{Blog Tour} Douglas, You Need Glasses! by Ged Adamson #DouglasYouNeedGlasses

Posted by Donna
Release Date: 17th May 2016
Finished Date: 30th July 2016

Publishers: Schwartz & Wade
Genre: Children's Picture Book 
Source: For Review
Format: eBook 

Pages: 40

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Meet Douglas, a dog with a big problem: he needs eyeglasses but doesn’t know it, and his bad eyesight tends to land him in some pretty hairy situations.

Readers will laugh along with the new picture book character Douglas as he chases a leaf that he mistakes for a squirrel, walks through wet cement because he can’t see the warning sign, and annoys the neighbor’s dog by mistakenly eating out of his bowl. And when Douglas’s owner Nancy finally takes him to what is clearly an eyeglass store and Douglas asks, “Why are you taking me to a shoe store?” everyone will be giggling. 

After an eye exam confirms that Douglas needs glasses, and Nancy helps him find the perfect pair, readers will rejoice with Douglas as he sees all the amazing things he’s been missing!

Both kids and parents will laugh out loud—and may even recognize themselves!—while reading this utterly irresistible, hilarious picture book.

The Review: As soon as I heard about this book I just knew it was one my daughter and I had to read. It's been a while since we last reviewed a children's book together and Douglas, You Need Glasses! was definitely the perfect choice.Douglas is a dog. He's near sighted. He chases leaves instead of squirrels. And he's always mistaking animals like cats for crabs. It's safe to say Douglas's eye's really get him mixed up. So the only option for his owner - Nancy, is for her to take him to the eye doctors for some glasses. 

Douglas, You Need Glasses! is an enjoyable read for the whole family to enjoy time and time again. It's the right length of a story so your little ones can't get distracted and it also provides some very detailed and funny illustrations to keep them entertained. It also offers some real life events that may even help your little if they are in the same situation as Douglas. I'm definitely going to have to buy a hard copy of this book for my daughter so she can take it into school for story time. 

Thank you to Geb Adamson & Kate Ormand for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

AUTHOR BIO:  Ged Adamson is a writer and illustrator. His first two books, Elsie Clarke And The Vampire Hairdresser and Meet The McKaws, are both published by Sky Pony Press. A third, Douglas, You Need Glasses!, will be published in May 2016 by Random House. He sees two books published in 2017 – Shark Dog in Summer 2017 and published by HarperCollins and I Want to Grow will be released in Fall 2017 by Boyds Mill Press.

His cartoons have appeared in magazines such as Punch and Prospect, in books and on film. He’s been a storyboard artist and a caricaturist. He also works as a composer for TV and film. He lives in London with his partner Helen and their son Rex.

 Links: 
Twitter https://twitter.com/ged_adamson
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gedadamson/
Website http://www.gedadamson.com

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{Review} Cruel Crown (Red Queen 0.1-0.2) by Victoria Aveyard

Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 21st, 2016
Finished Date: July 27th, 2016

Publishers: Orion
Genre: YA, Dystopia
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 208
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depo 

 

Two women on either side of the Silver and Red divide tell the stories no one else knows.

Discover the truth of Norta’s bloody past in these two revealing prequels to #1 New York Times bestseller Red Queen.

Queen Song

Queen Coriane, first wife of King Tiberias, keeps a secret diary—how else can she ensure that no one at the palace will use her thoughts against her? Coriane recounts her heady courtship with the crown prince, the birth of a new prince, Cal, and the potentially deadly challenges that lay ahead for her in royal life.

Steel Scars

Diana Farley was raised to be strong, but being tasked with planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected. As she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital, she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation—Mare Barrow.

Plus a Glass Sword sneak peek!

The Review: Cruel Crown features two prequels to Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series. I'd recommend to read them in between Red Queen and Glass Sword. I've read it after both books but I think it would have interested me more if I'd read it while awaiting the release of Glass Sword because it has an exciting sneek peak at Glass Sword included too. Both novella's together are only around 150 pages so this is a very quick read. 

