Perfect by Cecelia Ahern

Perfect by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured – all her freedoms gone.

Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with the complicated, powerfully attractive Carrick, the only person she can trust. But Celestine has a secret – one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground.

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save only herself, or risk her life to save all the Flawed. And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed…?

This is the follow on story from Flawed, however if you have not read that, there are many references to it in Perfect and you would be able to grasp the concept of the story from reading this one. It shouldn't affect your enjoyment of it.

Cecelia Ahern is a great writer, I particularly enjoy her adult novels, she is just as good though with YA and even if you don't really like YA, I would give these ago.

I don't want to say too much about the book as I could end up giving too much away, but there are some brutal scene in this, but also really emotional ones that will have you grabbing the tissues. It is a complete roller coaster of emotions and it was delivered really well.

This is a must read for any fan of Cecelia Ahern or YA/Dystopian books.

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The stunning YA debut from internationally bestselling author Cecelia Ahern.

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

In this stunning novel, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society in which perfection is paramount and mistakes are punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.



I absolutely love Cecelia Ahern's novels and when I knew she was writing a YA I knew I wanted to get my hands on a copy. I was over the moon to find out that I had won a competition to receive an early copy of Flawed. As soon as my copy arrived I began and I am so glad I did, this certainly disappoint. The only thing I am disappointed about is that I need to wait a whole year for the next in the installment.

Normally I do not like dystopians, they tend to be a bit too far fetched for me and I find it difficult to relate to them as they are too far away from reality. This book however is very different. Although it is a dystopian I would say this is a great introduction into the genre if like me you don't really get on with them very well.

This is such an interesting book, one that stayed with me night after night of reading parts of it, I haven't been so hooked on a book for a long time. Celestine is perfect, living her life with her prefect boyfriend Art. They live in a controlled society, one where they can be branded flawed for doing things that are considered wrong. Not by the police but by the Guild.

One day Celestine finds herself in a situation, one that she cannot ignore , she chooses to make a quick decision, one which now could be life changing.

There were times in the book when I didn't want to keep reading through discuss of parts of it, then there were other parts, which I thought was completely unfair and I wished I could influence Celestine and other characters in the book. I felt I was on a roller coaster ride with Celestine and never knew who I could trust. Even after finishing the novel I am still unsure of characters and not sure if they have an ulterior motive.

This for me was totally new and unique, I have never read a book like this. It was totally engaging and I honestly had no idea where the book was going. I really enjoyed this debut young adult, there was a lot of description and the characters were well developed.

I loved Carrick in the story, there is so much mystery with him, some of which still are not clear. I think Art was too weak and he doesn't have a back bone, not willing to stand up for himself or to his father. I think he would have gained more respect from me if he had shown a more courageous side.

The only negative I have about this book is that there are a lot of unanswered questions and we were left on a huge cliff hanger. This is the first in a series, I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for Perfect next year.

I would recommend this book to Cecelia Ahern fans as well as those who read young adult books. I feel if you are new to dystopians and want to get into them, this would be a good one to start with.

I would like to thank Maximum Pop for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

False Memory - Dan Krokos

False Memory by Dan Krokos
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

'Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her except Peter, a boy who isn t at all surprised by Miranda's shocking ability. Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn't easy especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can't remember loving.

Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn t seem to matter... when there may not be a future.'


False Memory is the debut novel from Dan Krokos. This was sent from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I must be honest; this book takes me completely out of my comfort zone as I don’t read many dystopian/paranormal novels or sci – fi books as I find it hard to get my head round them. Saying that, from reading the blurb this sounded like a good one to start with, it sounded like it was going to be fast paced and full of action.

Miranda North wakes up on a park bench and has no recollection of how she got there, who she is or where she is going. She spots a shopping mall and (for some unknown reason) goes shopping. This is the first issue I have with this book, I just don’t understand how this works or even what relevance the author thinks this has on the story. She spots a security guard and approaches him for help; she becomes frustrated with him when he doesn’t believe her story. All of a sudden all around her people start to die almost with the anger of her frustration. Miranda becomes scared and still in no closer to finding out what is going on and why she can’t remember things.

