Briar Rose by Jana Oliver.

Summary:

For Briar Rose, life is anything but a fairy tale. She's stuck in a small town in deepest Georgia with parents who won't let her out of their sight, a bunch of small-minded, gossiping neighbours and an evil ex who's spreading nasty rumours about what she may or may not have done in the back of his car. She's tired of it all, so when, on her sixteenth birthday, her parents tell her that she is cursed and will go to sleep for a hundred years when the clock strikes midnight, she's actually kind of glad to leave it all behind. She says her goodbyes, lies down, and closes her eyes . . . And then she wakes up. Cold, alone and in the middle of the darkest, most twisted fairy tale she could ever have dreamed of. Now Briar must fight her way out of the story that has been created for her, but she can't do it alone. She never believed in handsome princes, but now she's met one her only chance is to put her life in his hands, or there will be no happy ever after and no waking up.

  So, if you follow my posts frequently or have even had a little insight into my favourite books, you will know that Jana Oliver, being the author of The Demon Trappers series, is in fact my all time favourite author. And although I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as The Demon Trappers, she still didn't fail me and this was definitely a great read in my opinion.

  I loved the creativity and the idea on the whole of this book - it was a definite twist to the tale of 'Sleeping Beauty' and I loved how different it was from the original tale.

  Although I did struggle with some sections of this book, overall it was a fairly nice read and, at times, easy to get through; it has only taken me so long due to the fact I've been mega super busy lately and I just haven't found myself with time to read, really.

  But on the whole this book was well written with a solid plot line and if you love YA (who doesn't) then I'd definitely recommend you pick this book up off the shelves at your next visit to waterstones.

  ****4/5 stars****

Eren by Simon P. Clark.

Summary:

People are keeping secrets from Oli - about where his father is, and why he hasn't come to join them at his uncle's house in the country.

But Oli has secrets too.

He knows what lives in the attic. Eren - part monster, part dream, part myth. Eren who always seems so interested, who always wants to hear more about Oli's life. Eren, who needs to hear stories to live, and will take them from Oli, no matter the cost.

  

  So, to start off with, I'd just like to say that if I'd have to summarise this book myself without a blurb, I just wouldn't be able to do it! It's such a strange tale, that you couldn't really explain what was happening - plus, you'd probably have a different interpretation from another reader, which is one of the reasons why I loved this book.

  When I first begun this story, it reminded me a lot of 'Skellig' which I read some years ago for English, yet still enjoyed ( which is very rare when I'm made to read a book for lessons ) but, this book was so wonderfully weird that I don't even think you can really label a genre on it - I think it's one of those books literally anyone can enjoy.

  The writing was impeccable, and easy to read and I absolutely loved that it also included illustrations! Although I am most definitely not a child anymore, I do really really love when they encompass drawings into a novel without them being childish - I don't know why but it just makes it all the more exciting to read.

  This book really paints a picture I think, I could actually see the characters and really clearly form them in my mind, and each page I read I was eager to gobble up some more, to find out all the answers to the questions that were buzzing around my mind.

  

  I think this book is going to certainly fly off the shelves, especially with the fantastical cover! 

  A real page turner with just a sprinkle of absurdity to peak your interest till the very end.

  *****5/5 stars*****