Monday 31 December 2012

Matched by Ally Condie

“Is falling in love with someone's story the same thing as falling in love with the person himself?” 

Cassia lives in a society where everything is determined for you, what you eat, what you wear, where you work and most importantly who you love. At the beginning of the book we meet Cassia who is getting ready to be matched to her life partner. A glitch in system, starts Cassia on a journey of self discovery, she will learn to question everything she thought was right with the society she lives in.

I love the world Condie has created here, the society seems perfect on the surface but once Cassia takes off her 'rose tinted glasses' she see it for what it really is, creepy and sinister. A society that chooses your destiny for you.

Even though the plot was slow, I think that added to the believability of the story line, Cassia has grown up in this world, its what she has been taught to believe, so we go on the journey with her full of indecisiveness  and fear.

I loved the love triangle in this book, again it was believable  which is such an important quality in YA fiction, its often rushed and characters fall in love far too quickly. Cassia loves both Xander and Ky in different ways one is sweet and protective and the other is fierce and strong, Cassia fights with what she knows is right and what her heart is telling her to do. The build up of the chemistry between Cassia and Ky, is slow and steady, they learn to connect over poetry and little by little they learn more about each other.

I think the poetry aspect had to be one of my favourite things from this book, it was so sweet and charming, it was their forbidden fruit.

The ending was incredible. it was heartbreakingly sad and left me aching to find out what was next for Cassia. This book is a definite must for any fans of dystopian novels, don't be put off by its slow pace, its just the start in what I'm sure will be a wonderful series.

Ascend by Amanda Hocking

“Wendy!” Finn shouted pulling me from my moment with Loki. “What are you doing? You’re married. And not to him.” 
“Nothing slips by you does it.” Loki asked.” 


The final book in the Trylle trilogy. After devouring the first two books in this series I was excited to see how Amanda was going to play this out. I have to say I was thoroughly surprised and not at all disappointed, there were plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming and I was left guessing until the final pages.

A war on the horizon and a wedding to plan, so much happened in this book and my opinion changed on so many characters. Wendy has changed drastically since the first book, she finally learns what is it to be a Queen, she stands up for what she believes in, she finally takes charge and shows fierce strength and amazing loyalty. With her people arguing amongst themselves and trying to over throw her, Wendy does not back down. A completely different person to the first novel. I also loved how we saw the relationship build between Elora and Wendy, Elora showed that she really does love Wendy and towards the end it did get very emotional. Again the support cast where superb, you really felt for them and I loved that Hocking tied up all the sub plots at the end, you weren't left wondering what happened to anyone.

This book is full of emotion and courage. A wonderful ending to a fantastic series, that has definitely made me want to read more work by Amanda Hocking. 

Torn by Amanda Hocking

“Right then, it didn't matter what his reasons were. All I knew that I was sick of him breaking my heart.” 

The second instalment in the Trylle trilogy, is face paced with lots of twists and turns. After the events of switched Wendy has returned home with Rhys to her brother Matt, but this doesn't last long with her (true) families enemies looking for her, Wendy is soon captured and imprisoned by them. I won't say much more than that because I don't want to spoil the plot.

I really enjoyed this book, there was a lot more world building and character development. We get to learn more about the Trylle history and politics and why everyone is depending on Wendy to be a great queen. Its full of twists and turns and plenty of emotional moments.

Wendy really grew on me in this book instead of seeming so passive and letting everything revolve around Finn she finally stood up for herself and had to make some tough decisions and a lot of sacrifices. We also got to see a lot more of Elora and finally find out why she seems so cold and disant. The characters seemed to come alive more in this book, and we see that there is perhaps a lot more to them then we first thought. Plus there are a few new characters who really steal the show, Duncan Wendy's new tracker, is funny and sweet and makes for some real comical moments and Loki, her new love interest, well he is the mysterious bad boy, with a dark past but a sweet soul. I really fell for him. I like that he is more of a support for Wendy instead of telling her what to do.

Overall this book was sweet and enchanting, it really captures your imagination. You can feel the emotions of the characters and the weight of the decisions they have to make. It's definitely got me reaching for the final instalment.

Sunday 30 December 2012

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

“We felt the imprisonment of being a girl, the way it made your mind active and dreamy, and how you ended up knowing which colours went together. We knew that the girls were our twins, that we all existed in space like animals with identical skins, and that they knew everything about us though we couldn't fathom them at all. We knew, finally, that the girls were really women in disguise, that they understood love and even death, and that our job was merely to create the noise that seemed to fascinate them.” 

