April Book Recommendations

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

It's time for me to share some more of my favourite books with you and hopefully persuade you to try some amazing novels that you never otherwise would've given a chance. I get a lot of people asking me to review books, eager for my next book-related post, so I'm bringing you another one today. I'm actually on holiday at the moment, so I've scheduled this post in hope that you'll like it!


The His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
When Lyra's friend Roger disappears, she and her daemon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him. The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies - and where a team of scientists are conduction experiments too horrible to be spoken about. Lyra overcomes these strange terrors, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for her - something with consequences which may even reach beyond the Northern Lights. 
It seems like ages since I read these three books, probably about 2 or 3 years, but I've recently been reminiscing about how I loved them so much and though they'd be great to share with you. We are introduced to Lyra Belacqua and, later on, William Parry, who meet each other after wandering through parallel worlds. There are lots of fantasy elements in this novel, but it also alludes to ideas from physics, philosophy and theology. This series, which is made up of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, is both gripping and interesting, making it a definite must-read!

The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
Most kids Callum's age dream of having the natural talent for magic needed to get into the Magisterium - that's where they will learn to hone their skills and control their power in order to pass the first year's Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. Call has been told his whole life that he should never trust a magician. And so he tries his best to do his worst - but fails at failing. Now he must enter the dreaded Magisterium. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister. And Call realises it has dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future. The Iron Trial is just the beginning. Call's biggest test is still to come... 
I actually received this book at the signing, where I was lucky enough to meet both of the authors, learn more about the story and gain extra information on it. I started reading it immediately after this and I was impressed by the quality and storyline. I've read quite a lot of stories about magic and wizardry and they're all fairly similar, but this book takes a completely new view on an otherwise old topic. Although it wasn't too challenging, I still found myself being completely shocked by big reveals and plot twists. Overall, it was a great book and I'm looking forward to the next one being released.

Wonder by R J Palacio
August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He feels ordinary - inside. But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?
I definitely think this recommendation is geared towards my younger readers, probably those around the age of 11, but I still think that this is a great book that can be appreciated by anyone. We meet August, who is a loveable character that just about anyone can cherish and feel sorry for. We see the ups and downs of his journey through school from the perspective of many different people and learn how his facial abnormality is the least of his friend's worries. There are a lot of underlying themes and emotional moments in this beautiful book, which you definitely need to read.

The Forbidden Room by Sarah Wray
Taken to live at Oak Hall Children's Centre, Jenny begins a very different life, confined to a wheelchair and dreaming of an earlier time filled with love, family and friends. Then Helen and John Holland offer her a foster home with their son. But when she discovers an old diary beneath a floorboard, she unravels a horrifying secret that she'll never forget.
This book was one that I thoroughly enjoyed and blew me away, especially as I wasn't expecting much from it. Everything from the style of writing to the events were easy to comprehend, enjoyable to read and similar to something that I'd write myself. The story is interesting and has lots of plot twists, meaning it keeps you guessing until the last page. I can't really tell you much about it without giving things away, but I'd really recommend this fairly unknown book.
I hope you liked this new instalment of book reviews and that it has persuaded you to try some of them. If you want more book posts in the future, let me know and I'll try my best to write some for you. That's all from me today, thanks for reading and I'll see you soon!

Love from Daisy x

Images from Goodreads, edited by me.

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