The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks- E.Lockhart- Strong, Witty, Feminist

When reading E.Lockhart’s ‘We Were Liars’ I found the novel’s style of writing to be very unique and have a strong influence on the atmosphere of the novel, making it more dramatic and intense. I hoped that there were other books that were written in such a way. So I decided to read another E.Lockhart book and thus I began reading ‘The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks’. Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that I was left disappointed with the novel as I was expecting it to be just as intriguing as ‘We Were Liars’. I didn’t feel a deep connection with the characters, whereas I had with the protagonists in the other novel, and I didn’t find myself being drawn into another world. The book still had an interesting plot with some witty characters, but I personally didn’t enjoy reading it as much. However, I found the way in which the book expressed and supported feminism, with the main character being a strong and determined young woman, who desires to be loved and known for who she is, extremely powerful: 'She hoped, she hoped... That he would... Admire her cleverness, her ambition, her vision. That he would admit her as his equal, or even as his superior, and love her for what she was capable of'

'Secrets are more powerful when people know you've got them'

Frankie Laudau-Banks goes to a prestigious and very disciplinary boarding school where all the students come from important families. Frankie enjoys school; she has good friends, is part of the debate team and Matthew Livingston roams the same corridors. This year, Frankie wants to be known and wants to stop being another normal tenth grader. She wants to stand out but doesn’t exactly know where, or how to start. To her advantage, Frankie has grown up into a beautiful and intelligent young woman over the summer and so, attracts Matthew Livingston’s eye. With the school year starting off successfully, Matthew and Frankie’s new friendship develops and they become more than friends. Frankie is soon running in the same circles and crowd as Matthew and is becoming friends with the older, most popular seniors. Their relationship is almost everything Frankie dreamed of, but she can’t help but feel that Matthew’s keeping something from her. Frankie, being a curious and brave girl, is unlike other girlfriends and will stop at nothing to find out what his secret is…

'Frankie wanted to be a force'

One night, after following Matthew to the school’s abandoned theatre, Frankie discovers her boyfriend’s secret. She finds herself spying on an all male, secret meeting being held by a few of the most popular boys in school, including Matthew. After furtively attending a few more meetings, Frankie finds herself being drawn to the strong bond and brotherhood of the members, and immediately wants to be part of such a group. These members form the rebellious and mysterious group known as ’The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds’ (’The Loyal Order’). ’The Loyal Order’ aren't law-abiding and their sole purpose is to rebel against the school’s rules in the most subtle of ways, their identities are unknown to the whole school. Frankie’s curiosity gets the better of her and she soon finds herself sneaking through the school’s underground tunnels, lying to her friends and creating a new identity for herself and scheming, just so she can unravel the history of ‘The Loyal Order’ and be part of something special. 

'And even though Frankie found the meetings to be disorganized and their Halloween ideas dumb, she wanted to be part of it'

As I mentioned before, I thought this book was worth reading and the character of Frankie was extremely different from other female characters in other books, as she learns what she wants from the world independently and is confident with who she is. Some aspects of the book were unusual, yet amusing. E.Lockhart does in fact write this novel with yet another unique style of writing, but I did not enjoy it as much as I did the one in ‘We Were Liars’. I do recommend this book but I think it would be a good read for children around the age of 12. 

Xo,
Kiki

All The Bright Places- Jennifer Niven- Intense, Intriguing and utterly Incredible

I'll be honest with you guys, the first time I came across this novel and read its blurb, I was convinced that it was nothing more than a sad and depressing love story, in which the two protagonists will most probably end up surviving through high school because of their love for each other. The book seemed nothing more than the average YA novel. Yet when I returned to the bookstore a few weeks later, I came across it again and after discovering that it was rated a 4.2 by Goodreads, I decided to give it a try. Now, after finishing it in 3 days, I can't believe I left the bookstore without the novel in my shopping bag the first time round! This book, with its deep and powerful characters and brilliant, yet realistic plot, was a wonderful portayal of a complicated and heart-wrenching relationship between two teenagers.

'You are all the colours at once, at full brightness'

They meet on the ledge of the school's bell tower. Both want to die, but both still grasp onto life. It isn’t Finch’s first time on the ledge, but no one has noticed and even if they have, no one would care enough to stop him from going up there. He is lonely. 