The Virgin Suicides is the dark and mysterious tale of the five Lisbon sisters who through the course of a year all commit suicide. It's definitely a hard subject to get to grips with, suicide and depression especially with teenagers has always seemed like such a taboo subject but the author does it brilliantly, creating a haunting atmosphere that really sucks you in.  There is very little dialogue in the book, its more of a retelling of the girls lives through the eyes of the boys that adored them.

The book showed the effects on suicide not just with the girls and their family but with the boys, who are now men and they still haven't gotten over what happened that year, constantly searching for answers as to why the girls did what they did or what they could have done to change it. However the reason behind the suicides is somewhat irrelevant, its more about their lives in the often moody and oppressive suburbs.  

Its a beautiful yet haunting story that will stay with you long after you put it down. It's hard to actually put into words how this book left me feeling, just that you must read it.

Saturday 29 December 2012

Switched by Amanda Hocking



“Did you think you could treat me like shit at a dance, then sneak into my room in the middle of the night and tell me that I'm a troll with magical powers, and I'd just be like, yeah, that sounds right.”

A book that is instantly engaging, with characters that are witty and easy to like. A new idea is hard to find   in the YA category so I wasn't pleasantly surprised when I found this one involving trolls (or trylle), yes trolls. Such a novel idea that works really well and allows it to stand apart from other books out there. Amanda Hocking has developed a well thought out mythology that lets you understand this new world.

This is a book full of adventure, fantasy and of course romance. It has good pace and the potential for good character development. I've seen mixed reviews on the leading character Wendy but I really liked her, she had a strong personality and didn't let people push her about and Finn, well I liked him but didn't love him, he had that creepy, over-protective vibe going on, which I'm fed up of now. 

Switched was a great introduction to the trylle world, it set up the characters and the mythology of this world. This series definitely has potential and I can't wait to read the next one.


Beautiful Creature by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

“Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures.”

This was one of those books I didn't do much research into before reading it and I'm glad I didn't as I've seen so many mixed reviews that it probably would have put me off reading it.

Beautiful creatures is a dark, gothic romance set in South Carolina. It's full of mystery and intrigue, the idea of casters (witches and warlocks) becoming either light or dark really interested me, especially since Lena's family don't get to choose. What made this book even more interesting was that it was written from the perspective of Ethan, a boy which is highly unusual for a YA book but I felt added something new and fresh to the mix of girly angst. However this book is not without its angst, the will they or wont they overcome all of these obstacles in front of them, very dramatic at times but it does make for entertaining reading.

I loved the civil war aspects of the book and the flash back to both Ethan and Leans ancestors, it seems they really are destined to be together. Surprisingly my favourite characters came from the support cast, I thought Macon and Amma stole the book for me, their fierce protectiveness and sometimes comical attitudes to each other, created a contrast to the very darkness of Ethan and Lena's love.

I thought that the writing was beautiful and it didn't feel like it came from two authors, they created a believable world that is easy to visual with lovely magical quality to it. It's unlike anything I've read before in this genre.

The only downside to it is the length, there is no real pace to the book until the end, which leaves a lot of repetition and stale moments, where nothing is really happening. I think if it would have had slightly more editing, this would have been a fantastic read.

I'd definitely recommend reading this for any fantasy lover and before the film comes out.

Friday 28 December 2012

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

“There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.” 

This is one of those books you just have to read, set in a dystopian future where fireman create fires to burn books. Its written from the perspective of one of these fireman Guy Montag , who after years of burning books meets a girl who questions life instead of just asking 'how' she asks 'why'. This sets guy on a journey of self discovery and the eventual end of his life as he knows it. 

Bradbury has said that this is not a book on censorship rather a harsh look at the reality of society. A society in which we would much rather communicate via social media then leave the house for any real interactions. As stated in the book it is not the government that bans books rather society themselves stop caring.

I absolutely loved this book, I found it rather dark and haunting especially the vivid scene of the woman burning with her books. This is a society where everyone thinks they are 'happy' but where suicide is a common occurrence that makes no one think twice. 

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime by Mark Haddon

“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.” 

'Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the colour yellow.'

Both a heartbreaking and charming insight into the life of Christopher and young boy with aspergers syndrome. Christopher is investigating the death of his neighbours dog and during the course of this investigation discovers some hidden truths about his own life. 

