn't completely adore it was that I'm not one for really happy books. I like some drama and this was just a little bit too perfect - however it's my favourite happy book. 

WILL IT STAY A CLASSIC

As I mentioned before, yes. I think this is the ultimate feel-good book and people will never stop reading those kinds of books. There's no reason I can see for this to stop being a classic.
 

WHO I’D RECOMMEND IT TO

Saying everyone is too cliché, but that's kind of what I want to say. However, to specify, I'll say people who need a pick-me-up and people who are new with classics. This book is quite old, but it doesn't read like a Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice - it's easy, fast and will make you smile. If you are one of my YA readers, then do please try this book; it will surprise you so much.

Top 5... Books that feature travelling

Yessss!! I love travelling and was so excited to make this prompt, since it includes some all time favourite reads - especially number 1! Again, the books are not in order and I'd love to hear what books you would add!

1. On the Road - Jack Kerouac

Predictable, I know. This book doesn't just feature travelling, it's all about travelling. The whole story is one road trip after another and that's the reason I love this book so much. It's the 1960s, people are free to drive all around the country and everyone takes advantage of this - especially the Beat generation. Though marketed as a work of fiction, a reader soon figures out that this is Jack Kerouac's life and that just makes it so much better. Who else has ever had such a crazy life?

---

2. The Hobbit - J.R. Tolkien

Now I know the more expected book to put here is Lord of the Rings, but confession time: I haven't read that yet. So I'm settling for The Hobbit, which is also a kind of travelling book - just in a different realm. I loved exploring the world Tolkien made, but due to the fact that it really is a children's book, I missed some details. However, I'm sure that when I do read LOTR, which I really want to do, those details will be all there and push the whole saga up on my list.

---

3. Paper Towns - John Green

The first book on my list that isn't all about travelling. The trip in Paper Towns is very important, but it's all about the destination and not so much about the journey there. I loved it, because of the idea of a group of friends getting in a car and driving somewhere to find another friend. It's unplanned. It's crazy. And John Green wrote it, which means it was fascinating to read.

---

4. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series - Ann Brashares

At this point, I kinda got stuck at thinking of books featuring travelling, so I had help from Twitter friends and Goodreads to find these last two books. But honestly, I can't believe I FORGOT THIS BOOK. I used to be absolutely obsessed with The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. I was 12 or something when I read these books and I felt so mature to read about teenage girls with teenage problems - I fell in love. In these books, four girls share a pair of pants that they send all over the world during the summer so the pants is with all of them. Technically, most travelling is done by the pants, but there are some lovely romantic scenes in Greece that mean you will want to travel too.

---

5. Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

And I'm even more embarrassed that I had to see this book on a Goodreads travelling list before I thought of it: Anna and the French Kiss. I rave about this book in every post and somehow I forgot that Anna travels from America to Paris (this must justify a re-read, right?). I think almost everyone has read this book, so I won't talk about it too much, besides saying that if you haven't read it, read it. Please. Just do yourself that one favour.