Queen Song: Ever since I read Red Queen I've been interested to read more about Queen Coriane who is Cal's Mother. However unfortunately - and this isn't a spoiler - Coriane isn't in the remainder of the series because she died years ago but with her being such a big part of Cal and Julian's lives - my two favourite characters - it's not surprise why I'd want to get to know her more. If I'm honest, I was expecting this to be about her life as a Queen, however it was only a small part because for the most of the story is focused on her life before becoming Queen and, in all honestly, her life was pretty sad. But this doesn't stop Coriane being interesting and she's such a sweet girl. I was just hoping that the author would give us more information at her later days in life rather than before. It was still really good to see how her and the King fell in love, him them only being a Prince. And it was of course nice to see that their feelings for one another were real and not forced by the Queenstrial which is how the heir to the throne is normally picked his bride. I really enjoyed Coriane's story but I only wish it was longer.

Steel Scars: I'm not sure what to say about this one. I didn't really like it which was disappointing because I was looking forward to reading more about the red side of the story. Some familiar faces pop up and while that's great not much really happens in the novella and with this one being nearly 100 pages it did start to drag. Captain Farley is an interesting character but this novella didn't add anything to her story. We don't get to know her better. 

In all, Cruel Crown would have be an interesting read with just the Queen Song's novella but some fans may like Steel Scars. It's a nice little bonus to add to the collection of books though even if one novella is much stronger than the other.

Thanks to Orion Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} The Way We Fall (Fallen World #1) by Megan Crewe

Posted by Donna
Release Date: January 21st, 2012
Finished Date: May 19th, 2016

Publishers: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: YA, Post Apocalyptic
Source: For Review
Format: eBook 

Pages: 309
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

 

It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in. 

And then you're dead.

When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school without saying goodbye, she never dreams that she might not see him again. But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island community, infecting young and old alike. As the dead pile up, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight for the island’s dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.

Because how will she go on if there isn't?

Poignant and dizzying, The Way We Fall is the heart-wrenching story of one girl's bravery and unbeatable spirit as she challenges not just her fears, but her sense of what makes life worth living.

The Review: Over the last few years I've keep seeing The Way We Fall pop up and it's always been in the back of my mind to finally read but I guess that's the case with a lot of books isn't it? So I'm honestly not sure why I never picked up this before but I'm really glad I can finally check this one off my TBR list. 

The Way We Fall follows Kaelyn, a sixteen year old girl whose life has been turned upside down since a strange virus hits her small hometown island and starts infecting everyone around her. Since she lives on an island, the government puts it under quarantine so no-one can leave nor come back until they can find a cure. But as Kaelyn try to deal with everything going on around her - mainly losing more people to the virus and trying to not catch it herself, the one thing she regrets was not being able to say goodbye to her best friend after he left the island - before the breakout- to go back to school. In order to try and stay close to him, Kaelyn starts to write him letter and this is how we find out everything going on around her and if there really is a cure out there?

I really liked The Way We Fall. It's been a while since I've read anything post-apocalyptic but this definitely ticked all the right boxes. For me, the way Kaelyn was telling her story though the letters, almost like a diary format was very unique and it definitely added to the emotional aspect of the story. By Kaelyn expressing herself through these letters it meant she was very honest and open about her feelings. However the only downside to the letters is that you only get the information that Kaelyn knows about the virus  as the story is only told from her point of view. But this didn't stop me enjoying the story any less.

The romance was a welcomed edition to the story and it's one I really liked. It showed signs of hope that no matter what the circumstance that love can triumph and brighten up the darkest stories. And I also think Kaelyn needed to have something good in her life when everything else was so bad. 

The ending came a little sooner than I like and it didn't really answer a lot of the questions I had. But knowing that the sequel is ready and waiting whenever I can get to it definitely helped because I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where Kaelyn's story goes next.

Thank you to Megan Crewe for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.