I don't want to say too much about this book because I don't want to spoil the plot, I loved this book, its such a unique and sad story, beautifully written you really get a in-depth look at what its like to be Christopher and how hard is it when people don't understand you. I love his musing about life and what it would be like to be the only person left on the planet. The one thing that really stood out to me though was how most of us have qualities of Christopher  we all know people who have slightly OCD tendencies or even those that aren't very affectionate. Perhaps the message we should take from this is that we aren't so different after all.

I'll leave you on one final thought from Christopher

“I want my name to mean me.” 

Iron King by Julie Kagawa

“I licked my lips and whispered, "Is this where you say you'll kill me?" 
One corner of his lips curled. "If you like," he murmured, a flicker of amusement finally crossing his face. "Though it's gotten far too interesting for that.” 


At first glance Iron King seems to be your typical fairy book with a Shakespearean esq sub-plot but alas not all is at it seems. It's a mixture of traditional fairy tale, steam punk and a whole lot of action. The story is narrated from Meghans perspective, her voice was refreshing and believable. I found this book such a joy to read, Julie really manages to transport you to the 'nevernever' without overloading you with information. Her descriptive technique was beautiful and the characters were all engaging and funny.

Of course there was a love interest but this wasn't the main plot line which again I thought was such as change to typical YA, you can feel the chemistry building between the Meghan and Ash but it never overwhelms what's going on around them.

Overall I would say this is such a beautiful story, with quirky characters and wicked fey. 

I've been recommending this to everyone, so go and pick up a copy.

War of the Worlds by H.G Wells


"No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own."

First published in 1898 the War of the World's was the first novel of its kind to consider an invasion from another planet. Many other's have followed but non that use the imagination and impressive scientific knowledge of Wells. The plot is simple yet extremely tense, the Martians invasion is brutal, cold and calculating.

What starts off as humanity trying to discover what these mysterious objects are soon results in a struggle for survival. Wells brilliantly points out that humans so often see themselves as 'Kings' with no thought to those they see as lower then themselves, well what if the tables were reserved and humans were seen as lesser beings that needed to be terminated?

Its a brilliantly written book, way ahead of its time, completely engrossing and exciting. A must read for any sci-fi fan.

Monday 19 November 2012

Great Expectations

Is anyone else excited to see this film?


Helena Bonham Carter is one of my idols. I love her gothic style and how she doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She is who is is and she owns it one hundred per cent.

I'm so excited to see her play Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. It was definitely a role she was born to play.


Thursday 25 October 2012

Halloween



So its Halloween next week, this is one of my favourite times of year. I love getting dressed up and going out or just sitting in and watching films. Hocus Pocus is definitely one of my all time favourite Halloween films and will be getting watched this year.

I'm very lucky to have the mum I do, no matter what the holiday she goes all out decorating the house and Halloween is no expectation. I used to love coming home from school to a house full of spiders cobwebs and scary monsters, she always makes the holidays special for me and my brother.

So even if you feel your too old to dress up (I don't), you can still do little things for Halloween, for example painting your nails with spooky designs  My favourite is the nightmare before Christmas design (these are not my pictures).




Halloween is very ,on trend, at the moment, just look at Topshops latest collection the witching hour or there  collaboration with J.W Anderson, which features a bat and ghost knit jumper, or a spider print suit (I have the jumper and the spider print top half of the suit, once a Goth, always a Goth). So why add something small to an every day outfit and celebrate Halloween with some spooky socks or a t shirt.



And finally why not bake some spooky cupcakes like I'm planning on doing, I shall post some pictures of what I end up doing next week.



Wednesday 24 October 2012

Victory Rolls







This is a hair style I've been dying to try for ages, only problem is I'm not very good at doing anything with my hair. With it being curly I have the same style most days and doing anything with it is always a pain as I can never get it to look smooth without straightening it first which takes forever and I hate doing it. However I am determined to give this a go, I've found some pretty cool guides  here and here.


The other thing I've always wanted to do with my hair is have a fringe (My idols are Bettie Page and Zooey Deschanel very famous ladies all with very famous fringes), but I've been told by my hairdresser that my forehead is too small (which it really is) and for me to be able to have a fringe it would have to start quite far back into my hair (basically I would be stuck with it forever). The other problem with a fringe would be the upkeep, I couldn't have a day off doing my hair, curly hair and a fringe could lead to a lot of hair disaster days. But I've seen quite a lot of fake fringes recently. They come in a range of colours and you can always cut them to the style you want. It would mean I could have the fringe one day and the next day take it out. All the benefits of a fringe without actually getting one.





