Beauty & The Books

Roar - Cecelia Ahern First of all, can we just acknowledge the fact that this was the first bookish PR I have ever been sent! (Don't worry that won't affect the review) I feel like I've made it, all achievements accomplished! Anyway, let's carry on with the review! I have only read two other Ahern books and I loved them both, but this one was very different. Synopsis: "Have you ever imagined a different life? Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided? Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar? From much-loved, international bestseller Cecelia Ahern come stories for all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very different women. Each discovers her strength; each realizes she holds the power to make a change. Wi...

Vox - Christina Dalcher When I first saw this I instantly thought of The Hunger Games and the Voxes who have had their tongues cut out as punishment. Anyone else? This was one of my dissertation texts and it fit in with the theme of power and gender so well! So, excuse the slight academic tone to the review, because I have studied this novel inside out. "But, first the synopsis:  "Silence can be deafening. Jean McClellan spends her time in almost complete silence, limited to just one hundred words a day. Any more, and a thousand volts of electricity will course through her veins. Now the new government is in power, everything has changed. But only if you're a woman. Almost overnight, bank accounts are frozen, passports are taken away and seventy million women lose their jobs. Even more terrifyingly, young girls are no longer taught to read or write. For herself, her daughter, and for every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice....

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandle  This is a text that was on my set reading for my Literature and Theory module and I just fell utterly in love with thsi novel! Before we get into the review here is a little synopsis from Book Depositary: Buy the book HERE! " What was lost in the collapse: almost everything, almost everyone, but there is still such beauty. One snowy night in Toronto famous actor Arthur Leander dies on stage whilst performing the role of a lifetime. That same evening a deadly virus touches down in North America.  The world will never be the same again.  Twenty years later Kirsten, an actress in the Travelling Symphony, performs Shakespeare in the settlements that have grown up since the collapse.  But then her newly hopeful world is threatened.  If civilization was lost, what would you preserve? And how far would you go to protect it? " Okay so now you are as hooked into the story as much as I was, I will te...

As you can probably tell this review is about 3 novels from the dystopian genre that will greatly impact your life. You guys may not know this (unless you follow my instagram) but I am currently in the process of writing and researching my final year dissertation. AKA my stress levels have never been this high before. My topic for this dissertation is the concept of power in association with gender and how that is represented in the dystopia. So that leads me to these 3 amazing novels! The Handmaid's Tale , by Margaret Atwood (a classic of this genre, and would be an insult to literature if I did not include this) The Power , by Naomi Alderman  Vox , by Christina Dalcher (the little newbie of the bunch) Before I get into each review I'll give you a little synopsis courtesy of Book Depositary. The Handmaid's Tale , by Margaret Atwood "Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She has only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, li...

Caraval - Stephanie Garber Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy Pages: 416 Format: Standard Fiction, singular POV Rating: 5/5 ----- First off, I saw this book all over my bookstagram and just knew I had to get it without even knowing anything about it. So that is what I did, and I am glad I did because I love this book so much! Here's a little synopsis and then I'll continue with the review: From  Waterstones.com Before you enter the world of Caraval, you must remember that it’s all a game... Welcome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems. Scarlett has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year, week-long performance where the audience participates in the show. Caraval is magic, mystery adventure and for Scarlett and her beloved sister Tella it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless, abusive father. When Scarlett discovers her father has arranged a marriage for her she beli...