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Bibliomess





Ally Carter is known for her contemporary teenage spy novels. Not if I save you first, is no exception in this regard. Maddy Manchester is the daughter of the head of the Secret Service and the best friend to the president's son, Logan. Only, after the attempted kidnap of the First Lady, Maddy's father moves them to the middle of nowhere in Alaska, where they are cut off from human civilisation, for reasons unknown to Maddy. Six years and several unanswered letters after their big move later, Logan is sent to Alaska following a string of misdemeanours to find Maddy completely changed from the girl he knew. She's not his best friend anymore, which sucks because she's just about the only person in a hundred kilometres either way, who can save his life.

                                        
I have to say that I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I'm not the biggest contemporary reader, but I made an exception for this one because it was promoted as a gender role swap novel. It was fun and it ticked all the boxes for a light read while you're stuck between choosing different fantasy worlds.

 I'm all about switching roles and cutting down stereotypes though which is why I had a bit of a confusing time while reading this too.

Maddy's actions showed just how much Alaska had changed her in the sense that she was the one constantly coming up with different ways to get her and Logan out of sticky situations. She had a bedazzled hatchet, a necklace that helps her make fires from scratch, and a good head on her shoulders. Maddy would have been a great character, but somehow the way the novel was written made all of her great qualities fall a bit flat. Aside from Maddy's greatness, she couldn't go a page without thinking about Logan in his new handsome form. Like, you're about to die but please take a moment to admire his torso and his forearms and his smile... Urg, you get the point, but here's some reference.

“She definitely wasn't going to think about how hot Logan looked because:(A) It was Logan!and(B) She'd heard stories about girls who met cute boys and then lost their heads, and being that they were currently being held by a knife-wielding, ticked-off Russian, Maddie really didn't want to find out how literal that saying might be.” 


 I'm all for friendship to romance storylines but it was as if the romance took over completely from the main plot which was the kidnap adventure! Or at least I thought that was the plot... 

The other thing that irked me a bit was the fact that the story revealed very little of Logan's life during those six years. The Logan the reader knows is the past Logan and the present Logan. And what we know about the present Logan is that he is charming and obsessed with Maddy, who he calls Mad Dog - the whole time... It's supposed to be endearing, but I am not on board.

When I looked past those flaws, however, the setting Ally brings to life in the novel is really breathtaking. You can tell that a lot of research and effort was put into the book to make the story come to life. I actually could see the plot unfold like a movie, which is always a fun treat to have. If it was ever made into a movie I would definitely go see it.

The last 100 pages of the book were the most enjoyable to me because the plot was moving faster, there were stakes brought on to hike up the tension which fell a bit flat in the beginning and the romance took a bit of a step back which was nice.

If you're into spy novels with effortlessly fun characters, a will they won't they objective with a sprinkle of danger on the side, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this book. I've also read that most Ally Carter fans found this story to be closer to the books she used to produce in the past - this is a really good thing according to my sources haha.

I have given this book a 3.5-star rating on Goodreads, because I did end up enjoying it despite the few issues I picked up. Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comment section down below 💚😊


“But Logan had to laugh when he realized that he was the maiden in this scenario. And he didn't care one bit.” 

“What about you?" he asked. "Are you going to kill me?"Maddie had to think about the answer."Why would I do that when I just have to get out of the way and let Alaska do it for me?” 

“Dear Logan,
This is called a letter. It's like an email but written on paper and sent through the regular mail (like bills).
This is called a letter. It's like an email but written on paper and sent through the regular mail (like bills).” 

“A pair of Secret Service agents she didn't recognize practically smirked as she passed, like they'd been wanting to yell at Rascal for ages, like they were more than happy to sit aside and let a teenage girl take a stab at him. They looked like they'd even give her the knife. Which wasn't necessary. Maddie always carried her own.” 
“Dear Logan,
I'm sorry that the stupid Russians shot you.
Mainly because I really want to shoot you, and I hate that they beat me to it.
Maddie
I'm sorry that the stupid Russians shot you.Mainly because I really want to shoot you, and I hate that they beat me to it.Maddie” 

Thank you to the lovely people at Pan Macmillan SA for sending me a review copy :) 
April 22, 2018 No comments

If it wasn't for audiobooks and the freedom it gives me when I'm driving, in the shower, cooking and cleaning... I would have no way of finishing the books that I need to get through. With a full-time job, an insatiable series addiction and a weekend job, there's just not enough time in the day to actually sit down and read 200 pages when so much needs to get done. I know some people don't agree that you can call yourself a reader if you're not actually 'reading', but I say give them a few years. Once you've started your first job and experienced the hassle of actually looking after yourself you just might think differently.