Sunday 16 September 2012

J.W. Anderson and Topshop


I've fallen in love with these jumpers from the new Topshop collection, they will be a perfect addition to my winter wardrobe. I just don't know which one I like more. At the moment I'm kind of leaning towards the ghost one. Decisions, decisions.

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Disco Pants

I've finally admitted to myself that I want the American Apparel Disco pants, its a shame they cost so much, at £70 they are a little out of my price range. They are a favourite of most bloggers and I love how versatile they are. They are not something that lets you hide in the background, they're  figure hugging and show off all your curves, that being said they seem to be flattering on anyone who wears them, I guess they hold you in, in all the right places. 

Wearable day or night, they can be grunge or sophisticated depending on how you wear them. I think its going to be the perfect addition to what now seems to be an all round winter wardrobe for us in the UK. Now if like me you can't afford the £70, own the runway do a look-alike for only £25.99 and they come in many pretty colours. What do you think?



Monday 30 July 2012

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro review

It is both moving and sinister from the start. The acceptance from the characters of their fate, is heart-breaking they know what their lives are for and that makes it heart-breaking. It is definitely something that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

It is written in the first person by a female narrative, who slowly reveals in reminisces the predicament her and her friends are in. By receiving the information this way, we the reader are left wanting to know more. It's as if we learn it the same way Kathy and her friends would have during their school years, just being told a little bit at a time.

One thing I really loved about this book was how Ishiguro covered relationships and memories. In life our relationships with those we love change and eventually like Kathy we have to accept this and learn to grow. Key moments in life always come back to us, they never seem to be that important when they happen but maybe later in life we can look back at them with fresh eyes just like Kathy.

Some may say these characters are 'two dimensional' but I just don't see that, these are emotionally damaged young people, who've been bought up in constant confinement. They never learn how to grow and even though I've said it before it chilled me how they just accept their fate, that one day they will 'complete'.

I won't say much else, just that you must read this book!

Kitty Flats



I spotted these kitty flats last year and absolutely loved how cute and kitsch they were. I instantly fell in love. Charlotte Olympia has such an amazing take on shoes and this kitty collection is no exception. A favourite of Alexa Chung, who has been spotted wearing them on a good few occasions. Now I can't afford the £425 price tag of the flat shoes but don't lose faith yet as I have found a very similar pair on this website for only £20 or the platforms for £32.




Not bad for that price! Now I just need to decide which ones I like more. What do you think?

Thursday 26 July 2012

Lazy Oaf x Batman


So whilst browsing through the new editions to Asos I found this amazing Batman collection from lazy oaf. Now everyone knows I love Batman, so this is my ideal collection, I'm just having a hard time on deciding what I want, at the moment I'm leaning towards the printed shirt, now this collection isn't on the cheap side the shirt is £65 but I really really want it so I may treat myself at the end of the month :).

Wednesday 25 July 2012

I don't know if anyone has been watching the series of shows that have been on channel 4 this week, dealing with mental illness. Well I have and its a issue that is very close to my heart. For the most of my life I have been suffering from depression, something that was only really diagnosed in me last year. A lot of my behaviour especially when I was younger was always put down to shyness, it was only last year when I hit a very low point in my life that anyone thought it could be something more than I was just feeling a little low. I wont go into to much detail because its still a personal thing to me.

Even though it's a ongoing condition and I can honestly say I'm not the same person any more, I went to the doctors and got help and learnt how to recognise the signs that things may be spiralling downwards and you know one of the best things you can do, is just talk about it, talk about whatever is on your mind, don't bottle things up and don't think you aren't important or that you don't matter (that's always how I saw myself).

But the thing I really wanted to discuss was the overuse of the word 'depressed', I find it extremely annoying the amount of people who say how depressed they are because its cold out or they can't find something to wear. Grow up! That's not real depression, you can't even begin to comprehend how that feels without actually going through it yourself.