'We are all alone, trapped in bodies and our own minds'

Violet has never been up there before, yet after her sister’s death she has become a completely different person. She has cut her hair and dyed it black, she counts down the days to graduation and has isolated herself from things and those she loves the most. She is devastated. 
None of them can take it any longer. Yet when Finch finds Violet up there one afternoon, he saves her life and an incredible adventure of love, happiness and life begins. 

'I
am
in
pieces.' 

Violet and Finch have completely different social statuses. Violet is popular and admired and is an obedient and sensible student, whereas Finch is the opposite. He is known as the ‘Freak’ of the school, is mocked by Violet’s friends and is a rebellious and ignorant student whose sarcasm and wit is nothing but trouble. Finch is immediately drawn to Violet, her smile captures his heart. After Finch announces that Violet will be his partner for their U.S Geography project, their intense and heart-warming journeys together commence. As they travel around Indianapolis, visiting some of the unknown but unique wonders of their town, Violet manages to come to terms with her sister's death, yet Finch's world continues to shrink. Soon they fall in love. Their adventures become excuses to spend time together. 

'You make me lovely, and it's so lovely to be lovely to the one I love...'

One day Finch disappears. Violet's devastation and depression return again. No one knows where he is and so no one can save him. All Violet receives in order to know that he is still alive are cryptic texts, which seem to have no meaning. But eventually, they stop coming. Where is Finch and how could he leave Violet in such a dark place, all alone again?

Just writing this review makes my heart drop. The perfection of this novel is surreal. It's everything I want and love in a book. I've kept the review quite short as all I can really express is that you're missing out on so much if you don't read this book. It's absolutely amazing and the fact that the narration flicks back and forth between Violet and Finch just adds to the intensity and brilliance of it.

xo,

Kiki

We Were Liars- E. Lockhart- Clever, Charismatic and totally Compelling

I recently finished E.Lockhart's masterpiece, 'We Were Liars' and was blown away by everything the book had to offer: a unique style of writing, a constant linger of suspense and mystery, teen romance and a roller coaster of emotions. Once starting the book, I couldn't put it down, literally. Never have I read a book that caused me to cry with both happiness and grief at the same time.

I bought this book wanting a break from the more 'advanced' novels both my parents and teachers had suggested I read over the Christmas Holidays, thinking that it would be another simply written YA novel, but boy was I mistaken. I was instantly plunged into Lockhart's world of love, drama, friendship, mystery and mistakes. Intrigued by the quirkiness and the charm in its simplicity, I had no idea what was awaiting me.

'We are liars. We are beautiful and privileged. We are cracked and broken.'

Cadence is no doubt a member of the Sinclair family with her perfect blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and tall, thin figure. Being a Sinclair is hard, 'No one is a criminal. No one is an addict. No one is a failure.' Cadence wants to be different, wants to be herself and live without the expectations and pressure of her family. Every summer, the whole family reunite on their private island. However, during 'summer fifteen' Cadence is left traumatised after a horrific accident that she has no memory of. All she remembers of that summer is waking up on the beach, dressed in nothing but her underwear, and her feelings for Gat, another member of the 'Liars'. She has burning questions that no one is willing to answer, 'Silence is a protective coating over pain.' Cadence is determined to find some and after not hearing from 'The Liars' nor going to the island for two years, she returns to her family, to her grandfather, aunts and cousins, and to Gat. She is desperate to feel happy and be herself again.

The book is mainly set between the time frames of 'summer fifteen' and 'summer seventeen', the summer when Cadence learns the devastating truth, and the dark years after her accident. 

Even though I could go on and on about how much I love this book, I won't, 'cause I need you all to read it having no idea what to expect. I promise it'll be worth it.

Xo,
Kiki

A Little Bit About Me

Hey! So I decided to make this blog because I love reading. I read a lot but never know what to do with the book once I've finished it. My friends always come to me asking for advice on what to read, so instead of giving them a looooong list that they'll probably forget, I thought of making a blog... So here I am

I guess you should know a little bit about me before we begin our awesome journey together. My name is Kiki and one of my New Year's Resolutions this year is to be more productive and find a new hobby. Like the majority of teenagers, I spend most of my time attempting to take 'cool' pics for my Instagram hoping to wow my followers, updating my closest friends on every little detail of my life on Snapchat and worrying about whether my Tumblr blog is 'tumblr' enough. Yet somehow, although I'm always on my phone, I manage to read a lot. So I've decided to take my love for technology and books and combine them, creating a perfect (hopefully) hobby for me, and I hope, spark another, for many others too.
This is gonna be a great experience and I can't wait to share it with the world!

xo,
Kiki