Miranda meets a boy, Peter who ensures her he knows her and is going to help her find out who she is, he takes her to a secret place where he introduces her to the creator of them. They are not alone; other teens have been programmed and created in the same way as they have.

This is action packed, even getting to the secret location causes thrills with chases, this is a typical book I could see being made into a film as it has all the aspects that would go into to make a great film.

Miranda as a character I felt hard to connect with, this could have been down to the issue I have with the plot and genre of sci fi. I spent a lot of time trying to analyse things, which clearly I was meant to, however due to Miranda not knowing herself what has happened or who she is, it was hard for a reader to find a connection with her.

This is a fast, action packed book which is a little different. I am glad I had the opportunity to read it as it is intelligent and well written, I am afraid though although I enjoyed the idea of the storyline and did enjoy part of the story; this has not converted me to be a YA sci fi reader. If you do like YA sci fi though this is the book for you, I also liked the fact that the book is ready and waiting for book 2 in this series. I think this is going to be a good YA series in this genre.

The only reason I have given this 3 stars is down to my own personal struggle with this genre and this was my first experience of it. I found it hard to get my head round as I am not used to this style and genre of books. I think this is a good debut novel from Dan Krokos and a book that has been clearly researched well.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me this copy to review.

One Crow Alone - Sophie Crockett

One Crow Alone by Sophie Crockett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"They say it's going to get worse. That it's not going to end." The snow won't stop falling in this dangerous-new-world prequel to AFTER THE SNOW.

'The long, bitter winters are getting worse, and a state of emergency has been declared across Europe. In Poland, the villagers are subject to frequent power cuts and fuel shortages. After the death of her grandmother and the evacuation of her village, fifteen-year-old Magda joins forces with the arrogant, handsome Ivan and smuggles her way onto a truck bound for London - where she hopes to find her mother. But London, when they reach it, is a nightmarish world, far from welcoming. Riots are commonplace and the growing chaos is exploited by criminals and terrorists alike. Magda's mother is not to be found, and as the lost girl struggles to come to terms with her changing situation, she eventually becomes friends with a rag-tag group of travellers planning a new home and future. They will need all the cunning and know-how they possess as they realise that the frozen wilderness of Britain has become just as lawless as the city.'


I was sent this from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

When I was sent this book I thought it looked really interesting. It wasn't something that I would normally read but I was looking forward to it.

'One Crow Alone' is about a girl called Magda a Polish girl who discovers that her village has been abandoned, with the country in a state of emergency because of the weather and no family left, she decides to make the journey to London to find her mother who is working there. Along the way she meets a boy who tags along for the journey.

When I began reading the book I realised that this is the prequel of 'After the Snow'. I had not read this so read 'One Crow Alone' in isolation. Sometimes I think that it is better to read a prequel first as you have no preconceived ideas about the characters.

'One Crow Alone' I felt was a little out of my comfort zone, I don't normally read dystopian novels or stories set in different worlds. I feel that this book crossed over into this genre, I struggled with this concept personally as I kept trying to make sense of things. At points I felt the story had been set in the past but then there were comments that made it seem as if it was in the future, such as electric cars..

I loved Magda as a character, I felt that she was very real, I felt like I was with her in her head and really felt for her. Her character was well developed, the only negative I would say about Magda is that at times I felt she could be naive, saying this she was sixteen and many sixteen year olds can be naive at times. Being an older reader, however it was a little frustrating as you could see things that were going to happen and you just wanted to shout at her, such as the man with the car...

Personally I struggled a little with the concept of this book as I think it was out of my comfort zone, saying this I think it was cleverly written and looking back I understand why the author structured the book in this way. I also realised once finishing that I had enjoyed the book more than I originally thought, it has stayed with me a long time after I had finished the book.

While reading the book the descriptions of the setting and emotions were beautiful, I found that it is a very descriptive and vivid book. You felt like you were in the room with Magda, or hiding in the cupboard with Alice.

After reading 'One Crow Alone' I would be interested in reading 'After the Snow' and think if you have not read 'After the Snow' I would encourage you to read this one first.

I would recommend this as a good cultural novel, it covers the struggle for some migrants to relocate, highlights to teenagers that we are not all as lucky, some of us have to work very hard in order to make something of our lives and teaches you to be grateful for what you have got.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me this to review.