So if anyone actually reads this and maybe just wants someone to talk to, I'm here. I've got so many amazing people in my life who've been there for me over the past year and I wouldn't be where I am today without them so if I can do for anyone else what they've done for me then that's all I want.

ashleya_6@hotmail.com

The xx - Angels



This song is all anyone on my Twitter seems to be talking about recently, so why not give it a listen :)

Tuesday 17 July 2012

The many faces of Catwoman

So with the release of the Dark Night Rises this week, I thought I'd focus on the sexy siren Catwoman and some leather inspired fashion. Even though the role of Catwoman has been played many times and lots of different actresses, the tight-fitting leather/latex costume has always been a staple, that's made Catwoman one of the sexiest villains around.Now I understand latex isn't really wearable everyday but it's always nice to experiment every now and again. So here are just a few idea's to add a seductive side to your wardrobe.

Bag: Asos, Skirt: Alexander Mcqueen, Belt: Topshop, Dress: Nasty Girl, Pants: Mango, Jacket: Topshop, Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell, Collar:: Topshop


Both the latex dresses where found here.



Update: So I went to see Batman last Friday and I have to say I absolutely loved it. There were certain things I saw coming and I think if you are familiar with the Batman comics you probably would as well. I was a little apprehensive about seeing Anne Hathaway as Catwoman but she was brilliant and I am hoping the rumours are true that she might be doing a stand alone film. The only thing I was a let down by was it didn't seem like a continuation of the second film its seemed more like the sequel to the first one. 

Monday 16 July 2012

Perks of being Wallflower review


So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.

We can all find a little bit of ourselves in the protagonist Charlie, at first I didn’t know if I’d be able to relate to Charlie, he is a fifteen year old boy who has had to deal with a lot of tragedy in his life but throughout this book he would say something about how he was feeling and I’d find myself remembering a time when I’ve felt that way too. Sometimes I’d find myself shocked at the topics Charlie would discuss as I thought them very mature for a fifteen year old boy, such as rape, sex and drugs but overall I didn’t find that they were the themes I took away from it. Charlie is a ‘wallflower’ trying to find his way in the world with the help of the people he meets, he is a social outcast who has always observed the world from the outside, which I found I could relate to. It isn’t until the end that we find out the real reasons behind Charlie’s behaviour and it’s a twist I found rather disturbing. This book will transcend time and it’s something that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

The 90's are back!

With the release of No Doubt's  new single settle down, I've been thinking about the ionic grunge style from the 90's and its revival in 2012. The grunge style was all about 'anti-fashion', breaking the rules. Grunge was defined by the music people listened to and it rebelled against the rigid lives of the older generations, grunge itself was a revival of the 1970's punk rock attitude.


The revival of this style has taken on a modern twist, we still want some femininity in our clothing, so instead of copying the 90's grunge style we use it for inspiration. Mixing grunge and glam together. It's all about the over-sized t-shirts, the denim jackets and high-waisted shorts, the tye- dye, the studs, the flannel, the hats and the longer skirts but giving it a feminine touch. It's a style easy to embrace and with not much fuss needed. The key to making this trend work for the modern day is to lift the dark colour palette with different fabrics and to add a bit of sparkle, don't be afraid to mix colours and patterns. Have fun with this style.









It's a look favoured by many of our favourite style icons today, I think it's safe to say that Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are the current Queens of grunge, followed by the like's of Kristen Stewart and Taylor Momsen and Kelly Osbourne. But let's not forget that Kate Moss and Gwen Stefani are both still rocking this trend, they've been able to carry it on and give it the perfect modern twist.









Friday 6 July 2012

Chanel Jewelled eyebrows

The jewelled eyebrow at Chanel's autumn/winter 2012-13 show provided one of the biggest beauty talking points of the season. It made a bold statement and its an extremely eye catching look. Models wore different jewelled tones in the colour of the upcoming season.

I love it and I've done it myself, a few years ago when I went to see the rocky horror picture show.

 It's not a look you could wear, well unless you have a lot of confidence but its definitely a fun one to play around with, even if you only use the colour palette or the sparkling effect the jewels create.

Knee High Socks

Okay, so I went to see the new Spider-man movie on Wednesday and I noticed that throughout the film Emma Stone's character Gwen Stacy was definitely rocking the knee high socks. Now knee high socks are one of the most challenging trends for most people to incorporate into their everyday looks. It's one of the trends that scares me. I'm always worried I will end up with the 'sausage leg', you know when the socks cut into your legs, never an attractive look or that I'm going to end up looking like an school-girl. I'm 23 and people already mistake me for an 18 year old. However knee high socks on other people seem to create a bold statement and add a more textured and polished look to tights or a bare leg. Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung are big fans amongst others and its a look I really want to try.