Are you a fan of Audiobooks? Give these short audio snippets a listen to find your next driving companion.

35068658Everyone in Tenney’s Harbor, Maine, has heard of the Garrison tragedy. A mysterious fire. A family of five reduced to one. Tristan is the last surviving Garrison. He wasn’t home the night a blaze took his entire family, and the sadness coming off him in waves is hard for Pearl to ignore. Befriending the summer boys might irk her to her core, but inside their fold of elite parties and reckless whims could be answers to what happened the night of the fire. And that’s just what she finds.

30223025Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields o
f Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.



34992929Juliette Ferrars thought she'd won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she's still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she's got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?



33294200Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.


36491465When Leo, an Italian championship swimmer, and Naomi, a science genius from California, are two of the twenty-four teens drafted into the International Space Training Camp, their lives are forever altered. After erratic climate change has made Earth a dangerous place to live, the fate of the population rests on the shoulders of the final six who will be scouting a new planet. Intense training, global scrutiny, and cutthroat opponents are only a few of the hurdles the contestants must endure in this competition.






April 19, 2018 No comments

Aries are complicated humans, in our adult forms we still resemble toddlers with bigger trousers, but even smaller tempers. We know exactly what it is that we want while not knowing at the same time. It's difficult to recommend anything to us, because we always think we know best, but guess what? We're daring too, so make it a challenge and we'll probably be up for anything. These are the qualities that need to be considered in terms of the reading taste that we might have because it changes constantly.

In honour of my birthday month, April, I thought it would be great to post a few bookish recommendations for all of my fellow crazy Aries readers out there. These books will probably be on the darker side, but the delicious text and the wonderful storytelling will definitely make up for that. The following traits will give you an idea as to why I've made certain choices.

Aries Traits: Enterprising, Incisive, Spontaneous, Daring, Active, Courageous and Energetic. The Aries are the proverbial infants, guileless and optimistic to a fault. However, they also are impatient, impetuous, vain, proud and egoistic.



Not if I save you first by Ally Carter
Bedazzled axes, frosty Alaskan weather, and estranged best friends.
Maddie thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president's son, sometimes life has other plans. Before she knows it, Maddie's dad is dragging her to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. No phone. No Internet. And not a single word from Logan. Until Logan shows up six years later . . .
And Maddie wants to kill him.


Paper Towns by John Green
Wise teenagers, scavenger hunts, and rekindled friendships. 
Who is the real Margo? Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...



Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Assasin school, actual Krakens, cigs, and rude freaking horses...
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

The Call by Peadar O'Guilin 
Mangled bodies, islands of death, and backstabbing buddies (lol)
Imagine a world where you might disappear any minute, only to find yourself alone in a grey sickly land, with more horrors in it than you would ever wish to know about. And then you hear a horn and you know that whoever lives in this hell has got your scent and the hunt has already begun.

Could you survive the Call?



Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Bad ass magical heists, adorable romances, and friendships (sort of...)
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first

Words in deep blue by Cath Crowley
Letters from strangers, books, books and more books!
This is a love story. It's the story of Howling Books, where readers write letters to strangers, to lovers, to poets. It's the story of Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie. They were best friends once, before Rachel moved to the sea. Now, she's back, working at the bookstore, grieving for her brother Cal and looking for the future in the books people love, and the words they leave behind


This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Monsters created by violence, daddy issues, annoying bloodthirsty villains, and blood. Lots of blood.
Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city - a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent - but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Lust, betrayal, and scrubs...
When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves one thing... Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

What other book recs do you think will be perfect for the Aries reader? Let me know if you want recs for each Horoscope in the comment section and I'll be happy to oblige :). My birthday was great btw!haha 


April 19, 2018 No comments
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Zoe

Hi there, and welcome to my book blog! My name is Zoë and I'm a proud Ravenclaw, a reader of stabby books and a fangirl extraordinaire. I love reading books and flailing about them afterward. If that's your vibe, please subscribe or leave a comment so we can flail together!

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      • Bookgab: Not if I save you first by Ally Carter
      • Listen to these excerpts to find your next driving...
      • Top 8 best Aries book recs
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